The Spanish Revival of our dreams is for sale in Pasadena for $5.8M

This Spanish Revival showstopper will remind you why love Los Angeles architecture. The George Washington Smith-designed masterpiece is located on one of the most picturesque streets in Los Angeles County. Wide, curvaceous Hillcrest offers views of the mountains and is lined with stoic palm trees and pristine mansions with deep, verdant lawns.

One of the prettiest is the Prindle House, which the listing agent says, and property records confirm, has been owned by three generations of the same family since it was built in 1926 for William and Mina Prindle, a wealthy couple from the Midwest who originally intended to use the house as their winter residence, according to building researcher Tim Gregory.

They spent $50,000 to build the U-shaped residence, according to to Gregory, and commissioned Smith, who is now recognized for helping make “the simple style of Andalusian farmhouses central to California style.” Smith designed civic landmarks and lots of private, expensive homes, many of them inspired by Andalusian architecture.

In her book about Smith, author Patricia Gebhard says the architect and the Prindles travelled to Morocco, Spain, and Italy together to buy trappings for the house, acquiring “two antique windows in Rabat, Moorish lintels in Fez, and Moorish doors elsewhere.”

The Prindle House holds a grand foyer with a dual staircase and terra-cotta tiled floors, a stately living room with oak floors, three fireplaces, a library, chauffeur’s quarters, and seven bedrooms—including two big master suites with walk-in closets, “sitting rooms,” and balconies.

The lot measures 33,086 square feet, and that generous space is not wasted. The local architecture bible by David Gebhard and Robert Winter says, “its tour de force is the garden to the rear.”

It’s listed for $5.8 million.

• 1311 Hillcrest [Carol Chua / Coldwell Banker]
• George Washington Smith, a Founding Father of the Spanish Colonial Revival [Curbed]