Emery, Katherine Estate
Also known as: Thornton Estate
Why it's listed
This two-story Tudor Revival house in San Marino's Oak Knoll subdivision was completed in 1928 for Katherine Sinclair Emery. Architect Myron Hunt designed the house and its interior details, working with landscape architects Florence Yoch, Lucille Council and Katherine Bashford on the grounds. The stucco walls have decorative half-timbering, carved redwood bargeboards, a wood shake roof, leaded glass casement windows and five large chimneys. Inside, an entry hall modeled on Compton Wynyates in England leads to oak-paneled rooms with carved stone fireplaces and decorative plaster. The grounds keep their original motor court, stone balustrades, reflecting pool and rose garden among about 150 mature oaks. The estate once covered roughly nine and one-half acres and now holds about eight and three-quarter acres. It was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved work of a regionally significant master architect. Alterations have been limited mainly to the second-floor staff quarters and the garages.
Significance in brief: The estate is significant under Criterion C at the local level for its architecture. It was designed by regionally significant master architect Myron Hunt in the Tudor Revival style. The house and its original landscape retain a very high degree of integrity, inside and out.
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 10001118, listed January 10, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1155 Oak Grove Ave, San Marino |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | January 10, 2011 |
| Reference number | 10001118 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928 |
| Architect / builder | Myron Hunt (architect); Florence Yoch, Lucille Council and Katherine Bashford (landscape architects); Allen McGill (project architect); E.D. Tyler (builder) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Tudor Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as exceedingly well maintained and highly intact, and still used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 34.12642, -118.12751 (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 10001118.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6376363
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.