Summary

The Modern Ranch style dwelling, at 9508 Blair Way, was constructed in 1958 and 1959, as a Speculation House, by George E. Eckel, and designed by Leonard M. Smith.

With its intact, low-slung, Rambler plan; board and batten and wide horizontal board wall cladding; clinker brick planters, skirting, and chimney; aluminum casement and fixed windows; Catalina pool; and views of Mt. Helix, Grossmont, Lake Murray, Cowles Mountain, and the Pacific Ocean, the 9508 Blair Way dwelling retains a high degree of integrity and has been maintained such that the dwelling’s appearance has not significantly changed from the 1958 through 1961 construction campaigns. The home embodies the tenets and stylistic features of Modern Ranch architecture, and is an excellent example of the design skills of Leonard M. Smith, and the construction skills of George E. Eckel.

The George E. Eckel / Leonard M. Smith Spec House No. 1 is historically and architecturally significant for its embodiment of Modern Ranch domestic architecture that characterized Southern California, San Diego, and Mt. Helix in the 1950s and 1960s; for its association with post-WWII development patterns of Mt. Helix; as a masterful representation of the work of George E. Eckel and Leonard M. Smith; and lastly, for its association with Robert K. Castetter and Marjorie Bruce Castetter, important people in the growth of California Western School of Law.

The exterior of the dwelling, the pool, and the landscaping, are all contributing elements to the property’s significance.