{"id":16696,"date":"2015-04-06T17:51:06","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T17:51:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rahs.org\/?post_type=portfolio_page&p=16696"},"modified":"2020-04-16T23:49:14","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T23:49:14","slug":"frank-p-meserve-house","status":"publish","type":"awards","link":"https:\/\/rahs.org\/awards\/frank-p-meserve-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Frank P. Meserve House"},"content":{"rendered":"

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2008\u00a0HERITAGE AWARD RECIPIENT<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Redlands Area Historical Society, Inc.
\n<\/em><\/h4>\n

Frank P. Meserve Home<\/strong><\/p>\n

816 W. Cypress Avenue<\/strong><\/p>\n

1889<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Through the influence of a New Hampshire neighbor, Frank P. Meserve<\/a> arrived in Redlands on September 10, 1888, and almost immediately opened the \u201cMeserve Clothing House.\u201d The following year Meserve and his wife, Minnie, had a comfortable home constructed on 2 \u00bd acres of land just west of the planned center of town, Cypress & Center.\u00a0 Myron Sherman built the house at 816 W. Cypress for an estimated cost of $2200.\u00a0 After four expansions of his business, Frank Meserve and that same New Hampshire neighbor, Dr. C.A. Sanborn, had the Sanborn-Meserve block built in 1891 where it still stands on 108 \u2013 112 Orange Street.<\/p>\n

The Golden Jubilee of Redlands, published in 1938 states, \u201cNo man living has played a more prominent part in the development of Redlands than Frank P. Meserve.\u201d\u00a0 Mr. Meserve was a director of Union Bank, Redlands Light & Power Co, and Redlands Preserving Co.; he served on the Board of Trustees (city council) and was the first president of the Redlands Library Association.\u00a0 He also sat on the school board and supported bringing the University to Redlands while a member of the Board of Trade (Chamber of Commerce).\u00a0 He later became the county assessor, deputy collector of Internal Revenue and a member of the California legislature during 1899 and 1900.\u00a0 He was the city police judge when he retired in 1937.<\/p>\n

Meserve was a member of nearly all of the secret societies in Redlands.\u00a0 He was a 32nd degree Mason and first master of the Masonic lodge.\u00a0 He was one of the organizers of the Knights of Pythias, first exalted ruler of the Elks, a past noble grand of the Odd Fellows and past council commander of the Woodmen of the World.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Meserve was in poor health when they lived in Hawaii for three months in 1895.\u00a0 Later they took a trip to Alaska, but Mrs. Meserve died in 1899.\u00a0 Meserve then traveled around the world touring the British Isles, the continent, India, Egypt, Japan, China and the Philippines.\u00a0 Upon his return he became manager of the Redlands Gas Company.<\/p>\n

Meserve and his second wife, Helen, raised their four children in the home and lived there until 1938.\u00a0 Frank Pierce Meserve died in November 1943, less than a month shy of his 91st birthday.\u00a0 He is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in Redlands.<\/p>\n

The house was subsequently occupied by a series of owners, including Jim Reedy of the Reedy Oil Company and the Hardy family \u2013 before it was purchased in 1999 by Tom and Judith Hunt.\u00a0 The Hunts have two children, Rebecca and Joshua.\u00a0 Judith is a member of the Historic and Scenic Preservation Commission and a past president of Redlands Area Historical Society.<\/p>\n

This two-story Queen Anne home has a cross-gabled design and features a steeply-pitched, hipped roof with a large front-facing center gable.\u00a0 The front gable is graced with a multi-paned sash window with vertical boards and octagon shingles.\u00a0 There is horizontal board siding on the upper and lower levels.\u00a0 An asymmetrical full-width \u201cL\u201d \u2013 shaped front porch which wraps around the east wall is supported by seven turned-spindle redwood porch supports.\u00a0 There are doors to the interior on the west and east sides of the porch.<\/p>\n

The east elevation features a large pane window bounded by smaller panes.\u00a0 Other gables are Eastlake in style and heavily ornamented with medallions, brackets & decorative shingles. The north elevation has an unusual double gable with cut out sunburst.\u00a0 Horseshoe trusses are seen on the upper north and west gables. The interior chimney is brick.\u00a0 The foundation is of cement block and is not original to the structure.\u00a0 Previous owners, the Hardy family, did much of the cement work and subdivided the parcel which is now a half acre.<\/p>\n

The original roof cresting, quoins, Eastlake spindle work and brackets are gone but the beauty of the home and grounds remains.\u00a0 The Redlands Area Historical Society is pleased to recognize the current owners, Tom and Judith Hunt, for their hard work and love of this historic Redlands property.<\/p>\n

Researched by Marie Reynolds<\/em><\/p>\n

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