2024 HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENT
The Redlands Area Historical Society, Inc.
The William & Ellen McIntosh House
112 East Fern Avenue
1894
This beautiful Victorian two-story blue house with white trim and exterior walls of shiplap was built in 1894, Block 52, Lot #41, of the Altadena tract, by William McIntosh for $1,600 according to the building list, dated January 12, 1895, published in The Citrograph newspaper. William McIntosh was a plasterer by trade and eventually became a plastering contractor. His family was considered one of the pioneering families of Redlands.
McIntosh was born on September 30, 1843, in Ontario, Canada, where his parents had immigrated from England, and he died at the age of 68 on April 23, 1912. He is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where many famous people are buried including Rudolph Valentino, Mel Blanc, Mickey Rooney, Douglas Fairbanks, Judy Garland, Bugsy Siegel, Hattie McDaniel, the Ramones, and many others, along with his wife Ellen. She was born in 1850 and died in 1919. This couple married in 1869, in Michigan.
The couple lived in the house on East Fern until about 1910, while living there an article was printed in The Citrograph newspaper, dated Saturday, April 30, 1904, on page 7, stating that William McIntosh was one of the newly elected vestrymen at Trinity Episcopal Church, located west of the home on Fern Avenue. The new church building had just been dedicated on Easter Sunday of that same year. The San Bernardino County records indicate that William put the home in Ellen’s name in 1896 and it remained in her name until 1912 when William died. Then she deeded the property to her second daughter Nettie Hewitt. The house passed between Ellen and her daughter Nettie Hewitt throughout the years until 1944 when Nettie sold the house to Rufus and Dora Knapp.
The McIntosh’s had four children, Gertrude, Nettie, May, and Carl. Gertrude was an assistant librarian at the A. K. Smiley Public Library until about 1905 when she married someone named Blackledge. Although Carl was never named on the deed nor appeared in the local directories as living in the house, his obituary, in the Redlands Daily Facts, dated January 4, 1935, states he died in the house. He had been a resident of Redlands for 40 years. His profession was listed as realtor at the time of his death.
The roof is a steeply pitched, hipped roof with a large front-facing center gable, cross-gables on three sides, with the top truncated which is a pyramid without the tip, resulting in a flat portion at the very top. The roof is covered in composition shingles. Today, a widow’s walk is visible on the roof which is merely decorative as there is no direct access to this area. This has been beautifully crafted by the current owner to match the facia boards on the eaves.
Observing a picture, taken in 1986 for an Historical Survey, the facia or frieze boards, on the eaves appear to be plain however, the survey, on file in the A. K. Smiley Public Library Heritage Room, notes that the “facia boards on gables have an inset, round circle pattern.” The trim on the east and west facing windows also appears to have a semi-circle at the top.
Each of the gables contains a vertical rectangular vent at the top with a double hung window with plain trim below. Under the north facing, major gable is a bay window with three double hung windows. Corbels appear on either side of the east and west facing bay windows.
An “L” shaped wooden porch extends to the middle of the front facade and around to the west side of the home. The entry steps face northwest, arising to the porch at an angle. Eight original turned posts support the porch overhang. A lovely frieze repeating the circle design of the eaves is visible. The posts are painted the same color as the body of the house, making the frieze appear to be floating, this is another feature which has been crafted by the current homeowner. He also added corbels to enhance the beauty of the trim. Two yellow doors face north, one is centered with solid wood panels, and the other is set back at the end of the “L” shaped porch but facing north with a glass panel above and wood panel below. The south view of the home shows an upstairs deck. All the lush landscaping was added by the present owners.
The property originally contained a carriage house, which wasn’t built at the same time as the home but added after. In the 1970s, the owner who purchased the house in 1973, Joe T. Johnson, tore down the carriage house and built the existing garage. The load of lumber was delivered with his name clearly marked in black lettering on one of the boards. Joe used this board as the header over the interior exit door of the garage. After the Knapp’s owned the home, Elmer and Wilma Carlock bought it in 1957 and then sold it to Joe and Delores Johnson. The Johnson children owned it until 2009 when they sold it to DeeAnn and Phillip Parker. The Parker’s sold it in 2013 to Emily and Michael Unterseher. The Untersehers passed it on to the current owners in 2020.
The Redlands Area Historical Society wishes to thank Chase Pendleton, his wife Rebecca Crawford, and their daughter Emma, the current owners, for the time and dedication they have spent renewing, refreshing, and loving this important older Victorian located at 112 East Fern Avenue in Redlands, California.
Presented on June 12, 2024. Research by Judith Hunt
