Style, Essence of House Ingrained in Its Amazing Living Room

The Upper Hermosa is a curious horseshoe-shaped community on the southern edge of La Jolla just north of Birdrock and to the east of La Jolla Boulevard. The area features a variety of architectural styles, some dating back to the late 1920s.

The Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage’s team of Laurie Rogers, Dan Ryan and Trent Wagenseller have the listing on one of the first homes to be built in the area. It is at 6240 Waverly Ave. and is a four-bedroom, five-bath, 3,484-square-foot English Tudor home with a detached guest studio above a three-car garage.

The home is listed for sale for $3.898 million, but a deal is pending and expected to close escrow soon.

Rogers said when the home was built in 1935 it was set in the middle of a big expanse of open space.

“At that time the home was on a citrus and avocado orchard,” Rogers said. “It’s just a beautiful estate property.”

Rogers said the property was purchased in 1963 by Dr. Louis H. Powers and his wife Marietta. The couple, who were parents to five girls, lived in the home for 52 years until Marietta died last year.

“The most spectacular room in the home is the living room,” Rogers, who has been in real estate for 17 years, said. “It was built using what’s called incense cedar; the woodwork in the living room is absolutely amazing.”

She said the property is unique in that it is just less than one acre, rare for Upper Hermosa, and sits on top of this “perfect hill” with sweeping, 180-degree views of the coastline.

Rogers provided historical photos of the newly constructed property, surrounded by nothing more than the trees in the orchard on its property that was surrounded by native scrub brush crisscrossed by what were once riding trails through the area.

The architect, Harold Abrams, designed this elegant English Tudor and it is truly like stepping back in time. The living room has a dramatic barrel-style vaulted ceiling with pegged oak hardwood floors and expansive windows. There is also a large fireplace with a marble hearth, a wood mantel and surround that is flanked by French doors opening to a patio overlooking a rose garden. Downstairs is a game room with a wood-paneled built-in bar and fireplace, which opens to the pool and outdoor living space. The interior of the property is finished with lath and plaster. The exterior is constructed with masonry, plaster and rough-hewn half timbers with a gabled French tile roof and concrete foundation.

Abrams was a prolific architect at the time. Born in Indiana in 1903, Abrams, a carpenter, traveled to Hollywood in 1920 and ended up designing sets for the studios, including the films “Wings” and the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” as well as homes for the stars and the entrance to Paramount Studios. In 1926, Abrams moved to La Jolla and worked as a draftsman for architect Thomas Shepherd and later, after graduating from Columbia University, registered as a California licensed architect, number 118.

He designed quite a number of private residences in La Jolla and Rancho Santa Fe, most notably Barry Goldwater’s home on Soledad Avenue. He also built several commercial projects such as the Adelaide’s Flowers building in La Jolla, Park La Jolla Apartments and the Library and Plaza Business Complex in Rancho Santa Fe, according to Modern San Diego.

The Upper Hermosa area was the second phase of a community called La Jolla Hermosa and developed in the late 1920s, according to the City of San Diego’s Historical Resources Board. Apparently, the horseshoe-shape design was intentional to contour the roads in such a way as to improve a driver’s experience.

Indeed, it is a very pleasant experience. The avenues are wide and wind their way through the neighborhood up a gentle incline. The variety of architecture is noteworthy and includes English Tudor, French Normandy, Spanish Colonial Revival, Mid-Century Modern, 1950s ranch-style, charming Cape Cods and the quintessential beach cottage. The history is palpable.

Rogers said that the significance of its history extends to some of the descendants of those who first developed the area.

“It was really kind of sweet. Abrams’ granddaughter wanted to come and see the house,” Rogers said. “She’s studying to become an architect and wanted to go through and see the property her grandfather had designed.”

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