Pegler, John Carlton, House

Built in 1894 at 419 East Highland Avenue in Sierra Madre, this two-story wood-frame house was the center of a citrus ranch owned by John Carlton Pegler. It is a Queen Anne Revival farmhouse with clapboard siding, fish scale shingles in the gables, carved brackets and a brick foundation. Later owners added Craftsman and Mission Revival touches, especially on the wraparound front porch, which was reconstructed in 1974 to its 1917 appearance. Inside, the 12-foot ceilings, redwood stair balustrade, original moldings and tiled fireplace survive to an uncommon degree. The grounds once covered about fifteen acres, later subdivided in 1925. What remains includes a magnolia tree over 90 years old, a small concrete bridge and wall from an irrigation aqueduct, and the deep well that supplied other residents during drought. The property reflects both late nineteenth-century farmhouse design and the citrus economy of the area.