Resource Description

Resource Summary

Names
Kling Street Residential Historic District (Primary)
Resource Types
District
Important Dates
No dates recorded
Keywords (Subjects)
Colonial Revival
suburbanization
Heffron-McCray-St. John
Ranch
Traditional Ranch
1940s
1930s
Period Revival
1950s

Location Information

Addresses
Location Description
No descriptions recorded
Administrative Areas
North Hollywood - Valley Village Community Plan Area (Community Plan Area)
Los Angeles City Council District 4 (Council District)
GREATER TOLUCA LAKE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL (Neighborhood Council)
N. HOLLYWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD (Neighborhood)

Classification

Classification
Type: Residential District
Related Features
No features recorded

Resource Descriptions

General Description
The Kling Street Residential Historic District is a block-long historic district of single-family residences, located along Kling Street between Cahuenga Boulevard and Ledge Street in the North Toluca Lake area of the San Fernando Valley. There are 20 buildings within the historic district boundaries; of these, 85% are contributors to the historic district. Developed between 1937 and 1951, the historic district is located on the flat valley floor and fits into the area's regular street grid. Its houses sit on large lots and have ample, uniform setbacks with lawns in front; many also have front curving driveways. Low fences and hedges are common, reducing the visibility of some of the houses, but the historic district retains an open feel. This is largely because Kling Street is wide, with no sidewalks, curbs, or consistent placement of driveway entries. Individual properties have landscaping including mature trees, but there is no obvious tract-related landscaping or other visible tract features. Most of the historic district's houses are fairly large in scale, ranging from one to two stories in height, and are oriented horizontally on their large lots. The most common architectural styles are American Colonial Revival and Traditional Ranch. Both attached garages and detached side or rear garages are present. The historic district's contributors retain their historic scale, massing, volume, setbacks, and historical feel.

Summary of Significance
The Kling Street Residential Historic District is significant as an excellent concentration of transitional Late Period Revival and early Ranch houses in the San Fernando Valley. The historic district is within the historic boundaries of the Toluca Lake neighborhood and historically had a demographic of wealthy residents, many associated with the entertainment industry. The architecture of the historic district reflects changes in popular styles and forms during its period of development. The historic district's period of significance is 1937-1951, corresponding with its period of development. Of the 20 buildings within the historic district boundary approximately 17 buildings (85%) contribute to the historic district. All but the easternmost portion of the historic district is located in one tract, subdivided in 1937 by owners including M.A. Vargo and several trustees. Vargo was a sales manager for the Heffron-McCray-St. John partnership, a major developer of Toluca Lake properties in the 1920s and 1930s, and went on to form his own realty company. The eastern portion of the historic district was subdivided in 1934. Vargo does not appear to have marketed this subdivision under a particular name, and while the houses are all American Colonial Revival or Ranch in style, each has a very different design and plan. The historic district was close to several film and television studios, as well as to major automobile routes Cahuenga Boulevard and Camarillo Street, but it retained a rural feel throughout the 1930s and 1940s. This combination made the area a desirable residential subdivision for residents looking for a country-like environment adjacent to the city and studios. The Kling Historic district's occupants included at least one individual significant in the entertainment industry: director Raoul Walsh, whose acting and directing career spanned 55 years. Alterations to the historic district's properties include rear and side additions; window and door replacements; recladding; garage additions (and conversions of porte-cocheres and pass-throughs to garages); and changes to the original landscaping and hardscaping. Several of the historic district's lots were later subdivided into flag lots and developed with houses that fall outside the historic district boundaries. The historic district retains a distinct sense of time and place dating to the period of significance, exhibiting consistent massing, form, tract features, and architectural vocabulary.

External System References

SurveyLA ID: 37189f9c-92c4-4b68-b8e4-e093566b562f

Resource Significance

Evaluation Details

Date Evaluated
2013-02-13
Context/Theme
Architecture and Engineering, 1850-1980
American Colonial Revival, 1895-1960
American Colonial Revival, Late, 1940-1960
Residential
Eligibility Standards
  • Exhibits quality of design through distinctive features
  • Symmetrical façade with entryway as the primary focus
  • Details may include stylized door surrounds; paneled front door, sometimes set within a recessed entry; multi-paned double-hung sash windows; and fixed shutters
  • If it is a rare surviving example of its type, or is a rare example in the community in which it is located, a greater degree of alteration or fewer character-defining features may be acceptable
  • Should retain integrity of Location, Design, Materials, Workmanship, and Feeling from its period of significance
  • Replacement of some windows and doors may be acceptable if the openings have not been resized and original fenestration patterns have not been disrupted
  • Security bars may have been added
  • Where this property type is situated within a grouping of similar residences, it may also be significant as a contributor to a residential district
  • Classical detailing is simplified to merely suggest their Colonial precedents, rather than closely mirroring them
  • Was constructed during the period of significance
  • May display multiple roof dormers
  • Retains the essential physical features of the type from the period of significance
  • Side-gabled roof, typically with boxed eaves
  • Simple building forms
  • Typically one or two stories in height
  • Is an excellent example of the Late American Colonial Revival style
  • Clapboard or brick exteriors
    • Integrity Aspects
    Location
    Setting
    Materials
    Workmanship
    Feeling
    Retains sufficient integrity to convey significance
    Association
    Design
    California Historic Resources Status Codes (explanation of codes)
    3CS
    3S
    5S3
    Significance Statement
    Excellent concentration of American Colonial Revival residences, exhibiting the distinctive features of the style with some transitional, Traditional Ranch-influenced details in massing and site plans.
    Periods of Significance
    From: 1937-01-01
    To: 1951-12-31

    Related Resources

    Related Historic Resources

    10523 W KLING ST (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    10533 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10522 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4714 N CAHUENGA BLVD (Building, District Potential Contributor, is a potential contributor to / has as a possible contributor)
    10532 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    4704 N CAHUENGA BLVD (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10453 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10443 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10422 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10512 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10436 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10461 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10513 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10419 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10442 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10433 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10501 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10500 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)
    10425 W KLING ST (Building, District Non-Contributor, is a non-contributor to / has as a non-contributor)
    10460 W KLING ST (Building, District Contributor, is a contributor to / has as a contributor)

    Related Historic Districts

    None

    Related Activities

    None

    Related Historic Events

    None

    Related People/Organizations

    Architectural Resources Group (Surveying Firm, was surveyed by / surveyed)

    Related Information Resources

    Images
    Documents
    SurveyLA: North Hollywood-Valley Village Historic Resources Survey Report (Document/Text, is referred to in / refers to)

    SurveyLA

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    Office of Historic Resources

    Office of Historic Resources
    Department of City Planning
    221 N. Figueroa Street, Suite 1350
    Los Angeles, CA 90012
    (213) 847-3676 phone
    Email: planning.historicplacesla@lacity.org
    http://www.preservation.lacity.org
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