The City Council has decided to keep a historic Victorian home in southern Monrovia while the structure undergoes restoration and additional affordable housing units are added to the Cypress Avenue site.
Council members met last week to study options for the Ingersoll House, among just two other historic structures in the city south of Huntington Drive, officials said.
The City Council approved the purchase of 222 E. Cypress Ave. in January, paying $1.63 million with the intention of preserving the 1892 Victorian style home and add affordable housing units to the property.
Council members agreed to proceed with development standards that require the 1892 structure be preserved on-site with a site plan rendering that called for the preservation of trees and green space. The council also decided to keep the site small and complimentary to the neighborhood within a two-story height limit.
“A key factor in the decision was learning there are only 2 historic landmarks south of Huntington Drive,” City Manager Dylan Feik said via email. “One is a single family home and the other is the Santa Fe Historic Depot also owned by the city. Council felt preserving the home in its original location, especially as we’re ‘landmark poor’ in the southern portion of Monrovia, was critically important.”
The site’s existing lot is 32,514 square feet. Estimates for the project’s total costs range from nearly $2.4 million to nearly $3.9 million, with a projection for up to 14 affordable units at the 222 E. Cypress Ave. site.
The council also considered a suggestion from a member of the public to relocate the historic home for off-site preservation, Feik said.
Last year the council approved participation in a San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments program to help prepare the project and land acquisition.
