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L I M E L I G H T | 4 0 8 P A S E O D E L M A R
T I M E in a V I L L A
A historical home with a forever ocean view helps tell
the tale of early Palos Verdes.
W R I T T E N B Y C O N S TA N C E D U N N
PHOTOGRAPHS:
COURTESY
OF
TERI
HAWKINS
I
n 1926, the country was in the midst of its
boom years. Calvin Coolidge was president
and Prohibition was still in swing. In Southern
California, a swath of one of its most exquisite and
untamed coastlines was slowly being fashioned
into a residential subdivision by the Olmsted
Brothers, who were famed for a prolific list of
projects ranging from parks and neighborhoods
to state capitols, libraries and universities.
Among the first homes built in fledgling
Palos Verdes Estates was a Spanish Revival villa
architected by Winchton Risley, a model residence
completed in 1926 with a red clay tile roof, white
stucco exterior and a spacious courtyard flanked
by two wings. "Palos Verdes was originally
envisioned by the developers as a Mediterranean-
type enclave in Southern California," says Todd
Stanton, whose family, longtime Palos Verdes
residents, purchased the home in the early 1980s.
"It was home number fifty-five, built for the
city of Palos Verdes," explains real estate agent
Teri Hawkins. e model remains today, and
in gleaming condition, a rare and unvarnished
slice of an earlier time. Its neatly manicured
front lawn, expansive and tailored with natural
stone walls and boxwood hedges, make for an
apt introduction, as does the graceful arched
entranceway.
Inside the home, original details abound, from
handmade and painted tiles to orange-hued
terracotta to hand carved mahogany doors and
moldings. ere are also oak floors and earthy
redwood ceiling beams, some with engraving. A
few smart updates, notably a sunny farm kitchen,
have been made in keeping with the home's
original vision. "ere's such an understated
elegance about the home," notes Stanton. (Given
its pedigree and early 20th hand-craftsmanship,
the home should remain as is. "e seller wants
to sell the home to someone who understands its
historic value, and wants to keep the integrity of
the place," explains Hawkins.)
