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Historic Name

P. J. Schmidt House

Address

524 E Arrow Highway
Upland, CA 91786

Evaluation

Building
5/10/2007

Construction Date

1910

Current Owner

Ralph F. & Kathryn A. Wilkens

Current Owner Address

524 e Arrow hwy
Upland, CA 91786

Description

The familiar, turn-of-the-century vocabulary is beautifully interpreted in this one-story residence. A hipped roof with a central hipped dormer and side gables towards the rear crowns the building. Tripled brackets ornament the boxed eaves. Narrow, latticed vents frame a glazed opening in the shingle dormer. Narrow clapboards sheathe the body of the house. A recessed L-shaped porch wraps the northwest corner of the structure. Tuscan columns and a stick balustrade enclose the space. Next to the slightly offset, paneled and glazed entry, a half window with a common header and a corbeled sill is filled with art glass. The east half of the facade is occupied by a shallow, three-sided bay containing double-hung sash windows. Set back from the street on a cobblestone foundation, the house is approached by a cement path which ends in two stairs with cobblestone rails. No alterations were observed, and the house is in good condition.

Totaling over a half of an acre, this parcel is part of Ontario Colony lot 580, split in 1902. The first owner of the larger property of which this was historically part of was J.F. Anderson, a foreman with the Upland Citrus Association. In 1902 a $200 improvement was assessed on the lot; most likely Anderson built this house circa 1901-02. The 1907 directory indicated that he lived at this location. After five years, Peter J. Schmidt purchased the property in 1907-08. Mr. Schmidt became an orange grower. There were Schmidts occupying this house for 70 years, according to former neighbors. The house is significant as an exceptional example of turn-of-the-century housing whose integrity is verified by a historic photograph. Moreover, the garden and the size of the lot impart the flavor of early, rural Upland when many houses, even those close to downtown, occupied large parcels planted with citrus trees.

It is enhanced by its landscaping, including a rose garden in the east side yard whose beds are edged by stone.