Glendale's Finest
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- Exterior
Start with a quiet tree-lined street in Glendale's Kenneth Village neighborhood. Add a classic 5-bedroom, 3-bath Spanish 2-story home on a 12,110 square foot professionally landscaped lot. Build its 3228 square feet around beams recovered from an 1800's sailing ship; cover the floors with hardwood; provide unique windows with built-in pull-down screens; entertain with 2 fireplaces, a deck that surrounds the entire back of the house, an in-ground spa and a built-in natural gas BBQ; disperse 2 bedrooms to the first floor and 3 upstairs; incorporate wainscoating, cove molding, intricate tile work and other details of fine craftsmanship; update with central air, new copper plumbing and new wiring; and finish it off with verdant grounds peppered with flowers and fruit trees and surrounded by a new stucco fence. The result is Glendale's Finest home designed for entertaining and family living in a community known for its friendly, caring neighbors.
THE STORY OF 338 LAWSON PLACE
The home at 338 Lawson Place in Glendale was built in 1935 by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Vollmer for themselves and their 8 year old son, Howard. The Monterey-style residence was designed by Los Angeles-based architects Henry Carlton Newton and Robert Dennis Murray. The house remained in the Vollmer family until 1990, when Howard, who had inherited it from his parents, sold it to the current owners, David and Sally Nichols and their then 3 year old daughter, Sydney.
Norman Vollmer had originally worked as a telegraph operator and the family lived in Hollywood, but by the mid-thirties he was primarily an investor who worked at home. He used the downstairs bedroom with fireplace at 338 as his office, and the room still serves that function today for David, who is a television writer and producer. (Evening Shade, Grace Under Fire, Caroline In The City, etc.) The lot was vacant when the Vollmers purchased it, and Howard Vollmer remembers that his father spent many hours conferring with the architects and builders to make sure the property was graded correctly so that it would drain properly. (It does!) Original blueprints also indicate that at the time the house was built the large pine trees that surround the property were saplings.
One of the challenges facing the builders was finding beams large enough to support the large second-story deck that was an integral part of the design. In the end Mr. Vollmer supplied the solution himself by finding a mid-19th century sailing ship that was being dismantled in San Pedro harbor. He purchased the ships huge beams, and today they can be seen as part of the living room ceiling. Another design feature of particular interest to Mr. Vollmer was the woodwork on the dining room wall. He had seen a certain pattern of wainscoting in the dining hall of a monastery while on a trip to Europe and instructed the builders to reproduce it. The original 1935 woodwork eventually fell victim to termite damage and had to be removed, but the replacement pattern that currently exists is as close a duplication as was possible.
Upstairs, the bedroom on the West side was specifically designed as a childs room, with the closet opposite the Dutch door intended for toy storage. The room was originally decorated in a cowboy motif and featured a lantern-type lighting fixture in the center of the ceiling. The bedroom at the back of the house was intended to serve as quarters for a live-in maid but the economic realities of the Depression made hiring full-time help impractical and the room has never been used for its original purpose. Today Sally Nichols, a Professor in the Fashion Department at Otis College of Art and Design, uses the space as a combination sewing room and painting studio.
The house contains several details that were considered modern conveniences at the time the house was built, including a built-in ironing board and shoeshine box in the laundry area. Outlets with angled inputs were provided in several locations throughout the house to accommodate the plug-in antennas that were needed for 30s era radio sets. Vented panels set into the walls near the floor of the upstairs hall functioned as nightlights. And the backyard included a concrete trash incinerator, which still remains behind the garage.
Norman Vollmer passed away in 1968. Mrs. Vollmer remained in the house until 1983 when she moved into a nursing home. For the next seven years the main part of the house was rented out to a mother and daughter, while the East Wing was locked off and used by Howard Vollmer and his wife whenever they came to Glendale from their home in Morro bay.
When the house was readied for sale in 1990 the kitchen was updated and central air conditioning and copper plumbing were added. It was also during that time that an enormous beehive was discovered inside the front wall of the house. A large opening was cut near the ceiling in the living room and about halfway up the wall in the master bedroom. The walls were dripping with honey and literally thousands of bees were removed! (The house has been regularly inspected for pests since then and bees have never again been a problem.)
In 1993 the Nichols undertook a major landscaping project, installing the in-ground Jacuzzi as well as the patio, outdoor lighting, sprinkler system and all of the walls that surround the yard. The bath in Sydneys room was re-done in 1996. The downstairs bath was updated in the Fall of 2005. The house was also completely re-wired during that time.
During the 15 years the Nichols family has lived at 338 Lawson the home has been the scene of numerous happy events birthday parties, sleep-overs, Fourth of July celebrations, large Thanksgiving dinners, graduation parties, an annual Christmas Day Open House for 30 to 40 friends and neighbors, and a wedding. (Sallys brother John Landstrom and his wife Laurel were married here in a backyard ceremony.) Now, however, with their daughter away at Emerson College in Boston for most of the year, David and Sally have decided to move to a slightly smaller home in Studio City, where they lived when they were first married. They will take with them many fond memories of the house at 338 Lawson and they look forward to passing it on to new owners who will enjoy writing the next chapter of its history.
THE STORY OF 338 LAWSON PLACE
The home at 338 Lawson Place in Glendale was built in 1935 by Mr. and Mrs. Norman Vollmer for themselves and their 8 year old son, Howard. The Monterey-style residence was designed by Los Angeles-based architects Henry Carlton Newton and Robert Dennis Murray. The house remained in the Vollmer family until 1990, when Howard, who had inherited it from his parents, sold it to the current owners, David and Sally Nichols and their then 3 year old daughter, Sydney.
Norman Vollmer had originally worked as a telegraph operator and the family lived in Hollywood, but by the mid-thirties he was primarily an investor who worked at home. He used the downstairs bedroom with fireplace at 338 as his office, and the room still serves that function today for David, who is a television writer and producer. (Evening Shade, Grace Under Fire, Caroline In The City, etc.) The lot was vacant when the Vollmers purchased it, and Howard Vollmer remembers that his father spent many hours conferring with the architects and builders to make sure the property was graded correctly so that it would drain properly. (It does!) Original blueprints also indicate that at the time the house was built the large pine trees that surround the property were saplings.
One of the challenges facing the builders was finding beams large enough to support the large second-story deck that was an integral part of the design. In the end Mr. Vollmer supplied the solution himself by finding a mid-19th century sailing ship that was being dismantled in San Pedro harbor. He purchased the ships huge beams, and today they can be seen as part of the living room ceiling. Another design feature of particular interest to Mr. Vollmer was the woodwork on the dining room wall. He had seen a certain pattern of wainscoting in the dining hall of a monastery while on a trip to Europe and instructed the builders to reproduce it. The original 1935 woodwork eventually fell victim to termite damage and had to be removed, but the replacement pattern that currently exists is as close a duplication as was possible.
Upstairs, the bedroom on the West side was specifically designed as a childs room, with the closet opposite the Dutch door intended for toy storage. The room was originally decorated in a cowboy motif and featured a lantern-type lighting fixture in the center of the ceiling. The bedroom at the back of the house was intended to serve as quarters for a live-in maid but the economic realities of the Depression made hiring full-time help impractical and the room has never been used for its original purpose. Today Sally Nichols, a Professor in the Fashion Department at Otis College of Art and Design, uses the space as a combination sewing room and painting studio.
The house contains several details that were considered modern conveniences at the time the house was built, including a built-in ironing board and shoeshine box in the laundry area. Outlets with angled inputs were provided in several locations throughout the house to accommodate the plug-in antennas that were needed for 30s era radio sets. Vented panels set into the walls near the floor of the upstairs hall functioned as nightlights. And the backyard included a concrete trash incinerator, which still remains behind the garage.
Norman Vollmer passed away in 1968. Mrs. Vollmer remained in the house until 1983 when she moved into a nursing home. For the next seven years the main part of the house was rented out to a mother and daughter, while the East Wing was locked off and used by Howard Vollmer and his wife whenever they came to Glendale from their home in Morro bay.
When the house was readied for sale in 1990 the kitchen was updated and central air conditioning and copper plumbing were added. It was also during that time that an enormous beehive was discovered inside the front wall of the house. A large opening was cut near the ceiling in the living room and about halfway up the wall in the master bedroom. The walls were dripping with honey and literally thousands of bees were removed! (The house has been regularly inspected for pests since then and bees have never again been a problem.)
In 1993 the Nichols undertook a major landscaping project, installing the in-ground Jacuzzi as well as the patio, outdoor lighting, sprinkler system and all of the walls that surround the yard. The bath in Sydneys room was re-done in 1996. The downstairs bath was updated in the Fall of 2005. The house was also completely re-wired during that time.
During the 15 years the Nichols family has lived at 338 Lawson the home has been the scene of numerous happy events birthday parties, sleep-overs, Fourth of July celebrations, large Thanksgiving dinners, graduation parties, an annual Christmas Day Open House for 30 to 40 friends and neighbors, and a wedding. (Sallys brother John Landstrom and his wife Laurel were married here in a backyard ceremony.) Now, however, with their daughter away at Emerson College in Boston for most of the year, David and Sally have decided to move to a slightly smaller home in Studio City, where they lived when they were first married. They will take with them many fond memories of the house at 338 Lawson and they look forward to passing it on to new owners who will enjoy writing the next chapter of its history.
- Lot Size: 12110
- Type: Single Family Home
- Floors: Two or More Stories
- Parking/Garage: 2
- Bedrooms: 5
- Baths: 3
- Square Feet: 3228
- Year Built: 1935
- Basement
- Central Air
- Den/Office
- Dining Room
- Fireplace
- Forced Air
- Hardwood Floors
- Laundry Room
- Main Floor Bathroom
- Main Floor Bedroom
- Spa/Hot Tub
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