Hartwell, John S. House
Why it's listed
Built in the late 1880s on Lincoln Avenue in Pasadena, this one-and-one-half story house is a Queen Anne style home that still serves as a single-family dwelling. It has an irregular plan, a steeply pitched hipped roof, wood drop channel siding, and polygonal bays whose gable ends carry bands of hexagonal and rounded fish-scale shingles. A wraparound porch with turned posts, spindles and a turned balustrade adds to its decorative character. Some changes have occurred, including a flat-roofed dormer, a replacement front door, a new concrete foundation and an enlarged rear porch, but the roof form, wall materials, windows and ornament remain largely intact. The house was listed for its architecture as a locally notable example of Queen Anne residential design in Pasadena. It was originally built for John S. Hartwell, an early Pasadena resident who owned and subdivided land and later assisted in founding Mountain View Cemetery.
Significance in brief: The house is locally significant under Criterion C as a notable example of the Queen Anne subtype of single-family residence in Pasadena. It retains a high level of integrity and much of its decorative detailing, including turned posts, spindlework and fish-scale shingles. It was built for John S. Hartwell, an early Pasadena citizen who owned and subdivided land and later helped found Mountain View Cemetery.
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 11000492, listed August 9, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 423 Lincoln Ave., Pasadena |
|---|---|
| County | Los Angeles County |
| Listed | August 9, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000492 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian/Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling, with some minor alterations such as a flat-roofed dormer, replacement front door, new concrete foundation and an extended rear porch. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 34.15251, -118.15259 (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 11000492.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133289813
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.