Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 19, 2012

13

HOMES & PROPERTY

 Mountain Views News Saturday, May 19, 2012 

One Of A Kind: Featuring unique homes and gardens and the people who create them Story by Chris Bertrand. Photos by Susanne Hayek and Chris Bertrand 


Just Listed: Vintage 1917 

Sierra Madre Craftsman

Built Originally as Retirement Residence for Col. 
Holabird, “Empire Builder”

Designed in 1917 by noted California architects, Theodore Eisen 
& Son, this is the “quintessential Craftsman” according to listing 
agent Pauli Morin, of Coldwell Banker in Arcadia. 

The prominent Eisen firm is known for their design work for 
“El Alisal” the Charles Lummis home along the Arroyo Seco in Mount Washington 
neighborhood of northeast Los Angeles, along the 110 freeway. The Eisens also designed 
the Edward Doheny home, a family known for their oil fortune, and the Crank mansion 
in Altadena. The elder Eisen was known as “a pioneer architect” and a “dean of the 
architectural profession in the state.”

Built as the retirement residence for Col. And Mrs. William H. Holabird, the home was 
noted in publications of the times as “a picturesque foothill home” and advertised for sale 
in the LA Times later in 1926 for its “ latest conveniences, wonderful mountain view,… 
frost never, and 15 minutes to Pasadena and 45 minutes to Los Angeles…” 

Col. Holabird was known as the founder of nearby Claremont, as an international railroad 
engineer called upon to evaluate an (aborted) attempt to build a rail line over the Tejon 
Pass, for his rail expertise in several Asian countries, as the financial guru who “Rescued 
the Imperial Valley at a Time of Bankruptcy” due to Colorado River flooding and fiscal 
strife. 

Located near Baldwin and Mountain Trail in north central Sierra Madre, the home is 
just outside “The Canyon”, an area of vintage vacation cabins that extends up into the 
mountains. With a two car garage, extra onsite and on street parking, the home allow for 
the generous entertaining style perfect for this wonderful home.

The true hub and heart of this home is the nearly 600 square foot great room, that opens through a series of French 
doors to the expansive covered porch/outdoor living room. The great room, featuring vintage narrow oak flooring, 
spans a music area with grand piano, a comfortable seating area with a massive arroyo stone fireplace, plus a casual 
dining area, that opens to the saltwater pool, spa waterfall and back yard.

With five bedrooms and six baths, the home offers a private place for everyone in the household, with room for dual 
home offices if the owners work at home, as more do these days.

In addition to the living areas on the main level, the home offers two bedrooms, a den and three baths. Upstairs, three 
additional bedrooms include the master suite. With a cozy balcony with verdant leafy views, the master suite offers a 
large bedroom, 
a private bath 
with large tub 
and separate 
shower, and a 
walk-in closet 
that spans the 
entire length of 
the bedroom. 

The generous 
kitchen is open to the casual dining area, bridged with breakfast bar seating, perfect to include the cook in 
the activities in the living area! The french doors opening to the pool area allow the cook to keep an eye on 
children at play, as well. 

A large formal dining room includes French doors to the covered porch, bringing ample natural lighting 
and ambience to the room.

Out back, two different yards offer play, recreation and entertaining space, with a salt water pool, a spa and 
waterfall, with beautiful stone detailing, plus another yard with a children’s play structure. 

The home offers 3746 square feet of under-roof living space, including a full private guest unitwith 
kitchenette, bath and a separate entrance on the lower level, and two separate undeveloped storage areas. 
One of these might be perfect for use as a partially below grade wine cellar and tasting room and/or a 
wonderful hobby or workshop!

407 Pleasant Hill Lane in Sierra Madre is offered at $1,288,000 by Pauli Morin of Coldwell Banker. For a 
private showing, contact her at 626-233-2047 or PMorin@ColdwellBanker.com.

Historical information and research and publication notations provided by Pauli Morin and Tim Gregory, 
The Building Biographer.


Trees are hardy plants, and their roots fight 
back against man-made limits around them. 
In the urban and suburban landscape, tree 
roots often are forced to grow between 
buildings or under driveways and walkways. 
As roots grow, they will break walls, pipes 
and patios, causing damage to properties. 

Plan before you plant

 

"Before you plant a new tree in your yard, 
you need to understand how a tree could 
damage your property and take appropriate 
measures to prevent that damage," advises 
Tchukki Andersen, Board Certified Master 
Arborist and staff arborist with the Tree 
Care Industry Association.

Woody tree roots thicken as they grow, gradually 
pushing shallow roots toward the surface. 
Since soil near the surface is best suited 
for root growth, most tree roots are just below 
the surface - putting them in conflict 
with man-made obstacles. Where the soil is 
covered by a solid driveway or patio, upward 
growing roots don't experience the normal 
signals (increased light and air) that they are 
reaching the surface. As a result, they often 
grow against the underside of pavement and 
become intrusive. 

"Most damage is found six feet or less from 
the tree," notes Andersen, "since roots become 
smaller and less damaging the further they are from the 
trunk. Keep this in mind before you plant. That small sapling could 
become a large shade tree with roots spreading 30 or 40 feet outward 
from the trunk."

Cutting roots with discretion

Some homeowners, masons and landscapers deal with intrusive 
roots by grinding down or removing them. This can be expensive 
and is very harmful to the tree. Wounding a tree's roots creates 
points of entry for pathogens, leaving a tree vulnerable to disease. 
Cutting major roots also reduces a tree's ability to take up nutrients 
and water, leaving it more susceptible to drought. Finally, cutting 
roots can reduce a tree's structural support, which increases the 
danger the tree will topple onto your house in high winds.

Keep these cautions in mind when cutting problem tree roots:

the farther you cut from the trunk, the less threat to the tree's health, 
and the less danger of creating a hazard

try not to cut roots greater than 2 inches in diameter

prune roots back to a side or sinker root (growing downward) when 
possible

roots recover better from being severed when you: 

cut them cleanly with a saw instead of breaking them with a backhoe

mulch and water well after root pruning

consult a qualified arborist when cutting within a distance equal to 
five times the trunk diameter to the trunk

Some better root management options include: 

Installing physical root guides and barriers that redirect tree roots 
down and away from hardscapes with minimal impact on the tree;

Curve new hardscape features - such as a driveway or patio - around 
the tree roots and suspend hardscape features on small pilings to 
bridge over roots.

Right tree for your site

Andersen advises selecting trees for your landscape that will cause 
less damage, matching species with site conditions and - most 
importantly - not planting large 
shade trees within 12 feet of hardscapes 
(sidewalks, driveways). 
Since the health of trees in your 
yard is put at risk whenever root 
systems are cut back or damaged, 
anything that can be done to reduce 
the damage caused by tree 
roots will also benefit your trees.

In areas within five to seven feet 
of a paved area or structure, plant 
trees that grow to a mature height 
of less than 30 feet. In areas within 
seven to 10 feet of a paved area or 
structure, plant trees that grow 
to a mature height of less than 50 
feet. Reserve trees that when mature 
reach higher than 50 feet for 
areas with at least 12 feet of clearance 
around the trunk; this allows 
adequate space for the roots. 
Also, before you plant check for 
overhead utility lines and leave 
adequate space for that tree to 
mature. For some small tree ideas, 
click here. 

 

Find a professional

A professional arborist can assess your landscape and work with 
you to determine the best trees to plant. Contact the Tree Care Industry 
Association (TCIA), a 71-year-old public and professional 
resource on trees and arboriculture. It has more than 2,000 member 
companies who recognize stringent safety and performance standards 
and who are required to carry liability insurance. TCIA also 
has the nation's only Accreditation program that helps consumers 
find tree care companies that have been inspected and accredited 
based on: adherence to industry standards for quality and safety; 
maintenance of trained, professional staff; and dedication to ethics 
and quality in business practices. An easy way to find a tree care 
service provider in your area is to use the "Locate Your Local TCIA 
Member Companies" program. You can use this service by calling 
1-800-733-2622 or by doing a ZIP code search at www.treecaretips.
org.

 

 TCIA arborists, safety and business professionals are also available as sources 
for tree related articles and issues. Call 1-800-733-2622 or email andersen@
tcia.org. 


HOW TO CORRECT AGGRESSIVE TREE ROOTS 


Photo Courtesy of: Andrew Koeser, International Society 
of Arboriculture, Bugwood.org