{"nrhp_refnum":"94001319","name":"Court at 638-650 North Mar Vista Avenue","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"638--650 N. Mar Vista Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Pasadena","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.15519281300004,"lon":-118.12626353699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-11-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A U-shaped Colonial Revival bungalow court at 638-650 North Mar Vista Avenue in Pasadena, California, built in 1927 by Karl Valentine. It has four single-story bungalows, a rear duplex and two non-contributing carport buildings.","why_significant":"The court is argued to be one of the best examples of the bungalow court form in Pasadena, specifically the detached wide enclosed court type. It is noted for its spacious site planning on a 100-foot-wide lot, unusual for the late 1920s, and for its high degree of integrity. It is part of the Bungalow Courts in Pasadena multiple property listing.","narrative":"Built in 1927, this bungalow court on North Mar Vista Avenue in Pasadena is arranged in a U shape around a landscaped central courtyard. Four one-story bungalows face each other in pairs, and a rear duplex closes the end of the court. The buildings are wood-framed with clapboard siding, gabled roofs and small entry porticos supported by paired wood posts. Their simplified Colonial Revival design mixes classical touches with Craftsman details such as exposed rafters and wide eaves. Karl Valentine designed and built the court as its owner; the bungalows cost $1,500 each and the duplex $3,000. The court is significant for its site planning. Its 100-foot-wide lot allowed a spacious layout of detached houses, at a time when builders were turning to narrower courts that fit more units on a 50-foot lot. It also retains a high degree of integrity and fits well into a neighborhood of small single-family homes. It is recognized as a fine example of its type in Pasadena.","period_of_significance":"1927","architect_builder":"Karl Valentine (Architect, Builder)","architectural_style":"Colonial Revival","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still in multiple dwelling use; the rear garage and storage buildings are now used as carports and are counted as non-contributing because of alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.938995-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/94001319.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001319/f251919c92-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94001319/f251919c92-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"TheCatalyst31","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Court_at_638-650_North_Mar_Vista_Avenue_(1).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">TheCatalyst31</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:Court_at_638-650_North_Mar_Vista_Avenue_(1).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857440","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_at_638%E2%80%93650_North_Mar_Vista_Avenue","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16890736"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/court-at-638-650-north-mar-vista-avenue-94001319/"}