Villa Carlotta, Historic residence in Altadena, United States.
Villa Carlotta is a 7,000-square-foot Mission Revival house at 234 East Mendocino Street in Altadena, California. Architect Myron Hunt gave it high ceilings and tall windows modelled on the Welles family's estate in France. Completed in 1917, it remains a private house.
Architect Myron Hunt designed this house in 1917 for Francis Raymond Welles, drawing inspiration from the family's French estate. The design blended that European influence with California architectural traditions of the period.
The house takes its name from the Welles family's estate in France, and Myron Hunt echoed that property in the plans through high ceilings and tall windows. The result is a Mission Revival house whose scale and glazing recall a French country residence rather than a typical Altadena bungalow.
Villa Carlotta remains a private house at 234 East Mendocino Street in Altadena and is not open to the public, so there are no tours or visiting hours to plan around. Visitors can view the exterior from the street; the National Register listing, granted in 2014, concerns the 1917 house itself.
This residence was among the first properties in Altadena to include electrical wiring in its original construction plans from the start. This technological feature reflects how wealthy households adopted modern conveniences earlier than typical homes of that era.
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