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Overview

The Bartlett Richards House was a grandly-scaled, Tudor Revival Style residence located on prime, ocean-front real estate in Coronado, CA, just northwest of the Hotel del Coronado.

Building History

Born in Weathersfield, VT, Bartlett Richards (1882-1911) relocated a great deal during his brief 29-year lifespan. In 1896, a US Passport Application indicated that he worked as a banker in Chadron, NB. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 458; Volume #: Roll 458 - 02 Jan 1896-31 Jan 1896accessed 10/30/2015.) He married in Berlin, Germany, in 1897 to his wife, Inez, and he remained in Chadron until at least 1900, when the US Census indicated his presence there. He and his wife had four children, three of whom survived in 1910. A daughter, Katherine, who died young, was said to have been born in CA in 02/1900. The surviving children were born in 1898, c. 1901 and c. 1904, were each born in different states, VA, WI, and CA. It appears that Richards and his family arrived in San Diego around 1900, perhaps using it as a winter residence, and set about building a grand new residence for themselves soon after arriving. It is also possible that they wintered here as therapy for a sick family member.

He commissioned San Diego architects Hebbard and Gill to design a large, two-and-a-half story house, with many characteristic Tudor Revival features, including tall, front-facing gables (one of which was parapeted), half-timbering, a step-gabled wall, and a picturesque, asymmetrical floorplan. This style would have been seen as quite modern and fashionable at this time, a strong contrast to Queen Anne residences nearby in Coronado. Hebbard and Gill operated as a partnership between 1896 and 1907.

Gill scholar Bruce Kammerling has written of the Richards House: "Gill's ten-year partnership with William Hebbard produced a number of eclectic residences inspired by English design. The Bartlett Richards house in Coronado (1902) with its high-pitched roof, brick walls and half-timbered gables is an excellent example. After Hebbard and Gill dissolved their partnership in 1906, Hebbard continued to design homes of this type (probably including the additions to this house in 1914), while Gill followed his own tendency toward simplification." (See Bruce Kammerling, "Irving Gill: The Artist as Architect," Journal of San Diego History, vol. 25, no. 2, Spring 1979, p. 159, accessed 10/30/2015.)

The US Census of 1910 indicated that Richards had become a "rancher," and that he resided here with Inez and their children, Longley (born c. 1898 in VA), Bartlett, Jr., (born c. 1901 in WI), and Elise (born c. 1904 in CA). The household also included Bartlett's mother-in-law, Elise (born c. 1860 in VA), and three servants, Fanny Emerson (born c. 1861 in IL), Mattie Wilder (born c. 1875 in TN) and a man, "Doi Herolaro," (perhaps spelled Hirolaro, born c. 1880 in Japan.) (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1910; Census Place: Coronado, San Diego, California; Roll: T624_95; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0128; FHL microfilm: 1374108accessed 10/30/2015.) In 1911, the San Diego City Directory (p. 695) indicated that Inez lived here with her family following Bartlett's death.

Building Notes

The Richards House, in 2015, occupied a 0.59 acre lot, and contained 22,997-square-feet of interior space. In 2002, the house sold for $5.5 million.

Alteration

The Richards House has had many internal and external alterations. A two-and-a-half story wing on the house's southeast side was added later. In 2015, this huge residence had 10 bedrooms and 18 bathrooms, 17 of which were full baths, with 1 half-bath.