Detailed Description of the Property

The George E. Eckel / Leonard M. Smith Spec House No. 1, constructed under County of San Diego Permit No. 06466, issued on July 2, 1958, is a Modern Ranch style, wood, brick, and stucco dwelling, with an approximate square footage of 2,346, situated on a little over a one-acre lot, on a south-facing slope, in the unincorporated community of Mt. Helix. 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, with invisible screens; custom siting amongst the lot’s natural features, with views of Mt. Helix, Grossmont, Lake Murray, Cowles Mountain, and the Pacific Ocean, the sprawling dwelling is set back and up from the street with patios, pathways, palm trees, mature trees, and a kidney bean shaped Catalina pool. The dwelling was constructed in 1958 to 1959, with an addition to the east façade and the installation of a Catalina pool, in 1961.

The dwelling’s massing was originally a horizontal rambling irregular plan, extending east and west. After the completion of the second construction campaign, in 1961, the dwelling’s massing remained a horizontal rambling irregular plan, extending an additional five feet east. Assessor notations on the building record indicate the roofing was 1¼” shake over a medium pitched side gable roof. Currently, the roof is covered in fireproof cement tiles.

Examination of the present-day appearance of the home’s exterior facades against the County of San Diego Assessor’s Residential Building Record site plan, reveal that the exterior is essentially unchanged from the 1958 through 1961 design and construction campaigns, with character-defining features intact.

South Elevation (Main Façade)

The south elevation is the main façade of the dwelling, facing Blair Way, formerly Blair Drive, and neighboring properties below. Mature trees and thoughtfully designed landscaping flank the asphalt driveway leading to the garage. Horizontal wood, ranch style fencing, surrounds the landscaping to the east of the driveway. A vertical piece of wood, painted with white letters spelling out “VERTICAL ACRE” announces the name of the property behind the “9508” address on the east side of the driveway. The two-car garage is the introduction to the dwelling. The board and batten clad garage, with clinker brick skirting, is attached to the dwelling on the west side. The garage door is a roll-up door with four “X” paneled sections and three vertical, horizontal windows above each section. The original garage door was a wood, two “X” paneled, lift-up door, painted dark brown to match the board and batten siding. The garage door was most likely changed when the house was put on the market, in 2021, as the 2011 Google Street View image shows the original garage door. The side-gabled roof, which transitions to a secondary extended roof to the north, contains wide eave overhangs, with curved exposed rafter tails. East of the garage door are two aluminum Chicago style windows each with a large fixed picture window in the middle flanked by two, horizontal three-light casement windows, surrounded by wood moulding. This section of the dwelling abuts the wide board, horizontal wood siding section of the dwelling, which contains a side-gabled roof that transitions to a secondary extended roof to the south. This roof is taller than the west section roof and also contains wide eave overhangs, with curved exposed rafter tails. In front of the west section of the dwelling is a low clinker brick planter with trees and plants.

Clinker brick skirting continues on the east section of the dwelling. A wide clinker brick chimney is present on the south roof slope, slightly south of the ridge beam. Left of the gate to the front porch is a front facing gable roofed wood mailbox house, atop a board and batten wall. An arched metal arbor is present in front of the gate and fence around the front porch, the low clinker brick planter continues on the right side of the entry gate. The front porch area leading to the end of the east corner was originally covered with grass.

Scored and textured concrete replaced the grass, at an unknown date, most likely around 1963. The palm tree on the southeast corner, was cut down, in 2016. The wide overhanging porch roof extends to just east of the front door and is supported by four square posts. Upon entering the porch area from the driveway, a large, long, aluminum, Chicago style window arrangement is present on the dwelling wall. A large fixed picture window in the middle is flanked by two, horizontal four-light casement windows, surrounded by wood moulding. The east return wall leads to the front door area, which is where the wall cladding changes from wide board, horizontal wood siding to board and batten siding. A metal security door covers the front door. The front door is a wood paneled door with an “X” pattern on the lower portion and a nine-light (three x three) window on the upper portion. A bronze handleset, with a double-ended fleur-de-lis design backplate, is present on the left side of the front door. The west facing entry wall contains a wall sconce. To the right of the front door is a rectangular clinker brick planter, running perpendicular to the south façade. The section of the south façade, which is not under the porch overhang, contains two aluminum Chicago style windows each with a large fixed picture window in the middle flanked by two, horizontal three-light casement windows, surrounded by wood moulding.

East Elevation

The east elevation of the dwelling faces the pool. The original stucco side-facing gable end is visible behind the addition and porch, covered with a shed roof, supported by four square posts. A rectangular vent is present in the gable peak. The 5’ addition, constructed under County of San Diego Permit No. 31442, issued on April 19, 1961, is clad in board and batten siding, and contains a three-door vinyl sliding glass door on the south portion of the wall and a small horizontal sliding vinyl window near the top of the wall, on the north portion of the wall. The original outdoor half-bath shed remains on the southeast corner and was incorporated into the addition. A shower head is present on the north exterior wall, under the rectangular vent. Small exposed aggregate concrete covers the porch floor, which is a step up from the pool deck, and matches the pool deck.

North Elevation (Rear Façade)

The north elevation faces the rear patio and hill, which is contained by a low stucco clad retaining wall. This façade is clad in stucco, with wide overhanging eaves and curved rafter tails above. Fenestration and details along the north façade, from east to west, is as follows: an aluminum Chicago style window arrangement of one fixed picture window, flanked by two, one-light casement windows, with a wood sill below; a wall sconce above and to the west; a set of aluminum one-light, textured privacy glass, casement windows, with a wood sill below; a flat wood door with a rectangular dotted vent on the upper portion; a wall sconce above and to the west; an aluminum Chicago style window arrangement of one fixed picture window, flanked by two, one-light casement windows, with a wood sill below; a three door, aluminum sliding glass door, framed in wood moulding, flanked by two cylinder wall sconces; the patio roof is above this section and is supported by four square posts; there is also wood pergola extension to the north of the patio roof, which rests on top of the patio roof, as support, with three square posts in the hillside, supporting the other side; an upper wood cabinet is above a washer and dryer; a slight projection from the principal mass contains a wood paneled door with a one-over-one aluminum window in the upper portion and a square panel in the lower portion, which contains a dog door, a metal security door covers the back door, two cylinder wall sconces flank the back door; an aluminum rectangular jalousie window, with a wood sill, is near the west wall juncture with the next projection from the principal mass; the east facing wall contains a three-paneled wood door, one large panel at the top with two smaller panels at the bottom; the remaining north facing façade is void of fenestration. The patio floor and pathway are covered with exposed aggregate concrete, continuing from the pool deck. North of the exposed aggregate concrete is artificial grass. The walkway near the west corner of the façade is scored concrete.

West Elevation

The west elevation of the dwelling faces the side yard and the neighboring property. Stucco covers the wall and a set of three-light horizontal aluminum windows is located directly below the side-gable peak. A wood sill is present below the windows. The scored concrete pathway from the north façade continues on this façade leading out to the driveway. The side yard is a dirt hill surrounded by a vertical wood fence on the south side, a different vertical wood fence on the west, side and a chain-link fence on the north portion of the west side which continues along the north property line.

Pool

The kidney bean shaped gunite swimming pool was installed east of the dwelling under County of San Diego Permit No. 159045, issued on April 26, 1961. Exposed aggregate concrete surrounds the pool. A round metal deck cap is located under the diving board with embossed letters spelling “CATALINA POOLS.” A board and batten clad shed is located north of the east corner of the dwelling. The shed contains two pool dressing rooms and storage, behind three doors. Galvanized steel gates and fences surround the pool area on the north and south sides of the dwelling. A vertical wood fence continues around the pool area, to the southeast, and continues along the pool deck until the northeast section of the pool area where there is a brick lined planter and hill.

The George E. Eckel / Leonard M. Smith Spec House No. 1 maintains integrity of location, design, setting, workmanship, feeling, and association. Visual observations confirm the house is nearly identical to its depiction on the San Diego County Assessor’s Residential Building site plan.

The exterior of the home, the garage, the pool, and the landscaping, with mature trees, are all contributing elements to the property’s significance.