James R. Toberman House, Oliver Dennis & Lyman Farwell, Architects c.1907; Fran Offenhauser, Restoration Architect 2003, a photo by Michael Locke on Flickr.
Architectural historican Laura Massino Smith describes the style of the house as "Greek Revival-Victorian characterized ty the triangular pediment, columns with scrolled capitals and dentil molding". It was the home of James R. Toberman, one of the most influential mayors of Los Angeles (1872-1874 and 1878-1882). During his tenure as mayor, the first telephone lines were installed in 1874, the first orange trees were planted along city streets, plans were laid for the city's water and sewer systems, the first street (Main Street) was paved, and the Los Angeles Normal School (which became UCLA in 1919) was founded among other acheivements. His name lives on at the Toberman House, the oldest charity in the city of Los Angeles founded in 1903. It is the oldest United Methodist mission project in the Western U.S. It was originally located in Echo Park, but moved to Boyle Heights in 1917, then San Pedro in 1937.
Dennis & Farwell were among the city's top architectural firms at the turn of the century, continuing up until the mid-teens. The Jans House (HCM# 227) and the Magic Caste (HCM# 406) both in Hollywood; the Erasmus Wilson Residence at Chester Place, and a Queen Anne style mansion for oil executive Charles C.L. Leslie in Westlake were among their many achievements. Preservation architect Fran Offenhauser, President of Hollywood Heritage purchased the house in 2003 and restored it to its former glory. The house was declared a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 2003 (No. 769).
The Toberman House is located at 1749 N. Harvard Drive in Los Angeles.
(Thanks to Laura Massino, Architectural Historian and President of Architectural Tours-L.A. and Donald Seligman, President of the Los Feliz Improvement Association; I relied heavily on their research before updating these details).
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