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The David B. Gamble House |
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Navigation Bar |
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Gamble House Home Page |
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Gamble House Histoy |
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History of the Gamble House |
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My Day At the House |
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The Gamble House was built for Mr. and Mrs. David B. Gamble in 1909, who lived in Cincinatti, Ohio previously. David Gamble's father was widely known as one of the founders of the Proctor and Gamble Company. During the cold winters of Cincinatti, the Gambles came to Pasadena to bask in the warm weather for months at a time. It was inevitable that they would want to create a permanent residence for themselves to enjoy California's warm weather. Thus, they employed the services of the master architects of the time period: Charles and Henry Greene.
Greene and Greene had already established themselves as credible architects. Because of previous works, they had established a reputation as being the prime choice for the wealthy elite. Given impresive budgets and complete freedom on the construction, the Greene brothers began construction of The Gamble House in 1907. |
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Gamble House Image Gallery |
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The Greene Brothers |
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Sources Page |
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The Living Room Fireplace. This particular feature of the room is considered its hallmark. It features asymmetrical brick linings, inspired by ideology of Japanese architecture. |
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Two years of work and toil, the construction of the house did not come without some complications. The Greene brothers had envisioned the house to be a representation of American style that was well-suited to teh southern California climate. Taking note that very few of today's unappreciated luxuries did not exist during the early 1900s, the Greenes had to develop innovative systems to meet the needs of the family. Ceiling vents in interior closets were strategically designed and placed to create an impressive air system; they provided an efficient method of catching the breeze and having it circulate throughout the house. Rain gutters were different from the norm in that it was designed so that they would not mar the custom-designed roo. Underground drainage pipes carried rainwater from the downspouts to the streets in the front and rear of the property.
All aspects of The Gamble House was all supervisied and designed by the Greene brothers. The furniture, built-in cabinry, paneling, wood carvings, rugs, lighting, leaded stained calss, accessories, and even the landscaping were all customized for this particular project. The central theme for the design lied in the integration of native arts and architectures of Europe and Japan. The idea of emphasizing the horizontal line, the use of modular unis, the desire for everything asymmetrical, and the incorporation of "natural" aspects were all applied to the house. |
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The Den fireplace with Gothic overtones, uses pressed brick similar to the exterior steps and terrace borders. Designed without a mantle because the room is so small, it gains interest from the changing planes and contours. |
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There were points when much backtracking had to be done during the last months of the construction of the house. Known to be highly-critical when it came to details of their work, the Greene brothers would find fault in what they did, and try to fix it. There was even a recorded moment when a certain type of cedar could not be located for a particular armchair piece, and the Greenes couldn't tolerate using a substitute. So, they waited for a little over a month for the cedar wood to be shipped to California before they resumed any more additions to the furniture.
When the house was completed in 1909, the Gamble Family continued to live there. David Gamble died in 1923, and his wife followed suit in 1929. Julia Huggins, Mrs. Gamble's maiden sister, lived in the house until her death in 1945. As the years pased on the house continued to grow old and tarnished. It was not until 1966 that Cecil Gamble, the eldest son of the family, decided to preserve the house for it's architectural importance.
Today, The Gamble House, in Joint agreement with USC, is now used as a resource for the USC School of Architecture. It is used as a teching tool for students of design and historic preservation. Full restoration is being conducted on the house as of the year 2004, and the estimated date for its completion will be 2010. |
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