Riverside County Landmark Application – Lawler Lodge

November 20, 2014
Agenda Item: 9.3
Job Code: 2014-11
Riverside County Landmark Application – Lawler Lodge
1. SITE NAME:
a. Historic: Lawler Park, Lawler Lodge
b. Common: Lawler Lodge
2. LOCATION:
a. Address: 19751 Highway 243
City: Idyllwild, CA 92549
b. Vicinity of: Idyllwild, CA
3. LEGAL OWNER:
a. Name: Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District
b. Address: 4600 Crestmore Road City: Jurupa Valley
Zip: 92509
c. Contact Number(s) if known: (951) 955-4310
d. Letter of Consent Enclosed: Yes X
No
4. PRESENT USE: Camping lodge for youth groups and other groups
5. ORIGINAL USE: Vacation lodge for the Oscar and Hilda Lawler family
6. OTHER PAST USES: None
7. YEAR OF CONSTRUCTION: 1919 (per Riverside County assessment records)
a. Builder: Unk.
b. Architect: Unk.
8. CLASSIFICATION (Check appropriate spaces):
Category:
Site (Historic)
Site (Archaeological)
Structure(s)
Object(s)
Ownership:
Public
Private
Status:
Occupied
Unoccupied
Accessibility:
Yes Restricted
Yes Unrestricted
Condition:
Good
Fair
Building(s)
Both
Deteriorated
No
Unexposed
Demolished (just for site applications)
9. ARCHITECTURAL STYLE (for buildings and structures)
Mountain lodge
10. IF ALTERED, PLEASE DESCRIBE:
a. Addition of covered patio
b. Addition of shower rooms
c. Removal of original kitchen and replacement with new commercial kitchen
11. LEGAL PROPERTY DESCRIPTION:
Original property description:
Southeast ¼ of the Northwest ¼, and Southwest ¼ of the Northeast ¼ of Section 26, Township 4 South,
Range 2 East, SBBM
APNs = 556-270-003, 556-270-004, 556-270-005, 556-270-006
Include approximate property size in feet:
(a) Frontage
(b) Depth
or Approximate Acreage: 80 acres
12. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE OF SITE/STRUCTURE:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Deteriorated
13. PRIMARY STRUCTURAL MATERIALS:
Stone
Adobe
Wood
Stucco
Brick
Other:
14. RELATED FEATURES OR OUTBUILDINGS (List here, describe in No. 16):
a. Caretaker residence
b. “Scout Building”
c. Overflow building
15. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE (please attach a 1-2 page statement):
Please see Exhibit A
16. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION (for buildings and structures):
Please see Exhibit B
17. REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Hillinger, Charles. “A Man Devoted to the Spirit of the Wild.” Los Angeles Times, December 9,
1982.
Hopper, Hedda. “Great Deeds Left by Hilda Lawler.” Los Angeles Times, February 22, 1954.
Lawler, Oscar. Deed to County of Riverside. Riverside County Deed Bk. 1605, p. 159, July 6,
1954.
Lawler, Oscar Jr. Oscar Lawler. Privately printed by Lawler, Felix & Hall, Los Angeles, California:
1983.
Lech, Steve. More Than a Place to Pitch a Tent. Privately published by the author, Riverside,
California: 2011.
Park Talk (newsletter of the Riverside County Parks Department), January 1979.
Riverside County Assessment Records, Section 26, Township 4 South, Range 2 East, 1913 - 1936.
Smith, Alice. “Lawler.” Riverside County Regional Park and Open-Space District files, January 8,
1971.
18. THREATS TO THE SITE (if any; use separate page if needed)
Please see Exhibit C
19. PHOTOGRAPHS ENCLOSED:
Yes
No
20. FORM PREPARED BY:
Name:
Steve Lech
Address:
3541 Oakwood Place
Telephone:
(951) 686-1476
City:
21. ORGANIZATION:
Riverside County Historical Commission
Signature of Authorizing Official(s):
____________________________________
Riverside
Zip:
92506
Exhibit A
Statement of Significance
Lawler Lodge began as the mountain retreat of famed Los Angeles attorney Oscar Lawler and his wife
Hilda. Oscar Lawler was born in Iowa in 1875 and came to Los Angeles in 1888. There, he studied and
practiced law despite having only a rudimentary education. He quickly made a name for himself, for in 1905,
President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Lawler the U.S. Attorney for Southern California. Just a few years
later, President William Howard Taft appointed him the Assistant to the Attorney General, a post he held for
2 years. For a number of reasons, he resigned that position and returned to Los Angeles to continue his
private practice. During his extensive legal career, he at times served as chief counsel for such corporations as
Standard Oil and Bell Telephone.
Hilda Lawler, his wife since 1901, was very influential in social circles in Los Angeles, and performed
endless charity work. Her main focus was children’s concerns, such as the Childrens’ Hospital in L.A. She
was known for her love of children, and for her constant enthusiasm for helping children of all walks of life.
In the early 1910s, Oscar Lawler was called to the San Jacinto Mountains to investigate some legal
issues revolving around land purchases and the potential of power companies to dam various streams to create
hydroelectric power. He fell in love with the area, and decided to buy property and build a vacation lodge
where he and his family could get away. On August 17, 1915 the Lawlers purchased 80 acres of land in Dark
Canyon along the North Fork of the San Jacinto River for the grand sum of $10 and began planning their
mountain hideaway.
At roughly the same time, and several hundred miles to the north, the Yosemite Lodge was
constructed to allow visitors to Yosemite Park a comfortable place to stay. Apparently, Oscar Lawler
appreciated the uniqueness of that building, and in 1918, hired the same contractor to build a scaled-down
version of the Yosemite Lodge on his mountain property.
Finished in 1919, the Lawler Lodge was built of native cedar trees which were in abundance in the
San Jacinto Mountains. Once finished, it did not take Lawler Lodge long to become a retreat for the Lawlers
as they entertained several well-known Angelinos, including many movie stars and dignitaries. Both Lawlers
moved in high social circles, and were very well connected with many of the most influential people in Los
Angeles at the time. One in particular was humorist Will Rogers, the Lawler’s next door neighbor in Beverly
Hills. Rogers and the Lawlers frequently entertained together, often hosting barbeques for dozens of people at
the Lawler Lodge and their respective residences in Beverly Hills.
For nearly 40 years, Oscar and Hilda Lawler enjoyed their lodge in the mountains, coming out on
many occasions. However, these visits and parties came to an abrupt end on February 11, 1954 when Hilda
Lawler died quite unexpectedly. Her death took everyone by surprise, especially Oscar. Many tributes
poured in by people who had known what a wonderful and personable woman she was. A few days after
Hilda Lawler’s death, noted Los Angeles Times social columnist Hedda Hopper reminisced about Hilda
Lawler and some of the times they shared at Lawler Lodge, saying that “many times I visited the Lawler
mountain home near Idyllwild. From the broad veranda one looked down on four huge straight pine trees,
and Hilda would say, ‘Those are my four children.’ . . . She referred to the trees which they all loved so much
as her string of pearls.”
Almost immediately after his wife’s death, Oscar Lawler began looking for an appropriate way to
remember her. He eventually came up with the idea of deeding their much-loved mountain retreat to the
County of Riverside to be used as a campground and park. Because of Hilda’s constant concern for children,
he specified that it be used exclusively by youth groups. In the deed, dated July 6, 1954, Lawler stipulated
that:
Said property shall be used . . . as a mountain camp ground and place of recreation
for organized and supervised groups of normal boys and girls of school age (giving preference
to youths of both sexes residing in Riverside County) such as (but not limited to) Boy Scout
Camps, Girl Scout Camps, Four-H Clubs and Camp Fire Girls. The general purpose of
such camp ground and place of recreation shall be to give the young people using it
opportunity for experience in outdoor life, with recreational and educational features, having
particular regard for the promotion of patriotism and good citizenship, self reliance, the
practice of the Golden Rule, nature study, protection of our forests and wild life, and the
like.
The facility became known as Lawler Park. Almost immediately, improvements were made to the
site to accommodate the various groups that would reserve the lodge. In the 1950s, the Adirondack-style
Alpine cabins were added to boost the capacity of the property. In 1978-79, an additional building was
constructed to the rear of the original lodge which added a few more accommodations and further enhanced
the park’s capabilities.
Ever since it’s opening as a county facility it has been a popular venue for childrens’ groups. The
park’s first year saw more than 3,000 children take advantage of the facility. Many times that have continued
to use it in the more than fifty years that it’s been a part of the County’s park system.
(Note – Exhibit A was taken from Lech, Steve, More Than a Place to Pitch a Tent, copyright by the author,
2011, pp. 88-93).
Exhibit B
Architectural Statement
The Lawler Lodge facility is located along the side of Dark Canyon in the San Jacinto Mountains of
Riverside County, California. More precisely, it sits approximately 5 miles north of the town of Idyllwild at
19751 Highway 243, below the highway in a wooded ravine that has a year-round stream running just below
the lodge.
Lawler Lodge is a rectangular structure approximately 30 feet in width and 50 feet in length. The
structure is 2 stories tall with a below-grade cellar, part of which was enclosed to accommodate shower
facilities opening to the east. The original portions of the building sit on rock and mortar foundations while
additions are on concrete foundations. There are gables at the north and south sides, with the roofline
extending along the east and west sides in a clear span (i.e. no additional gables, dormers, etc.)
The original split-log siding is visible in several places, especially along the east and west sides. The
second storey facades are shingled, and appear to have been shingled originally.
Entrance to the facility is gained by a long driveway off of a signed entryway along Highway 243.
The driveway ends at a small flat area which is used for parking. The lodge sits approximately 30 feet below
this parking lot. A series of rock-lined switchbacks brings the visitor to the main entrance, located on the
south façade.
The south façade appears to have original siding on the upper storey and the west side. The center of
the façade has had an extension constructed to facilitate an entryway/mud room. The east side seems to have
been reshingled using appropriate shingling. A wooden, log railing staircase goes up the south façade to a
door on the second storey.
The east façade seems to be the original main entryway. It appears that originally there may have
been an open area to the north of the east side. The original portion of the east side consists of a main door
and two windows. The original split-log siding goes the length of most of the east side. The northern
portion of the structure along the east side may have been enclosed at a much later date, as evidenced by
shingling that appears to be much newer. For much of the east façade toward the southern end, a long,
sloping patio cover constructed of logs extends over the patio. This structure was installed by the County
Parks Department probably in the 1970s.
The eastern half of the north façade is shingled as mentioned above on the east. There are 2 windows
in this portion, and they appear to date from circa 1960. The western portion of the north façade appears to
have the original split-log siding. It too has a window which may be original. The second story is shingled
(probably with the original shingles) and has a window and door. A large wooden elevated walkway extends
from the door on the north façade heading west toward the walkway that extends from the driveway trail.
The north façade shows much evidence of electrical connections – boxes, conduit, meters, etc.
The western façade is almost invisible. It is set almost right against the graded slope of the canyon
with between 2-3 and 5-6 feet of clearance. It has the original split-log siding for most of the length of the
side, except for a small push-out structure that is shingled. Four original windows mark this side, and the
building along this side appears to rest on a concrete retaining wall foundation.
The lower level of the lodge is generally only visible on the east façade and somewhat on the south. It
may have been open originally, with the log stilts that hold the building up as the only visible portions of the
structure. Around 1970 or so, this entire lower area was enclosed and converted into a shower area. This
shower area is not in keeping with the architectural style of the building and is in great need of repair.
Tongue-and-grove siding runs horizontally along the side of the lower level and little of this portion of the
building denotes historic integrity.
The setting in which Lawler Lodge sits is idyllic. The park consists of 80 acres of heavily-wooded
lands and the lodge itself is the lowest-lying structure, sitting only about 10 feet above North Fork Creek.
Other structures include a small, dilapidated building in the parking lot that served for many years as the
residence of Walter Grayum, the Lawlers’ resident caretaker. That building is in poor condition and many of
the electrical connections for the park reside here, although they are in desperate need of reconfiguration.
A second small structure exists directly north of the caretaker residence. This is known as the “Scout
House,” in deference to the possibility that it was constructed by Boy Scouts some years back. It consists of a
small main room and a kitchenette. The main room’s concrete foundation exhibits a massive fissure that has
both separated and lifted so that if anything were to be done to this structure, a new foundation would
probably be necessary.
The third and last ancillary structure is a larger building known as the “Overflow” building. This
structure houses several more beds to be used when larger groups that exceed the capacity of the main lodge
rent the facility. It dates to around 1978 and is not considered historic.
Exhibit C
Threats to the Site
The Lawler Lodge is threatened primarily by its age and lack of on-going maintenance. Two main
items are readily apparent:
1. The wood shingle roof, while historically appropriate, is old and deteriorating and is a fire hazard
in a high fire hazard area.
2. The original rock foundation, visible in spots especially in the cellar, appears to be in need of
repointing.
RIVERSIDE COUNTY HISTORIC
LANDMARK APPLICATION
LAWLER LODGE
APPLICATION PHOTOGRAPHS
TOP = North Elevation
BOTTOM = East Elevation
Photos by Steve Lech
TOP = South Elevation
BOTTOM = West Elevation
Photos by Steve Lech