This Old House: Part Two

If you've read my blog before, you know that I like to explore hidden, off the beaten path aspects of L.A. and I also like old, historic homes. On Sunday I visited one such home, The Neff Estate, which is relatively unknown and tucked away in the city of La Mirada. Built in 1894, the Neff Estate is named as such because it was the birthplace and childhood home of notable Southern Californian architect, Wallace Neff.

It's always been a dream of mine (well, at least for the last five years since I transplanted myself out here) to own one of Wallace Neff's Spanish/Mediterranean style creations. Unfortunately, I don't have a spare $13.5 million lying around to shell out for such a home right now. (In case you are wondering where this seemingly arbitrary number came from, it was what Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston paid for one of his homes a while back before ol' Angelina and the kids came into the picture.) Maybe if I stop buying J. Crew I can come up with the extra dough needed for a similar home one of these days.

Financial aspirations aside, the home we visited last weekend, where Neff grew up, was designed by Frederick Roehrig. The house is often described as Mission revival style, although it seems to me to be an amalgamation of other styles too. You can decide for yourself on the influences. That's one of the things I love about Californian architecture, it's often a "mash-up" of different styles which suits my eclectic tastes.

Below you will find me exploring the grounds of the Neff Estate wearing a sweater and boots because the weather here has regressed back to winter. Intermixed are a few shots of this picturesque, historic landmark.

 

 

 Here I am (in my official "trekking around boots") gazing upward at a tree which is as old as the house itself. The roots on this specimen are quite impressive!