The Dumbell House Is a Charmer

When and his associates first put lots on the market on May 17, 1886, for the town site that was soon to become Monrovia, they hoped to realize a profit by drawing residents, tourists and land speculators to the area. One such couple to make the journey west was George W. Dumbell and his wife Anna who arrived here from Tennessee in 1887.

They purchased a large lot at the southeast corner of Magnolia and Banana Avenues (Hillcrest Boulevard was originally named Banana Avenue, as it was lined with banana trees to help promote the fact that Monrovia was a frost-free zone, an appealing idea to Easterners who were tired of the cold winters and were contemplating a move to the west.). 

The house that was erected on the lot cost between $1,200 and $1,500. A glance at the 1887 photograph of Monrovia taken from the hills looking towards the town has the home clearly visible in the foreground.

George Dumbell lived only a short time at this address as he passed away at the age of 34 on July 25, 1888.  The next owners were Dr. and Mrs. James La Force, who lived there for 16 years, and they sold the house around 1904.  Interestingly, the sale of the house was precipitated by the fact that Dr. La Force had purchased a desk that was too big for the house, so he sold the house, buying a larger home on Foothill Boulevard. 

According to the present owners, the Dumbell house (like so many others in Monrovia that were relocated) was moved around the corner in 1907 to its present location on Hillcrest.

If the porch of this Victorian house looks somewhat out of character, that is because it is. Shortly after the house was moved, the porch was replaced with one in the Colonial Revival style. The position of the house was also rotated during the move so that instead of facing west it faced north. In addition to the porch alteration, the interior Victorian moldings were changed to the Colonial Revival style, in keeping with the design of the porch.

The current owners--original members of the , which was founded in 1980--purchased the home in 1979, and the interior reflects their sensitivity to maintaining the character of this vintage house. Their desire to preserve the property included installing a gravel driveway to the west side of the house next to the oak tree, a move aimed at protecting the tree roots.

Originally, the home was a two bedroom house and probably did not have a bathroom. The house belonged to the Bacon family from the 1920s until 1945. A granddaughter who lived in the house remembers that at the time there was a closet having only a toilet. That closet was enlarged to a ¾ bathroom in the 1930s. The house now has three bedrooms and two bathrooms, plus an office and a den.

The 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake caused severe wall and ceiling damage to the front part of the house, and the owners decided at that time to replace the lath and plaster walls with drywall. Also during their tenure, they rebuilt a backyard arbor, which had columns matching those on the front porch, leading the owners to surmise that the original arbor was built around the time the front porch was converted to its present day Colonial Revival style. Reinforcement of the foundation was accomplished as insurance against future earthquakes.

The house has been a favorite location for Hollywood productions, with the first filming occurring in 1982. To date there have been 32 separate filming instances on the property.

The Dumbell House has been on the MOHPG Mother’s Day Home Tour four times over the years, including the first two years of the tour (1983 and 1984). However, if you are hoping to see the inside of the house soon, you may have to wait, as it was most recently on the 2011 tour.