Beach, A.H., House ~ Escondido, California
Posted by: 
brwhiz
N 33° 07.056 W 117° 04.470
11S E 493049 N 3664326
The A. H. Beach House, also known as the Bergman House, was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 1993.
Waymark Code: WMAJ73
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2011
Views: 5
Extracted and edited from http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/article_d41bf33b-cded-5ab9-8868-799054d9f9e9.html
This historical Victorian house in Escondido's oldest neighborhood has been meticulously restored by current owner Harry Parashis, an art dealer and collector who divides his time between Carmel and Escondido.
Parashis and his wife, Letitia, bought the home on Seventh Avenue and Juniper Street in 1997. They spent several years bringing it to its original Victorian ornate grandeur.
Parashis was inspired to buy the Beach house while researching a painting he had bought in 1997. The painting, by Charles Fries —— sometimes described as dean of San Diego painters —— is titled, "The Town of Escondido, circa 1910."
Parashis was visiting the Escondido Historical Society in Grape Day Park and looking at old photographs showing Escondido at the same time when he saw the Beach house in one photo and learned it was for sale.
When Parashis bought the house, its interior incorporated a mix of Victorian, Craftsman, and more modern styles, including aluminum sliding doors and 'popcorn' acoustical ceilings. He has been working toward making its decoration scheme historically consistent using photographs from around 1910.
Much of the restoration work was performed by Escondido craftsman Dennis Will and historical consultant Bruce Coons, executive director of San Diego's Save Our Heritage Organization. One of the most striking parts of their work is the home's custom-made, multicolor Victorian wallpaper.
The house was originally built in 1896 by real estate agent Albert Beach, at a time when Escondido had somewhere between 750 and 1,300 residents, according to census records. The house's restoration has received multiple awards and in 2001 was the subject of the PBS TV show "Restore America."
Virgil and Natalie Bergman were the previous owners before the Parashis, and they were responsible for placing the house on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Virgil Bergman was a former dean at Palomar College and president of the Escondido Public Library's board of trustees.