Added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1994

If the rise of the bungalow court as an architectural genre in early 20th century LA gets you going, then oh boy, do we need to meet up. And we should probably meet in Pasadena, where the bungalow court was pretty much invented in the early 1900s, and flourished between about 1910 – 1930. If you can believe it, there are an astounding 30 Pasadena bungalow courts on the National Register, most of them added in two main batches in 1983 and 1994.

Today we’re examining the Court at 940-948 N. Raymond Avenue, one of the later examples of those 30. But first:

A Breezy Backgrounder on the Bungalow Court in Pasadena

So what are these things? In general, bungalow courts are collections of smallish dwellings (typically 5-14 units per court) surrounding a central courtyard or walkway in a “U” shape that opens toward the street. The courts might be comprised of single-dwelling units, or a mix of single and multiple-dwelling units; but the living spaces tend to be oriented toward the shared courtyard area, which are often landscaped, and there’s usually a driveway on the side that gives auto access to the rear of the complex – a big change in residential home design at the time. 

The bungalow court provided an elegant solution to the challenge of LA’s quickly growing urban population in the 1910s and ‘20s. In their earliest incarnations, bungalow courts were a novel choice for tourists traveling through Pasadena. Soon they became year-round options that held special appeal to folks both young (rent was cheap) and old (they were usually very accessible and close enough to nearby services). If you longed for communal living but felt too cramped in an apartment building, the bungalow court offered a nice alternative. 

Developers loved bungalow courts too, as they could get a lot of rentable units for relatively little investment. You could purchase a pattern book with ready-to-build designs, or hire an architect of your own. Back in Pasadena’s bungalow boom years, a lot of well-heeled architects tried their hands at building them, including Sylvanus Marston (his craftsman St. Francis Court is considered the first example), the Heineman Brothers (their Bowen Court is the oldest bungalow court in its original location), J. Cyril Bennett (Pasadena Civic Auditorium) and David Renton (hired by William Wrigley, Jr. to oversee the construction of many of Avalon’s most important buildings on Catalina). Courts were designed in a whole variety of architectural styles – mostly craftsman from 1910-1915, then after WWI American colonial revival, tudor and Spanish colonial revival grew more popular. 

Construction of new bungalows ground to a halt during the Great Depression. As LA became increasingly reliant on cars (and parking), and denser housing became both more necessary and more profitable for developers, the bungalow fell out of fashion and apartment buildings became the multi-family dwelling du jour.

The Court at 940-948 N. Raymond Avenue

The historical record on this particular court is scant. We know it was built for one H.R. Pompeyon in 1929, designed by the architect N.S. Bungus (can’t imagine a more perfect name for a bungalow designer, can you?), and that the five units cost around $2000 a piece. No idea who lived here, or what became of the mysterious Pompeyon and Bungus dyad later in life. 

What I can tell you is that the Court at 940-948 N. Raymond Avenue is a fine example of the Spanish colonial revival style applied to a bungalow court. With units this small (each one is just 29’ x 21’), the little details really shine through, like the colorful decorative tiles near each front door that pop just so against the cream stucco, the red brick underneath each casement window, the recessed and arched front doors and the triangular pile o’ tiles wedged into each unit’s gable as an air vent. Walk down the middle path and you’ll notice the landscaping, tasteful and varied and thriving. 

All these details add up to an uncommonly detailed court given the relatively low cost of its construction. At one point there were canvas awnings over the windows facing the Raymond Avenue side, but those seem to have gone the way of the water buffalo. Other than that, this thing has held up with remarkable integrity.

Okay! Only 29 more Pasadena bungalow courts to go…

Sources & Recommended Reading

+ Court at 940-948 N. Raymond Ave’s NRHP nomination form

+ NRHP Multiple Property Submission: Bungalow Courts of Pasadena 

+ Bungalow Courts in Pasadena (Pasadena.net)