Ruth Taylor Nelson House Qualifies for California Register

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The original owner of 1345 La Mirada was Ruth Taylor Nelson. She was a dance teacher and artist who graduated from Chouinard Art Institute (later CalArts). She moved to Laguna Beach working as a real estate agent and had ambitions to be a developer. She bought 40 acres in San Simeon and twice attempted to rezone the property to develop it with a motel, cabins, and other tourist amenities. Unsuccessful with rezoning, she eventually built a house there. Nelson Taylor played an active role in fighting Alan Cranston’s plan to create the first national scenic area along the Big Sur coast. This plan, along with a subsequent amended proposal from Leon Panetta, did not pass. Taylor Nelson sold the property at 1345 La Mirada in 1966.

Ruth Nelson Taylor house is an excellent example of the Expressionist/Organic subtype of the Midcentury Modern style. Character-defining features of the two-story residence include simple geometric forms, expressed post-and-beam construction, the irregularly shaped, steeply angled roof with overhanging eaves and a decorative, cantilevered canopy, natural wood and plaster flush-mounted, metal frame windows and doors, clerestory windows, an angled rear deck and restrained exterior decorative detailing. The Expressionist subtype is expressed in its sculptural form, limited front and side fenestration, and deeply recessed entry. Organic features are its simplicity; the use of few materials; the bold, slanted shape; and its sense of privacy—a closed appearance to the street contrasted with open orientation to expansive views and its close relationship to the hillside site.

Because the property owner objected to the nomination of the 1962 residence, the property will not formally be listed on the California Register; however, the determination of eligibility for the California Register means that the property is considered a historic resource under the California Environmental Quality Act.

By Cathy Jurca

Click image to enlarge. Ruth Taylor Nelson pictured in “Fighting to Keep A Lifestyle,” San Luis Obispo County Telegram Tribune, May 1, 1980.