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A Historical Loss For Pasadena
If you read this article you will find that Mr. Williams was a very remarkable man. At a time when there was no such thing as an African American Architect, Mr. Williams excelled to a degree that could not be ignored. Unaffected by the racist views of Americans of the time period Mr. Williams completed one impossible step after another until he owned and operated a successful architectural firm simply called “Paul Williams & Associates”. From there he became a moving force in the architectural landscape of Los Angeles. If you can think of a particular building that represents Los Angeles in people’s minds, chances are Paul Williams had a hand in designing it. Over a period of 50 years Mr. Williams was responsible for over 3000 projects. From the Iconic “Theme” restaurant at LAX to the Sax Fifth Avenue Department Store to the Shrine Auditorium – Mr. Williams’ unique design talents helped shape our city. 160 S. San Rafael was Paul Revere Williams’ largest residential undertaking. In 1929 Jack P. Atkin, a wealthy Santa Anita horse breeder awarded the contract for a $500,000.00 Pasadena hilltop mansion to Mr. Williams and I am sure Mr. Atkins was not disappointed. There are several subtle design features on 160 S. San Rafael that set it apart from other mansions I have seen. The most notable in my mind is a design principle where Mr. Williams kept the exterior walls of the building flush. There are 90-degree direction changes but not for anything that was not part of the actual floor plan. For an example, take the chimneys. On most houses the chimneys protrude from the house and their existence does not alter the floor plan. Look again at the photo of the front of the house. The chimney on the front face of the house which serves the den is within the wall. Mr. Williams brought the exterior wall of the house out to be flush with the edge of the chimney thereby creating a rather unique effect. To distinguish the house even further Mr. Williams used an expensive “Iron Spot” brick on the entire exterior face of the building. I believe this brick was expensive because I have only seen it used in small applications, usually in such things as fireplace facings. Here and there you will see the face of an old store front decorated with this brick but never the entire building and certainly not all of the property’s walls. Trimmed with pre-cast concrete the overall visual effect of the finished product was, as I have said above – breathtaking. The interior was as spectacular as the exterior. It literally brings tears to my eyes when I think of the hand carved oak paneling that was consumed by fire Wednesday night. Solid Oak with “Linen Folds” carved into the upper portions of the main rooms. This degree of perfect balance between gaudy opulence and practical beauty I believe is best summed up by Paul Williams’ own words when he wrote, “A magnificent collection of furnishings, antiques and so forth, if arranged insensitively, can look like a very expensive junkshop.” Having worked on many very expensive mansions, these words best explain why 160 S. San Rafael had such an enormous impact on people. The sensitivity with which its creator designed the building resulted in a balance that every one noticed and was affected by.
The second important factor for the ultimate restoration project is a property owner with the funds to match their passion. Both are required to restore a property of this stature. The funds are required because everything in the building trades have become more and more expensive. When these buildings were constructed the labor was unbelievably cheap. As a direct result of this the restoration process itself is very labor intensive and at today’s rates, the costs add up fast. More important than the funds is the passion. It is my experience that there are more people with adequate funds then there are with adequate passion. A restoration process will drain the average individual. The decisions and surprises alone are enough to make most people take the fast and easy route. The fast and easy route is not the way for Michael & Dru Hammer. They literally fell in love with the property and decided to restore it as their primary residence. Their dedication to this building was nothing less than devotional. The few design changes they did incorporate were reflections of the architect’s design found in other parts of the house. With the attention one would afford a member of their own loving family, the property was being nurtured back to its original splendor through the will and devotion of Michael & Dru Hammer.
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