1988 HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENT
The Redlands Area Historical Society, Inc.
Heritage Award 1988
Clarence W. Hardy Home
635 West Fern Avenue
1910
This handsome home was built in 1910 by the Redlands firm of Robert Olden. The first owner of the house was J. Warren Smith, who Secretary of the Home Investment Association in Redlands. Mr. Smith and his wife Alice lived in the home until around 1924.
The ten-bedroom residence is a two-story Craftsman-style structure, popularized by the Pasadena architectural firm of Greene and Greene, in the early part of the century. The structure was constructed on a stone foundation and the exterior is painted wooden shingles. There is a low-pitched roof with triple gables on the front and a stone chimney. Projecting rafter beams and decorative attic vent can be seen at the roofline. Exposed wooden structural elements can be seen as well as the second-story open porch with a decorative wooden railing. The front porch roof is supported with exposed beams and there are stone porch piers without columns. The flower boxes on the porch as well as the glass-paneled wooden front entry door compliment the architectural elements of the home. There are many multi-light double hung windows, including some stained glass panels. The house, furnished with several pieces of Stickley furniture, has oakwood floors and the original Craftsman-style hardware and fixtures.
In 1925 William T. and Cora F. Bill purchased the home. Mr. Bill was President of the Redlands Building and Loan Association and a good friend of William F. Bolt, who had been his neighbor on Olive Avenue. After the death of his wife in the early 1930’s, Mr. Bill rented part of his home to his niece Alice and her husband Clarence Y. Hardy and by 1939 Mr. Bill turned the property over to them. They raised their four children. Richard, Alice, Coramaye and William T. in the home.
Clarence Hardy, a native of Michigan, came to Redlands in 1910. He was a pioneer in education. His accomplishments include the first summer school classes in Redlands. He taught industrial arts for over forty years at Redlands High School and he was supervisor of National Defense Training for War Industries in this area. The “Clarence W. Hardy Industrial Arts Building,” completed in 1930 at the high school was dedicated to him.
The home has remained in the family for over fifty years. Today, William T. Hardy, Jr., his wife. Sue, and their children reside there. Like his father, William T. Hardy. Sr., Bill Hardy has been active in the citrus industry in Redlands for many years. Since their move to the home in 1980 they have made many improvements to the property and its landscaping, bringing it back to its original condition. They have additional plans for the future, all of which will maintain the historic integrity of the property.
In 1987 the home was designated as a historic resource by the Redlands City Council.
