Sumner Hunt, Architect [1865-1938]
Sumner Hunt [†] came to California in 1889 after being trained as an architect in New York. He opened his own practice in 1895, and at various points in his career worked with other architects including Theodore Eisen, A.W. Eager, and Silas Burns. Hunt was extremely active in the architectural community and belonged to several professional clubs, serving as the president of the Southern California Chapter of the AIA. Hunt and his partners were responsible for the design of many residences and a variety of institutional buildings including social clubs, museums, and schools. Hunt's work, representing several styles including Shingle, Tudor, Mediterranean, and Spanish, was viewed as quite modern in comparison to the late Victorian styles of the previous decades. In 1892, Hunt designed the Casa de Rosas on West Adams Boulevard, one of the first modern buildings to use the Spanish courtyard, arrangement, setting forth a new architectural movement in Southern California. Hunt partnered with Eisen between 1895 and 1900. During that period they designed the Raymond Hotel in South Pasadena (demolished) and several houses including the Doheny Mansion in Chester Place. The house at 1204 West 27th Street (North University Park Historic District) is an excellent example of their work and retains its physical integrity. Like much of their early work, the house is difficult to categorize stylistically. Completed in 1895, the house has a boxy shape and a massive hipped roof. Rusticated stone is used for the foundation and extends up the base to meet the clapboard, which sheathes the rest of the exterior.
† Teresa Grimes and Jim Childs, ADHOC, North University Park Historic District, Los Angeles, CA, nomination document, 2003, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.