Join Pasadena Heritage for our 2020 Spring Home Tour, Wallace Neff, Master Architect! The tour will feature notable Pasadena homes from the Golden Era’s most important residential architect, Wallace Neff. Drive-yourself to each location where docents will lead tours showcasing each house.
The Dr. Allan B. Kavanel House was commissioned by Dr. Kavanel from Chicago in 1921. It incorporates fine Mediterranean details that were popular during the Golden Age of Southern California architecture.
The Morse & Gates (Mrs. Ethel Guthrie) House was commissioned in 1925 by the Morse and Gates Company, a real estate, insurance, and building firm. The house is a beautifully simple Spanish Colonial revival home typical of Neff’s designs.
The Mr. and Mrs. Edwin D. Neff House is a Tuscan style villa designed for Neff’s parents in 1927. The interior typifies Neff’s high standards for even the smallest detail. The house features a dramatic oval entry marked by black and white marble flooring and a central staircase.
The Barlow House, also known as Villa del Sol d’Oro, is now part of the Alverno High School campus, but was originally built for Dr. and Mrs. Barlow. The Villa’s main facade is based on the Villa Collazzi near Florence, Italy. The home includes Neff’s signature grand entry rotunda and winding stair, marble floors, and beautiful wright iron work.
And more…
Wallace Neff, perhaps best known today as an “architect to the stars,” produced hundreds of exceptional designs that ranged from vernacular styles to grand mansions, reaching from Bel-Air to Santa Barbara to Hollywood and Hancock Park, with a proliferation of homes in the Pasadena area. His ability to work in a variety of styles with equal aptitude made him a favorite with those seeking the very best!
