Architecturally Significant, One-of-a-kind Historical Estate Hits The Pasadena Area Marketplace

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The home on Rubio Street in Altadena, CA is a 5 bedroom, 5 1.2 bath, 6,194 sq. ft. Spanish Colonial home, which was built in 1925 by one of Pasadena's most well-known and respected architectural firms, Marston, Van Pelt, and Maybury.  There is a nearly 1600 sq. ft. second home on the property, with its own private street entrance and address. Both residences are surrounded by approximately 2 acres of beautiful grounds which include a half-acre orchard with 17 varieties of fruit, a lath house, a green house, a badminton court, a barbeque and picnic area, and a pool with a cabana. There have been only two owners in the home's 85 year history.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120412/LA86790)

The estate was commissioned by Leigh D. Guyer, a broker who shared the home with his wife, Emily, their three children, two female servants and a gardener. He was secretary and treasurer of the Altadena Improvement Association, and he served on the committee which established the first school in Altadena. Interestingly enough, he was also said to be the first automobile owner in the Pasadena area. He was remembered as "a tireless worker for the betterment of the community".  Emily Guyer was active in the Pasadena Art Museum, and the Women's Circle of Altadena. Emily passed away while attending the wedding of her step granddaughter to John D. Rockefeller IV.  In 1968, the property was sold to Doris H. Pankow, who was later joined in ownership by her husband Charles Pankow. Mr. Pankow founded Charles Pankow Builders in the garage of the Altadena estate. In 1999, his company was named as one of the Six World Builders by the Engineering News-Record Magazine.  Mrs. Pankow was well-known in the area for her charitable and philanthropic involvement. She was an active and respected member of the Altadena Guild of the Huntington Hospital.

Due to this estates association with a regionally well known architect, historically significant owners, and its good state of preservation, Altadena Heritage determined in the early 1990's that this home was potentially eligible for listing on a local inventory of significant properties.

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