Many homes in the Old Escondido Historic District have been lovingly restored, making it a pleasant place to visit at any time.
A few of the homes are shown below; return to our Web site to see more homes as they are added; or visit Old Escondido to see all of them!
5th Avenue
The Century Rose Bed and Breakfast
The John Lloyd Wright House
Built in 1913 and designed by John Lloyd Wright, the 19-year-old son of Frank Lloyd Wright. This was young Wright’s first house project and was based on his famous father’s Ladies Home Journal house of 1906.
The house was also contractor W.W. Bekler’s first project and was complete at a cost of $3,200 plus a ten percent architecture fee.
This home is considered Prairie style Four-square– note deep overhang, band windows, low hipped roof.
6th Avenue
Recently painted, this Craftsman-style bungalow's colors are appropriate to the period.
7th Avenue
The Hutchins House - built in 1905 and shown here decorated for the 4th of July. This Colonial-Revival-style house shows the changes in house design from ornate Victorians toward a simpler way of life. The 1-1/2 story house is rectangular with a front-facing gable. The house was build between 1900 and 1905 with fine decorative details, inside and out, echoing American Colonial examples from eighteenth century East Coast houses. The first owners were J.F. and Plly Hutchins, followed by Addie E. Somers, and Joseph and Elmira Adams.
The curent owners have tansformed the landscaping and restored the exterior. Indoors, they have decorated with lovely antiques and period-appropriate cabinetry. Some of the very wide Douglas fir planks in the downstairs floor are 24 feet long. The fireplace had been "modernized" at some point but the curent homeowner returned it to the look of the period with a handsome mantel. A farm sink and large free-standing cabinet in the kitchen carry visitors back in time and, like the rest of the house, have a very comfortable feel.
Henderson Rental. In 1931, Hartley Henderson built this five-room clapboard bungalow at the front of the lot with the help of his father-in-law. This house was built to be a rental, as atteested to by an article on the front page of the July 1931 Times Advocate announcing its construction. In 2001, for the first time in its 70-year history, it became owner-occupied. Below the house is a cellar, the full footprint of the house, but barely tall enough for an average person to stand upright. Many original details were lost over the years but doorknobs, doors, windows, and maple floors remain. The homeowner has carefully selected paint colors, ceramic tile, appliances, and plumbing fixtures appropriate to the period.
Juniper Street
Anderson-Bandy House - 1891. This Queen Anne Victorian house with an irregular floor plan and roof contains elements of Italianate and Colonial Revival styles as well. The 2-1/2 sotry building looks very much like the Timkin House in San Diego, designed by Comstocck and Trotsche, the arthitectural firm that also created plans for six cottages and a abank addition in Escondido. This tall, elegant house was built for Julius H. Anderson, founding member and cashier of the Bank of Escondido. In 1905, when anderson left to establish the Bank of Azusa, magazine publisher N. Fredrick Hansen purchased the house. On moving to San Diego in 1907, Hansen solde the property to former Iowa State Senator Abram O. Garlock, who resided here with his family during the winter until his death in 1913. Blacksmith Tom Bandy and wife, Susan lived here for 50 years until 1958.
This house made the local print and broadcast news when it was struck for a second time by lighning in 2006. After nine months of repais, the owners were able to move back in but restoration and repair continue.
