Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tropical British Isles?


I've included several posts featuring South Pasadena's Victorian and Craftsman homes. Here is an example of one of the more incongruous styles of architecture found here -- and around the greater Los Angeles area. Is it just me, or does a proper English country house look a little bit weird surrounded by all those palms? In a spec meeting, I'd sum this up as Wuthering Heights: Pacific Coast Edition.

(For those of you paying attention... is that an excellent example of San Gabriel Valley topiary, or what?!)

28 comments:

Webradio said...

OK for Your text... But the great house is BEAUTIFUL !

Patrizzi Intergarlictica said...

I feel so naked.

Ken Mac said...

is it surreal, but I love this house. Tudor is my absolute favorite. Panneled rooms, fireplaces, red leather....where's Vincent Price? !

and that DKNY warehouse idea is more real than not..:(

Judy Williams said...

I love the unexpected juxtaposition between the California palms and the Hansel and Gretel style house. Those orbs of shrubbery rise up in the night and walk around but at the hint of the sun's rays, they crouch back down to warm their backs during the day. The GREEN is so intense. I love it. :~)

Sharon said...

What a wonderful little house. I love it. And, believe it or not, there are places in England where palms grow quite well. This would fit in beautifully.

Yakpate said...

When I was five years old I often wished I could live inside my picture books... because the houses, lawns and gardens that illustrated them were so perfectly symmetrical.

This house... this lawn... this garden... are the real-life versions of those illustrations I loved and still remember!

Beauty.

Hilda said...

Come over here and I'll show you incongruous! There's a new, huge housing development in the province just outside Metro Manila that's thematic — Balinese, Japanese, Italian, French, American South. It's weird.

Palms or no palms, the house is lovely!

Rob said...

Interesting styles, when England meets the tropics.

USelaine said...

Yeah, I like the steep pitched roof and the tidy landscape. Lest we forget, the truly incongruous element here is the green, green, green. The water for that yard is completely unnatural. But it's certainly pretty.

Ken Mac said...

Hi Laurie !

Yesterday I received - by surprise - the "Blogging Friends Forever" Award for my photography.

According to the rules I can now award this honor to 5 other bloggers of my choice.
I have chosen your blog as I really like your photos and overall enthusiasm for life!
Please visit my blog and you will see your name among the 5 other awardees. Then it will be your turn to give the award yourself to 5 other bloggers of your choice, according to the rules you will find indicated there!
Greetings from Greenwich Village!

Unknown said...

Hooray for inconguity! I wouldn't want to be the roofer on this house.

Copenhagen said...

Love the house!

Hope said...

I feel as if one of the little homes in my daughter's fairy tale books has suddenly come to exist in the real world.

Jane Hards Photography said...

Now here' a fuuny thing. This wet little cold ilsnad of mine has palm trees in the park. I 'll have to shoot some. t is kind of quirky seeing yes, a very des res English countrified house in Pasenda. Even odder to see a day shot from you. I'm hooked on the night prolwling jaunts.

Wayne said...

It's a little weird alright. Even though neither the house or the palms are out of place in LA it is a slightly surreal image, to use Ken's term.

I've been waiting for a while to take a picture of a house here and I took it today. I think it falls into the category of slightly surreal too.

Now all I have to do is get it to upload.

Another good one Laurie, I don't know how you manage to be so consistently creative. Well actually, I do know.

Anonymous said...

Great composition in the first place. There is that fence reinforcing the picture plane (couldn't resist that comment). Maybe it suggests a proscenium around a stage. After reading Judy's comment, I can't help seeing the plants personified into dancers - Martha Graham style. Compression and expansion. The round shrubs rounding inward and palm trees throwing their arms outward. The Hansel and Gretel modern ballet.

Mister Earl said...

Interesting vantage point from across the street, making it appear that the house is set back behind a much larger lawn. It appears this was taken from a perpendicular street as you approached the corner. Not sure where this is but I'm guessing it's east of Fair Oaks.

There's a really cute house on El Centro near Orange Grove that I've always loved - I'm sure you know it - the one with the turret and spiral chimney that looks like a minature castle.

-K- said...

Did I hear once that the Tudor style came to LA around 1920, immediately after Charlie Chaplin decided to build his studio like an English cottage?

Mister Earl said...

Is this considered Tudor? I thought Tudor was when they use those large brown beams.

Cafe Observer said...

Laurie 101. This is 1 shot which would be in the class study of Laurie's pix retrospective.

Great perspective & illusion in this. How u made the street disappear is magic, resulting in a magical scene. Once again sneaking around behind a cam, this time in broad daylight.

More importantly, that is 1 yard 1 dog would appreciate running around in.

Laurie Allee said...

Hey gang,

Isn't this a great Hansel and Gretel cottage? Thanks Babooshka and Sharon for letting me know that there actually ARE palm trees in England. I just can't wrap my head around it because in my stereotyped view of the UK, it's just heather and rose gardens...

Shanna, I love your Martha Graham metaphor! I'll never look at this house and its trees the same way again.

Kevin, when I moved to LA, I lived down the street from Chaplin's place in Hollywood. It makes sense that he would have started the whole Tudor thing. And Mister Earl, I always lump these English places into the Tudor category but I might get busted by the Architecture Police for technicalities. (Yes, I LOVE the house on El Centro. The fireplace swirls... ahhhhh! So wonderful.)

Thank you for so many nice words, everyone. And Ken -- I'm honored!

Until tomorrow...

Mister Earl said...

For an example of what I think of as Tudor, see Vancouver Daily Photo for October 21, 2008.

Anonymous said...

I'm in love. There is an area of Alhambra (near the Sears Building) that has these kind of Hansel and Gretal homes. What's different is that they have the most bizzar turrets. It's the way they put the shingles on that is so over the top. Down fair Oaks and a right at the 7---11 then start driving about.

Mister Earl said...

PA - I know exactly what you're talking about. Over the top and over the eaves.

Mister Earl said...

And now it's there, today, October 23, 2008 at Wayne's Vancouver Daily Photo!

Anonymous said...

I grew up in the house next door to this one. It's supposed to be an English country garden house. I used to have tea as a child with the 96 yr. old widow of the man that built the house in the 20s.
A retired doctor owns it now.Before he owned it an old man with a Packard owned it for awhile and then a construction type bought it, tore down the original charming garage, tore out the beautifu rose garden and put in an ugly parking pad. He also spray painted the beautiful high coved ceiling with "cottage cheese".

Marie said...

Whoever took this picture stood on our lawn to take it!

Laurie Allee said...

I took the photo from the sidewalk using a zoom lens. Thanks for the comment.