{"nrhp_refnum":"85002198","name":"Culbertson, Cordelia A., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1188 Hillcrest Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pasadena","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.12771484000007,"lon":-118.13316473699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story gunite-clad private residence at 1188 Hillcrest Avenue in Pasadena, California, designed in 1911 by Greene & Greene for the Culbertson sisters.","why_significant":"The house is argued to be significant as an experimental work by the nationally known architects Greene & Greene. It is the only Greene design combining a gunite exterior with a tile roof, and it blends Craftsman and Oriental influences. The nomination calls it one of Pasadena's most exceptional residences.","narrative":"Built in 1911 at 1188 Hillcrest Avenue in Pasadena, this one-story house was designed by Charles and Henry Greene for the three Culbertson sisters, who wanted a single-level home with secluded bedrooms. Its U-shaped plan wraps a courtyard with a tile fountain and a pergola of rare white wisteria, while the bedroom wing steps down the slope to form a two-story side. The exterior is gunite, which the Greenes seldom used, topped with variegated grayish-green ceramic roof tiles. The nomination notes it is the only Greene design to combine gunite walls with a tile roof. Craftsman features such as pergolas, a loggia, exposed beam ends and Batchelder tiles sit alongside Oriental details, including Chinese tile vents and sliding garden-room windows. Skylights allow moon viewing from the bedrooms. A later owner, Mrs. Prentiss, added marble urns and glassed in a ballroom. The house is valued as an experimental, sculptural work by famous architects.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Greene & Greene","architectural_style":"Craftsman/Oriental","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as excellent and unaltered in condition, occupied as a private residence, on its original site; the lower formal gardens were razed in the 1960s when the lot was subdivided.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.995338-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/85002198.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002198/f816b76a52-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002198/f816b76a52-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Frances Benjamin Johnston","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Il_Paradiso,_Pasadena,_California.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Frances Benjamin Johnston</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Il_Paradiso,_Pasadena,_California.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859055","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordelia_A._Culbertson_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15211659"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/culbertson-cordelia-a-house-85002198/"}