1986 HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENT
The Redlands Area Historical Society, Inc.
Heritage Award 1986
Lee Wilmarth Home
214 East Olive Avenue
1891
In 1891 Lee Wilmarth built the Victorian clapboard house at 214 East Olive Avenue. Mr. Wilmarth, a builder, painter, and decorator by trade, took great care in the selection of materials for his home, using a wealth of “embroidery” to distinguish it from its plainer neighbors.
There are two front entrances and thirteen rooms in the two story building. Six dormers are framed with ornamental woodwork and decorated shingles. The triangular dormer has ornamental stickwood gables and a door with rectangular glass opening onto a balcony. The windows in the house are amber tinted.
As an example of how fastidious Mr. Wilmarth was, he would not allow the parlor floor to be laid until the special wood, ordered in the East, had arrived. This took some time. In fact, the rest of the home was finished and occupied before the wood came and weeds, grown to a good size, had sprouted in the parlor.
The Wilmarth House is now owned by Mr. William Hardy, Jr., and is occupied by Dekker, Ltd., a computer software business. Mr. Hardy has maintained the original appearance of the house, making no major structural changes. In a changing city environment this building remains a proud reminder of Redlands’ heritage and the pride of workmanship the original owners demonstrated. It has been listed on the City Register of Historical and Scenic Properties.
