Blinn, Edmund, House
Also known as: Women's City Club of Pasadena
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Why it's listed
Built in 1905/06 as a home for lumber businessman Edmund Blinn, this two-story house at 160 North Oakland Avenue in Pasadena is a variation of the Prairie School style. Architect George W. Maher designed it with a low hipped roof, smooth stucco walls, a wooden arched trellis across the front and a recessed upstairs loggia. A shallow segmental arch repeats on the exterior and interior, along with a stained-glass water lily and wisteria pattern. Inside, mahogany, oak and other unpainted woods reflect the owner's lumber trade. Apart from a Fresno water tower and library of 1894, it is thought to be Maher's only West Coast design. In 1941 the house was sold and became a clubhouse for Pasadena women's groups, which then lacked a shared meeting place. Alterations include a dining room addition and glass enclosure of the front porch, but the woodwork, art glass and other features remain largely intact.
Significance in brief: The house is significant as a rare West Coast work by Prairie School architect George W. Maher, whose segmental arch motif and 'motif-rhythm' design theory appear throughout inside and out. It is also significant for its later role as a central clubhouse for Pasadena's women's organizations, which had no headquarters of their own.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 01000329, listed April 5, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 160 N. Oakland Ave., Pasadena |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | April 5, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01000329 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George W. Maher (architect, named in the significance text as designer of the Blinn house) |
| Architectural style | Prairie School |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a clubhouse by the Women's City Club of Pasadena since 1941; retains much of its integrity despite a dining room addition and enclosed porches. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Ford Place Historic District |
| Coordinates | 34.14876, -118.13963 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 01000329.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5339295
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.