A great stone face on the chimney of an outdoor oven looks over the backyard of the Louis B. Easton-built house on 256 W. Mariposa St.
by Timothy Rutt
Louis B. Easton was an architect in the Arts & Crafts mode, who practiced in the Pasadena area from 1904 to 1914, building about 25 homes. This weekend, an estate sale at an Easton-built house at 256 W. Mariposa St. will offer a rare chance to peek inside an historic piece of local archtitecture.
Antique and collectible dealer Ben McGinty (who also ran the late Gallery at the End of the World) will be conduct the sale at the house this coming Friday and Saturday, Jan. 20-21, from 9-4 PM both days. The family that owned the 1908-built home lived there since 1959, and accumulated several items that will be for sale: Victorian era furniture, an Eastlake Bed and love seat, A Gothic style double bed, a round craftsman oak table, and dining set.
But it's also a chance to look at one of the more interesting bungalows in the San Gabriel Valley.
According to local architect William Ellinger, Easton built as well as designed his homes, often enlisting his children to help in the construction. The Mariposa home has a distinctive Easton touch: rough-hewn redwood beams and walls, which were burned with a torch and scraped with a wire brush to remove the soft wood and bring out the hard wood grain.
Another distinctive of this house: the outdoor stove in the back yard. Made of granite boulders, the stove is topped with a stone and concrete face on the chimney, looking like a giant idol awaiting human sacrifice. More pictures after the jump.
(Pictured: a built-in bookcase shows the distinctive Easton use of redwood boards in the home's interior.)
The centrally-located fireplace, surrounded by redwood beams and wall panels.
Ben McGinty, left, inspects the inside of a built-in cabinet while architect William Ellinger explains some fine details of the house.
An antique pump organ is one of the items for sale.
The large wood-fired stove in the back yard. Ellinger looks at the sink, which used the fire in the oven to make hot water.
