The front door is a signature of the Bathrick Brothers and is a heavy, arched medieval door.  The outside entry niche contains an original pair of tiles from the Muresque Tile Company of Pasadena.  The hardware on all the doors is original.

This year, event headquarters was located at the historic 1910 Duehn-St. John Residence at 4720 Kensington Drive.  This beautiful Craftsman house, now the home of the Fraternal Spiritualist Church, is the oldest and the first house in Kensington to be historically designated.

The 1941 A.L. and Cleveland Dennstedt House is an excellent example of pre-war 1940s Old English Manor style architecture and representative of the shift away from the Spanish Eclectic design themes of the “Southern California Style” that dominated Kensington in its formative years from the 1920s-1930s. The house overlooks Mission Valley, and is part of the Kensington Heights Unit #3 subdivision, which was mapped on September 28, 1926.

Through their companies, the Dennstedts built many homes, commercial buildings, and apartments in San Diego and their architectural contributions are an important part of San Diego’s building legacy. The A.L. and Cleveland Dennstedt House is significant because it was the personal residence of the builder and his family, and the house remains in the family today.

The house was the home of the builder’s daughter, Alberta Marjory Dennstedt, who lived in the house from the time it was built in 1941 until she passed away on October 20, 2009.

Alberta’s original watercolor drawings of clothes she designed were also on display.

The kitchen stove is the original O’Keefe and Merritt, and all tile in the house is original.   That’s current owner, Larry Dennstedt, welcoming us to his family home.

Located in the Kensington Heights Unit 3 subdivision, the 1933 Bathrick Bros. Spec House is a two-story Spanish Eclectic style house that has had several additions over the years that mask its true identity. Some elements of the Monterrey style remain, with the second story balcony and heavy wooden doors ornamented with studs.

Developer George Forbes invested his family oil fortune in the development of Kensington Heights and arranged with the Davis-Baker Company of Pasadena to design a higher end subdivision with paved streets, sidewalks, fancy crowned street lamps, and underground utilities. Forbes and Davis-Baker formed the “Architectural Committee” to oversee the building design for all homes in Kensington Heights, demonstrating to the public the exclusivity of the development. The committee of one consisted of architect Richard Requa. All homes built in Kensington Heights during the Davis-Baker era had to meet with the approval of Requa, and reflect his interest in the historical heritage of the Colonial style of Old Mexico, the Pueblos of the Southwest, and the Moorish features from Spain and North Africa, which he saw as being pertinent to our San Diego climate.

Entry is through the patio and doorway on the Ridgeway side of the house.  The house originally had an additional entry door directly opposite, which was entered through a courtyard from the Marlborough side of the house.  The remaining entry door is recessed in an arch and is a heavy medieval style door.  Note the original exterior features, including the second floor balcony and the grilled window to the left of the entry.

The front living room is used by the family as a music room.  In the living room is the owner's collection of six antique bass instruments, all at least 200 years old.  They are displayed in a large cabinet custom-made for the basses.  The entire family plays instruments, including piano, cello and violin.

The house was recently redecorated throughout and features colorful tile in the kitchen befitting its Spanish heritage.

The house is constructed of Dolomite marble with 15 inch monolithic walls. After completion of the house on July 17, 1926, developer Roy C. Lichty assumed ownership of the property and used the building as the Talmadge Park sales office. The house, completely furnished and draped by the Bledsoe Furniture Company, was opened daily to the public beginning on August 29, 1926.

Built in 1931, the Florence E. Mead House is a 2 story Italian Renaissance Revival built on a lot that was purchased by philanthropist Florence E. Mead. On opening day of the Talmadge Park Unit 1 subdivision, the Talmadge sisters famously planted a Norfolk Pine tree on the lot line between this house and the one to the north. While the tree was subsequently cut down, the stump can still be seen from the back deck of the house.

Developer Roy Lichty touted the “high resale value” of the homes in this neighborhood, stating that savvy buyers would “bequeath their children a Negotiable Asset instead of a White Elephant.”

Exclusive and expensive with its palm tree-lined streets, ornamental street lights, completed sidewalks, and high value improvements, the mountain views of the “Movie Girl” subdivision were touted heavily in the advertisements.

With the exception of the stucco, the house exhibits good integrity on the outside and is original.  The overhead entry light fixture is original.  Note the original transom window over the front door.  Looking up at the entry from outside you can see numerous original details, including the balcony, arched niches, and rafter tails.  The medallions and other decorative elements on the outside are original.

The Dr. James and Leona Parker House was built in 1923 by the Great Western Building Company.  The Parker House is an excellent and rare example of the fusion of Craftsman architecture with California Mission Revival and is a home that marks a key transition period in the development of the Kensington neighborhood.

In addition to the coved ceiling, quarter-sawn oak floors, built-in gumwood cabinets and brick fireplace – all original - the sconces on the fireplace are original, as is the chandelier.  The window glazing is original, and, wait for it… the push button light switches are original.

The Changing Face of Adams Avenue

As part of our centennial celebratory tour of historic Kensington, historian Ron V. May, RPA and founder of Legacy 106 delivered a talk on the development of the Adams Avenue business district of Kensington. Ron’s talk, titled The Changing Face of Adams Avenue, covered the different architectural styles found along the street, from Spanish Colonial Revival to Streamline Moderne.

Kensington has a small business district consisting of five blocks on Adams Avenue. Today’s commercial district in Kensington is primarily composed of repurposed original houses, some from the 1910 era of the Kensington Park subdivision, commercial buildings from the late 1920s and early 1930s, and a number of one and two-story neighborhood shops built in the 1950’s.

But from the opening of the first subdivision of Kensington Park in 1910, until 1926, there were no businesses or commercial buildings in Kensington.

When the Kensington Park subdivision was opened for the sale of lots in November of 1910, a wooden trestle bridge was already constructed along Adams Avenue to cross over Ward Canyon (now SR-15) into Kensington Park.  The bridge only carried electric streetcars until 1913, when a second wooden trestle bridge was built alongside the first, this one to carry automobiles.  This was the view of Kensington in 1923, looking east across the Ward Canyon bridge.

Photo copyright of the San Diego History Center and used by permission.

The next wave of commercial building began after the end of World War II. The designs changed again to reflect the tastes of the time. The complex of buildings on Adams Avenue that houses the Ken Theatre, the Kensington Grill and The Haven pizzeria was constructed in 1947 by builder Chris Cosgrove,

The theater’s architect, S. Charles Lee, is recognized as one of the most prolific and distinguished motion picture theater designers on the West Coast. His first major cinema building was the Tower Theatre in Los Angeles, a Spanish-Romanesque-Moorish design that launched a career that would make Lee the principal designer of motion picture theaters in Los Angeles during the 1930s and 1940s. He is credited with designing over 400 theaters throughout California and Mexico. Lee’s ultimate legacy, however, is as an early proponent of Art Deco and Moderne style theaters, including the Ken Theatre. Lee’s work appears on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Hollywood Melrose Hotel and the Tower Theatre in Los Angeles.

Originally there was a Craftsman house built in 1912 on the southwest corner of Adams Avenue and Kensington Drive, where Rita’s Village Vino and Peevey Jewelers are now located.  The house was first moved to the rear of the lot to make way for a commercial building, and eventually the house was demolished to make way for a parking lot.  For a number of years the building housed a Tom Thumb market.

The northeast corner of Adams Avenue and Edgeware Road has undergone several transformations. Cora and James Kearney owned the property along Adams Avenue from Edgeware Road to County Road (now 42nd Street) and built a house here. The house was eventually moved from the lot and Lillian and Harold “Doc” Hilbert bought the property in the early 1930s. The Hilberts built and operated a miniature golf course on the property until 1938, at which time they built a drugstore and beauty shop on the corner. The design reflects the move toward the streamline moderne aesthetic. At one time it was Nau’s Pharmacy, and currently houses the Autism Institute. The adjacent commercial space and apartments were built in 1941.

Behind San Diego is a romance of love, chivalry and struggling pioneers. - Davis Baker Company advertisement, San Diego Union, 21 February 1926

For more information regarding our activities, please send an email to Info@HeartofKensington.org