Property Description
This 14.82-acre property is the remnant of a landscaped residential estate called Palmdale, developed between the 1850s and the 1930s by the Beard, Gallegos, Lachman, Metzger, Starr and Best families. Since 1949, the grounds have served as the Motherhouse of the Sisters of the Holy Family. The primary significance of the site is the landscaped setting with its multiple historical associations.
Landscaping includes mature trees, manicured lawns, a curving driveway, paths, footbridges, pergolas, gazebos, grottos, statuary, and bridges. The site slopes up the east, where Mission Creek runs through the property and where there are two ponds with fountains. The principal historic structures are two large and impressive Period Revival houses facing the central green, both built in the 1920s. Other older buildings include the houses' original garages and, at the southwest corner of the property, an altered caretaker's residence (ca. 1920s) adjoined by a shed.
The largest building on the site is the Motherhouse, a larger two-story stucco-clad building erected in 1959 at the south edge of the central green, facing the Period Revival houses and adjoined by parking lots. The generally rectangular property is bordered by Mission Boulevard on the east; by residential subdivisions on the north and west; and by several modern developments on the south – a commercial building fronting on Mission Boulevard and a private school and affordable housing development fronting on Washington Boulevard.
The access road to the Motherhouse runs through the affordable housing development. It veers to the east around the Motherhouse, passes through the main parking lot, and then curves to the west where it becomes a circular drive in front of the Motherhouse and the two Period Revival houses. The central green and the rear yards of the house consist of manicure lawns bordered by a variety of mature trees, including palms, evergreens, and deciduous trees. The east portion of the gardens, uphill from the central green, is thickly planted with trees. Mission Creek passes through this east area from south to north, contained within modern concrete retaining walls. Two large ponds with water jets occupy the eastern edge of the grounds, and there are lava-rock grottos distributed throughout the gardens. The north portion of the property retains an abandoned section of Olive Avenue (which once extended through the grounds). The eastern boundary, along Mission Boulevard, is bordered by a high hedge with gates and by a row of very tall Mexican fan palms.