Pre-World War II Classic Architecture

2012 Coronado Historic Home Tour

Seven examples of classic architecture on one of the oldest and loveliest streets in Coronado will be featured during the 2012 Coronado Historic Home Tour, Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 13, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain or shine. From an early Craftsman designed by William Sterling Hebbard in 1898, to a two-story Colonial Revival mansion constructed for a Navy captain in the mid-1930s, all seven homes pre-date World War II.

This year’s featured homes are within easy walking distance of each other on Adella Avenue, a tree-lined road named for the wife of Hampton Story, one of Coronado’s founding fathers.  In addition to the Craftsman and Colonial Revival examples already mentioned, they include an outstanding variety of styles such as an English Revival, a Prairie-style and one described as Spanish Eclectic.

(Photos courtesy Coronado Historical Association).

Most of the homes date from the 1920s and 30s.  Prior owners in decades past each contributed in their own way to the rich history of Coronado.   They include the developer of the El Cortez Hotel (1927), the commander of President Hoover’s flagship (1932) and a major in the Civil War.

One such owner, Capt. Henry G.S. Wallace, was a 1908 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, who received the Navy Cross for his actions in the Atlantic during World War I.  He hired Charles Frederick Herreshoff, who was also an automobile designer and naval architect, to design his Coronado home. The Colonial Revival style he chose was very popular from 1900 to 1950, featuring shuttered casement windows, white molding accents and a traditional white fireplace mantle.

(Photos courtesy Coronado Historical Association).

The original owner of a 16-room English Revival mansion on the Adella Avenue tour, who commissioned its construction in 1915, was the brother of a long-time Chicago mayor; it was sold in 1923 to another illustrious family which owned it for the next 40 years. That family included the builder of the El Cortez Hotel (1927) and a prominent Navy Commander.  The property was divided in 1963.  This house itself was carefully restored and historically designated in 2007, and although somewhat smaller than it was nearly 100 years ago, its elegance and grandeur remain.

(Photos courtesy Coronado Historical Association).

Another Adella home built in 1927, utilized a Spanish Eclectic style, made popular during the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in Balboa Park.  One of the owners was Capt. Lewis Coxe, who commanded the U.S.S. Salt Lake City, during the time when it served as the flagship of President Herbert Hoover from January 1932 to December 1933.  The home has had few owners and remains in nearly original condition, with wrought-iron gates and railings, and many arched doorways, niches and curing walls.

The annual Historic Home Tour is a major fundraiser for the Coronado Historical Association.   Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Coronado Historical Association, 1100 Orange Avenue, Coronado, by phone at 619-435-7242, or on-line at www.coronadohistory.org.  For further information, call 619-435-7242.

(Photos courtesy Coronado Historical Association).

Category: Local News