News

Two significant buildings from Williams’ first decade of practice receive local landmark designation in 2008:  the Blackburn Residence and the Edwin Building.

Nominated by its owners, the Blackburn Residence was declared Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 913 in April, 2008.  Located in the hills of L.A.’s Los Feliz neighborhood, this Spanish Colonial Revival residence features a red tile roof and extensive use of wrought iron and decorative molding.  Williams designed the home for inventor Bruce Blackburn and his wife Lula; it was completed in 1927.

Across town and just two blocks from the ocean, the Edwin Building was declared a Santa Monica Landmark in May, 2008.  This nomination was initiated by the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission, with letters of strong support submitted by the Santa Monica Conservancy and the PRW Project at the University of Memphis.  Completed in the fall of 1928, this elaborate Spanish Colonial Revival structure was commissioned by Lovell H. Turnbull, a wealthy Detroit merchant who retired to Santa Monica after a successful career in the produce distribution business.  Churrigueresque detailing adorns the building’s upper floor and arched entrance while a wave-inspired motif spanning the top of the first floor adds a bit of regional identity.  The Edwin Building is one of Williams’ earliest commercial commissions.

Lost and Found: a Williams-designed estate in Bel-Air falls to the wrecking ball, while a little-known PRW residence in Santa Monica gains wider recognition.

News that the 1926 Claude Wayne Residence was threatened came too late for preservationists to intervene.  The Tudor Revival estate in Bel-Air, which included a 4,364 sq. ft. main house and outbuildings, was demolished in July, 2008 as a teardown—the latest in a trend that has claimed several significant PRW homes in this tony neighborhood that includes some of Williams’ most notable residential designs.  Last year, the similarly threatened Castera Residence, also in Bel-Air, was successfully protected when a quickly submitted landmark nomination forced the property owner to consider alternatives to demolition.  We’ll provide an update on the Castera Residence in an upcoming report.

In November, a Santa Monica Conservancy newsletter article celebrating that city’s PRW legacy led to an unexpected benefit.  The article cited three of Williams’ known surviving works in Santa Monica, and prompted a local resident to contact the organization with information about a lesser-known fourth.  The modest 1937 Colonial Revival residence, which features elegant bow windows flanking the central entrance door, was commissioned by Dr. Marcus O. Tucker, Santa Monica’s first African American physician.  To highlight the significance of the Tucker Residence, the Conservancy is planning a follow-up article in its next newsletter.


Marcello Vavala is an architectural historian in Los Angeles and submitted this news. He is Preservation Associate at the Los Angeles Conservancy and serves on the board of the Santa Monica Conservancy.