Donna Baker

Habitat for humanity comes to monrovia

Habitat for Humanity, the international charitable organization devoted to increasing affordable housing to needy families, has designated a build for Monrovia and Donna has decided to spearhead the Monrovia Women's Build, which will be reponsible for one of the four homes to be built on Sherman Avenue.

Watch as Donna is interviewed as part of "Beyond the Headlines" on Monrovia's local TV station, KGEM.

a Top Contender

Monrovia has been listed by CNN/Money.com as being a contender for one of the top places to live. On a side-by-side comparison of their averages on other best places to live, Monrovia ranks positively on the number of colleges and universities and technical schools. It also comes in as low on crime compared with other areas.

A higher number of residents also walk or bike to work, and the number of available restaurants within a 15 mile radius far exceeds comparable areas. Monrovia also ranks higher on libraries, museums, golf and movies.

Although we have a higher number of clear days, our number of smoggy days are also higher. To read more about the latest facts and figures about Monrovia, visit the Monrovia page on CNN/Money.com.

 

Realtor Profile
(From Pasadena Magazine)

Specialty: Historic and vintage properties. Education: Pasadena City College, ePro certified, a graduate of the Historic Real Estate Program. Awards/Honors: Number one agent in office for listings and sales since 2002, number one agent in number of transactions for Dickson Podley for 2006 and 2007, Grand Centurian 2004 through 2005, Double Centurion 2002 through 2004, Rookie of the Year in 2001. Professional Memberships/Affiliations: City of Monrovia Historic Preservation Commissioner, Monrovia Historic Preservation Group, National Association of Realtors, California Association of Realtors, Pasadena-Foothills Association of Realtors, Arcadia Association of Realtors. Greatest Personal Achievement: "Being able to give back to my community." Greatest Professional Achievement: "Building a successful, thriving real estate business from scretch with no prior experience or knowledge in only six years." Motto: "'Character Always Counts' is a motto with two meanings: My specialty is in character homes, and my character comes into consideration when people hire me as their agent." Interests: Traveling, listening to music, photography, fine wines, gourmet food, friends, and family. Charitable Work: Right now I'm very dedicated to the San Gabriel Valley Habitat for Humanity, both the Monrovia and Glendale Women's Build." Additional Info: "When you hire me, you get an entire team to assist you in every aspect of real estate. Regina Schell, client care manager, assures that clients are treated in a professional manner; Millie Olivas, buyer's agent, assists buyers with the search for their dream home; and Joanna Sanchez, seller's agent, assists on the seller's side to help make listings run smoothly."

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Historic Preservation

If you’ve been keeping up with recent preservation news in Monrovia, you’re probably aware of the moratorium proposed by Councilman Joe Garcia. In an effort to prevent the demolition of any homes built prior to 1940, the Council is considering a delay time in issuing demolition and/or building permits for those structures. By doing so, it will allow City staff to review the builder’s plans and determine if the home is on the potential historic list. This list contains over 1,300 addresses of homes that could be potential landmarks within the City due to their architecture or their historic significance to the community.

This issue was discussed at a recent meeting between the City Council, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the Planning Commission. While it was the consensus that not all homes built prior to 1940 are significant, everyone did agree that demolition of older homes should be reviewed before any permits are issued.

One of the many great ideas brought to this meeting was the creation of Historic Preservation Overlay Zones (“HPOZ”). According to the Los Angeles Conservancy, an HPOZ is a City-designated historic district composed of a group of buildings (either an entire neighborhood or part of a neighborhood) that are related to one another historically, architecturally, and/or culturally. Individual buildings within an HPOZ need not be of “landmark” quality, as the uniqueness, cohesiveness, and architecturally integrity of the area as a whole serves to make it eligible for HPOZ status.

As areas with historic and aesthetic significance representative of the City’s cultural and architectural history, these districts are unique and irreplaceable assets. The destruction of these communities can pose a significant loss of our City’s historic communities.

Benefits of creating an HPOZ include control over inappropriate alterations and/or demolition; an enhanced sense of community within the neighborhoods; an increase in property values; and possible tax savings. These Zones would allow us to retain the character and fabric of our neighborhoods, which is something that is very important to our preservation community.

No doubt, there will be a great amount of discussion on the subject of saving our older homes in Monrovia. Currently, the City Council has established a moratorium on issuing any permits to builders proposing demolition or alteration of these houses. If this issue is important to you, please let your voice be heard. Contact your City Council members and let them know you support the preservation of our homes. Their contribution to the history of our community is one of the things that makes Monrovia one of the best places to live.

Stay tuned for further developments!

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Landmarking your home

The leaders of our City realized that our inventory of vintage homes and buildings could be in jeopardy if something wasn’t done to safeguard them from demolition. The City of Monrovia adopted the current Historic Preservation Ordinance in 1995 and began landmarking historic structures soon thereafter. Currently there are over 50 landmarked buildings, and more are on the way.
Any owner of historic property can apply to landmark their home or building. The Historic Preservation Commission and the City Council must both find that the application meets one or more of the criteria and standards for the designations of a landmark, as follows:

• It is identified with persons or events significant in local, regional, state, or national history.
• It is representative of the work of a notable builder, designer, or architect.
• It contributes to the significance of an historic area.
• It embodies one or more distinctive characteristics of style, type, period, design, materials, or craftsmanship.
• It has a unique location or physical characteristics or represents an estab-lished and familiar visual feature of neighborhood, community, or the City.
• It incorporates elements that help preserve and protect an historic place or area of historic interest in the City.
• It has yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.

At the same time an owner applies for landmark status with the City, they can also apply for the Mills Act Contract. This is a ten-year contract, renewable every year, that allows a property owner significant tax savings in exchange for maintaining the historical and architectural character of the property in accordance with the City’s regulations and conditions.
Landmarked property covered by the Mills Act uses three different methods for assessment valuation. The first number is the Proposition 13 value increase, which can’t go up more than 2% a year. The second number is the estimated current fair market value of the property. And the third number is the Mills Act Appraised Value. Under the provisions of the Mills Act, the Assessor is required to review the assessed values annually and enroll the lowest of the three values indicated. The Mills Act assessment fluctuates every year based on the rental value and the capitalization rate that is release yearly by the State Board of Equalization.
To give you an idea on how significant these tax savings can be, consider that a recent historic property that I listed sold for $725,000, and the Mills Act value is $190,700. These owners are enjoying big savings by owning a landmarked structure!
Shouldn’t you consider landmarking your home?

Buying or owning an older home doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. Some people want a home that’s already been “fixed up,” while others are looking for a home to make their very own restoration project. Regardless of your reasons for wanting an older home, you may be interested in knowing some of the advantages of older construction vs. newer.
Builders in days past showed great pride in craftsmanship. Many times, these homes were built by someone who did much of the work himself, instead of sub-contracting bits and pieces.
Electricians, plumbers and other tradesman took their time doing things to be sure they were done right.
Special touches were typical of older home construction. Things such as crown molding, wainscoting, inlaid hardwood accents in flooring, and built-ins made significant contributions of the appeal of these homes.
Vintage homes are very much in demand today due to their timeless style and beauty. Congratulations on owning one of these gems.

Here are some of my favorite websites that focus on history, preservation and restoration:

• Monrovia Old House Preservation Group
• National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Preservation Action
• California Preservation Foundation
• State of California Office of Historic Preservation
• Los Angeles Conservancy
• Historical Society of Southern California
• National Register of Historic Places

If you know of others, I’d love to hear from you!

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Case Study: Home Maintenance

In March of this year, an agent in my office took a listing for a 1910 Craftsman bungalow on North Canyon Boulevard in Monrovia. The home is a two-bedroom, one bath structure with the original woodwork, hardwood floors, high ceilings and wainscoting, situated on a large 9,374 square foot lot. It is 1,245 square feet of living space with a bonus room that could be used for a third bedroom and a two-car detached garage. The house was listed for $375,000, which was lower than most other vintage homes of this kind at the time it hit the market. The agent priced it there to take into consideration the condition of the home.

Unfortunately, this wonderful bungalow had been a rental for over twenty years. Because the owner did not live locally, he chose to defer maintenance for all that time and let the renters be responsible for its care. In addition, he never bothered to ask about the condition of the house, nor was he aware that termites had infested it for who knows how long.

Because of the current passion for older homes, the agent received multiple offers on the property. But when it came time to conduct their physical inspections, each buyer cancelled escrow. It was discovered that the foundation was jeopardized from several significant earthquakes over the years, so the house was barely standing up. In addition, the termites had done major damage to the hardwood floors and to the framing of the house.

Escrow just closed on this property, and the buyer ended up purchasing it for $325,000. Nowhere in North Monrovia can you find a vintage bungalow for such a low price. The seller took a major hit on the selling price because he chose to ignore the property for such a long period of time. For a home of this vintage and architectural style on such a large lot, he could have probably fetched $450,000 if it had been in good or even fair condition. That’s quite a difference when looking at the profit that was lost because of deferred maintenance.

Luckily for the house and for preservationists throughout Monrovia, the buyer is a young man who has a history of restoring older homes. He does most of the work himself and is able to update his properties, while still keeping the feel of the period in which the home was built. He has restored a wonderful vintage house in Orange, as well as two properties here in Monrovia. I have had the privilege of seeing his work, and I know he is the perfect person to have purchased this particular home on North Canyon. I can’t wait to see what it will become when it gets restored to its original beauty and charm.

The lesson to be learned here is to be sure to keep your vintage or character home in good condition. All it takes is a little attention to small stuff so it doesn’t end up as big stuff. If you’ve lived in your home a long time, it would be wise to have a termite inspection done every once in awhile. Protect your investment in your older home and you’ll be happy when you have to sell!

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Home styles and materials explained

Spring is here – a time for new beginnings. This is the first opportunity I have had to finish my feature on styles of homes in our City. I hope it was worth the wait. Remember, also, that I have just covered some of the architectural styles of houses – there are many more that could be mentioned. But I feel it’s time to move on to other subjects that may be important to owners of older homes. So begins the final chapter on styles.

Classical Revival Cottage – This is a style that was a period revival of the 1920s. These homes represented a return to symmetrical design with a centrally placed porch, balanced windows and narrow ship-lapped siding. The windows were usually double hung and many times had multiple panes in the top sash and a single pane in the bottom. The porch roof was typically supported by turned classical columns and the entry door was frequently flanked by side lights. There are many fine examples of this style all along North Myrtle Avenue.

Colonial Revival – These houses are reminiscent of the homes of Colonial America that were built in the 1700s and were very basic in plan. The difference between this style and the Classical Revival Cottage is that these homes are primarily two-stories. They feature wide, ship-lapped siding and large round columns supporting the roof of the centrally placed front porch. Three great examples of this style are located at 211 Highland Place, 145 W. Hillcrest, and the landmarked home at 176 N. Ivy.

Spanish Colonial Revival – While this style is still constructed using modern materials, the Spanish Colonial Revival homes use architectural styles found in many missions of the Southwest. These homes were built with a Moorish influence and celebrated Spain’s colonization of the “New World.” Spanish Colonial is known for its exuberant detailing, such as wrought iron chandeliers and sconces, applied to plain stucco surfaces. Living rooms are usually very large and often have massive tile fireplaces and high open-beamed ceilings. Terra cotta tile is used extensively with decorative tiles accenting staircases and kitchens. Our city boasts one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival at “The Upton Sinclair House” located at 464 N. Myrtle Avenue.

Bungalow – Monrovia has a large inventory of bungalows, ranging from Craftsman style homes to small houses built in the bungalow style. The term “bungalow” has become a generic name to describe many kinds of houses and cottages, but generally refers to homes built between 1910 and 1940. These homes are usually rectangular in shape and typically have broad overhangs and open porches, desirable in warm climates. The bungalow style is meant to give the appearance of a small one-story cottage, even when used for larger homes. These houses were built to bring the outside in, so very large rooms with generous windows are key architectural features. Extensive wood detailing and built-ins are distinctive features of bungalows. In Monrovia, river rock was used in many of the bungalows, both inside for fireplaces, and outside on porches and chimneys. I have sold several Craftsman bungalows, including the Tifal Brothers built home at 124 May Avenue and the chalet style Craftsman at 725 Valley View. Also notable are the houses located on the south side of the 300 block of Wildrose Avenue, displaying many examples of moderately sized bungalows.

Mediterranean – While there are not many examples of this style in Monrovia, they are very popular and contribute greatly to the variety of vintage homes in the city. These houses were inspired by the architecture of Italy and Spain. The outline is usually rectangular in shape and they typically feature arched windows on the ground floor and rectangular windows on the second story. They are always built of stucco with tile roofs and most often display ornamental wrought used for gates, as well as interior and exterior accents. Many times these homes feature Batchelder tile in fireplaces and bathrooms. Two great examples of this fine architecture can be found at 131 E. Hillcrest Avenue and 264 N. Ivy.

Other Styles – While the styles I covered in Parts 1 and 2 are the most predominant in Monrovia, we have many more styles around our town. Highland Avenue boasts homes of differing styles, including a unique Pueblo Revival at 338 Highland. You’ll also find a Normandy Revival on this street that features a conical tower placed at the intersection of the two wings of the house. There is a fine example of an American Foursquare located at 130 N. Myrtle and an interesting Gothic Revival on Concord Avenue. If you take the time to drive our wonderful city, you may find homes built in the Prairie Style (popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright), and even some Moderne architecture. It’s worth spending a day touring Monrovia to see the wonderful styles that make our city the unique and magnificent place in which we find ourselves living.

The Monrovia Old House Preservation Group is currently working on its own driving tour that should be ready sometime before summer. You will be able to purchase a cassette tape along with a map book that will guide you through all parts of town to take a look at homes of all different styles. I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in learning more about architecture in Monrovia.

Real Materials Make a Difference

Have you ever thought of the reasons why many of the old houses built at the turn of the century and into the 20s and 30s are standing today? The native materials used in the structure were an important factor for stability and strength.

The lumber was full-sized seasoned lumber, which was stronger than what is currently used. Today our trees do not grow as nature planned; they are fed and trimmed to increase growth. The nailing of the wood was done by first-class artisans whose pride was in doing a good job. A native material was used for the wood lath instead of gypsum board for the plaster walls. The plaster was all native materials, unlike today’s manufactured drywall. The oak hardwood floors were native. Today we use many cheaper imitation floors.

Just as the body needs whole foods to stay healthy, a house benefits from the use of whole, natural and unprocessed materials. The years that many of these old homes have lasted proves the durability and quality of natural materials.

As most of you know, Monrovia has become a city very much in demand for today’s homebuyers, many of whom are looking for character homes. The Star-News recently printed statistic showing that Monrovia’s home prices have increased by over 50% in the last five years. That’s good news and bad news. It’s great for those of us who own homes here, but not so good for those who may be looking to buy in our fantastic community.

If you own an older home, be sure to keep it in good condition and don’t alter too much of its originality. When the time comes for you to sell, you’ll be sure to get top dollar for your vintage property if you keep it looking like it should!

Please feel free to give me a call if you have any questions on styles. Once again I’d like to thank Steve Baker, City Historian, for his contributions to this topic.

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Principles of sensitive rehabilitation

As Historic Preservation Commissioner for the City of Monrovia, I had the privilege of attending the California Preservation Conference in Santa Rosa recently. Much of the discussion and many educational sessions addressed the restoration and rehabilitation of historic properties. In that connection, I thought it would be good to share with you, as an owner of historic property, the basic principles for sensitive rehabilitation as published in an article on “What Every Restorer Should Know” by Susan Morse. These “do’s” and “don’ts” are aimed at both the veteran preservationist and the first-time restorer. I have made my own comments after some tips in parentheses.

• Make every effort to use the building for its original purpose. (In other words, if it was built as a single family residence, that’s probably the best use of the property.)
• Do not destroy distinctive original features. (Those crown mouldings and old fixtures contribute to the character of the home.)
• Recognize all buildings as products of their own time. (Keep that original carriage house and figure out a use for it Maybe a garage?)
• Recognize and respect changes that have taken place over time. (However, if the changes took away from the history of the home, such as paneling over plaster, put it back the way it started.)
• Treat distinctive stylistic features or examples of skilled craftwork sensitively. (Protect that Batchelder fireplace and those hardwood floors!)
• Repair, rather than replace, architectural features when possible. When replacement is necessary, new material should match the old in design, composition, and color. (Keep it within the character of the house.)
• Clean facades using the gentlest methods possible. Avoid sandblasting and other damaging methods.
• Protect and preserve affected archeological resources.
• Compatible contemporary alterations are acceptable if they do not destroy significant historical or architectural fabric. (Updated kitchens are okay!)
• Build new additions so they can be removed without impairing the underlying structure. (Purists may want to put that family room back into the original sleeping porch.)

I hope this information is helpful as you tackle the restoration and preservation of your old home. As Monrovians, we have a duty to keep our historic properties standing and in good condition. You are the holders of our history and our future!

For more information, contact the me or the Monrovia Old House Preservation Group.

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