{"nrhp_refnum":"86002192","name":"Pitzer House","other_names":["Pitzer/Peairs House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4353 N. Towne","address_restricted":false,"city":"Claremont","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.12144008200005,"lon":-117.73707051499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1986-09-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Exploration/Settlement","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story fieldstone bungalow with a tiled hipped roof and central glassed-in patio at 4353 North Towne Avenue, Claremont, California, designed by architect Robert H. Orr and completed in 1912 for citrus grower Lee C. Pitzer.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as an outstanding example of the bungalow tradition, noted for its fieldstone construction and described by architectural historian Robert Winter as \"the finest stone house in Southern California.\" It is also tied to Claremont's citrus heritage, since Lee Pitzer pioneered citrus growing north of Base Line Road, and to the Pitzer family, important in the town's settlement.","narrative":"Built in 1912 at the corner of Base Line Road and Towne Avenue in Claremont, this one-story bungalow is faced with carefully fitted fieldstone over a frame structure. Pomona architect Robert H. Orr designed it for citrus grower Lee C. Pitzer. Large boulders at the base give the walls a flared profile, and a central patio, later glassed in, brings light into the surrounding rooms. The design blends Craftsman features, such as deep eaves and exposed rafter ends, with Mission Revival arches and a tile roof. Inside are a vaulted oak-beamed living room, a stone fireplace, stained glass windows and a dining room finished in walnut. Pitzer was the first to grow citrus successfully in the northern part of Claremont, and his family played a long role in the citrus marketing cooperatives and in local civic life. The house has had few alterations and has retained much of its setting, including fieldstone walls and a stone garage.","period_of_significance":"1912","architect_builder":"Robert H. Orr","architectural_style":"Craftsman bungalow with Mission Revival elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in excellent condition with very high integrity; planned rehabilitation would adapt it to therapy offices, and the nearby Base Line Road widening is expected to affect the setting.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.986076-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/86002192.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002192/4ab8f77bb1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86002192/4ab8f77bb1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pitzer_House,_Claremont.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pitzer_House,_Claremont.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123859416","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133272866"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/pitzer-house-86002192/"}