Riverside added three architecturally significant homes to the city’s roster of protected historic properties Tuesday, designating a mid-century modern residence, a 1926 Spanish eclectic estate and a 1960 home as city landmarks and a structure of merit.
The designations, approved 7-0 during a City Council public hearing, preserve homes that Historic Preservation Officer Scott Watson said represent the work of architects who shaped Riverside’s postwar and early 20th century development.
The Havens Residence at 2139 Archdale St. was designated a “structure of merit” rather than a landmark. Watson said the home, designed by the local firm Cohen and Busse in 1960, met the criteria for landmark status, but its historic integrity was diminished because of the replacement of most of the operable and several fixed windows with vinyl-framed glass. The merit designation carries a condition that the owner restore the original window appearance as part of a Mills Act 10-year plan, which would make the property eligible for full landmark status later.
The Mills Act is a 1972 California law that enables local governments to lower property taxes for property owners who sign an agreement to restore and maintain historic buildings.
The council also approved landmark designation for Lionhead, a 1926 Spanish eclectic residence at 2881 Rumsey Drive designed by architect Henry L.A. Jekel for developer Howard G. Heisler. Watson described the estate as including a two-story residence with a detached gatehouse, a perimeter wall, and landscaped grounds and said the property is eligible under criteria recognizing both its architectural style and its association with Jekel.
The final designation was Edie, a mid-century modern home at 5958 Edith Ave. designed by E. Curt Steinmann and constructed between late 1966 and early 1967 for Dr. Robert R. Robinson and Margaret R. Robinson. Watson said the home is significant both for its representation of mid-century modern style and as the work of Steinmann, who also worked on Riverside City Hall.
Anna Gaissert, the property’s current owner, spoke in support of the designation, describing the home’s post-and-beam construction, knotty pine ceilings and flat roof and also noting that Steinmann also designed the very council chambers where the vote took place.
“Take a peek behind the curtain after this meeting,” Gaissert said, referring to the articulated lattice-pattern brick that is a character-defining feature of the council’s meeting room.
One caller questioned the use of the name Lionhead, noting a hill in Ward 6 shares the name.
Mayor Patricia Lock Dawson clarified that the name refers to the residence, which was given the name when it was built in the 1920s.
The AI platform Civilio assisted this report.
