Dr. Jasper Newton Field House – 2025

Set on the southeast corner of Walnut and Pacific Streets in a well-preserved historic neighborhood within the “Residence Tract,” one block from the Highland Avenue Historic District, this Mediterranean Revival home reflects the Beaux-Arts tradition. It features a formal, axial plan, original semi-attached garage, and mature Mediterranean plantings. Its literate architecture references Palladianism, the French and Italian Riviera, and Tuscan Classicism. The 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 1.5-story, 2,150-square-foot house on a 0.5-acre lot was commissioned by Adalaide and Dr. Jasper Newton Field and completed in 1925. It retains its original two-car garage and was originally assessed for $2,800.

The Residence Tract formed part of Redlands’ early city plan, with Walnut Street appearing on maps by 1888. The neighborhood still features ashlar split-stone curbs, unpaved sidewalks, and double-sided lines of mature street trees—hallmarks of the Judson and Brown plan, which emphasized tree-lined streets, a value that endures. The property sits on Lots 11 and 12 of Block 22 in the Residence Tract.

Part of the post–World War I Mediterranean Revival movement, this house is a rarer French Riviera example in Redlands, heavily influenced by the earlier Beaux-Arts movement of the Belle Époque. Its H-shaped plan encloses a central parterre on three sides; the fourth side opens via five scored steps flanked by two built-in planters. A straight path leads to the front entrance. The lawn is separated from the sidewalk by a low, concrete saut-de-loup—or “ha-ha wall”—a recessed barrier supporting the raised terrace while remaining invisible from above. The term “ha-ha” derives from the expression of surprise at encountering a hidden drop. Such features, common on aristocratic estates, kept grazing animals out while preserving the view. In Redlands, they appear occasionally and can be of some height. Here, the ha-ha serves to terrace the lawn without fencing, retaining the welcoming openness typical of historic Redlands homes and enhancing the perceived size of the space. This design enables both an appreciation of the home’s surroundings and its own visibility within the neighborhood.

Street tree patterns shift by property, suggesting owner input. On Walnut Avenue, the frontage is lined with Southern French Holm Oak; on Pacific Street, Mediterranean Narrow-Leaved Ash. Several trees are notably large, indicating they were likely planted during the Field era. Near the corner, a local native Canyon Oak is planted.

The central axis—or hyphen—of the H-plan is symmetrical, featuring two sets of French doors flanking a porch with a triangular pediment supported by Tuscan columns. Within this porch is the original front door with a central glass pane and two divided sidelights. The elliptical plasterwork within the pediment gives the impression of a Palladian or Venetian window. This motif repeats twice more on the north elevation. Windows flanking the parterre are double-hung sash, with multi-light upper sashes and single light lower ones, detailed with decorative scroll brackets at the lower corners—an elegant Revival-style touch of the 1920s. A small, unadorned brick chimney rises from the center of the hyphen, in keeping with the style’s tendency to de-emphasize chimneys. The gables are open and undecorated except for three-stepped molding—an early, abstracted, proto-Deco interpretation of classical decoration.

On the west side is a service porch accessed by four steps, also flanked by rectangular planters and capped with a pediment mirroring the front. A French door is flanked by two sash windows, and a mullion of windows opens into the kitchen. The garage is connected to the house by low, plastered walls featuring elliptical arches. Within the outer arch is a wooden gate with simple decorative cutwork. The garage’s street-facing gable creates a full pediment above two wooden doors. The original architect or builder is not yet identified.

By 1925, the Fields were already prominent figures in Redlands. Rev. Dr. Field had served as pastor of the First Baptist Church of Redlands from 1906 to 1909, following posts in Ohio and New York. Upon arriving in Redlands in 1906, he initiated the founding of a Baptist college, becoming the first president of the University of Redlands from 1909 to 1914. Holding multiple degrees—including a Doctor of Theology from his alma mater, Denison College—he secured Baptist Conference approval, land (the Stillman ranch and vineyard, acquired from Stanford University by K.C. Wells), and initial funding for the Administration Building and Bekins Hall. His presidency also saw the adoption of school colors, construction of a gymnasium using timbers from the Stillman winery, and creation of the “R” geoglyph on the mountainside—a show of community strength after the 1913 Freeze. During his tenure, the Fields lived at 426 W. Olive Avenue (Heritage Award, 1976).

After returning to Ohio, Dr. Field entered the oil industry in Cleveland. Following a serious automobile-train accident—which he survived, the family returned to Redlands in 1924. Their now-grown children settled in Redlands and Los Angeles. The Fields first rented 737 Walnut Avenue from E.M. Cope before purchasing the adjoining corner lots and building their home. In 1926, Dr. Field became pastor of the San Bernardino Calvary Baptist Church.

The house’s Beaux-Arts classicism parallels the architectural language of early University of Redlands buildings and American academic architecture, underscoring the University’s influence on local architecture. Fittingly, the house sits just one block from “Miraflores” (851 W. Highland Avenue), the current University president’s residence (Heritage Award, 1993). Dr. Field died in the home in 1929, and it left the family in 1935. Both he and Adalaide are buried in Redlands’ Hillside Cemetery.

Mame and John Bruckart—in-laws of the Hinckley family and also in the citrus industry—bought the home, keeping it until 1956. Dr. and Mrs. Warren Mild owned it from 1956 to 1960. Carol and Charles Bishop followed in 1960, whose family maintained multigenerational ownership.

In 2023, Dustin Miracle purchased the home and has lovingly maintained its historic character and charm. The Redlands Area Historical Society congratulates Dustin Miracle on his 2025 Heritage Award and for his stewardship of this Redlands treasure.

 Research by John P. Beall and Michelle Hong, presented on June 11, 2025.