Dewella Apartments - Fullerton,CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 33° 52.337 W 117° 55.224
11S E 414874 N 3748375
The Dewella Apartments in Fullerton, CA.
Waymark Code: WMWKJE
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/15/2017
Views: 0
From the
National Register of Historic Places Application:
"Lushly landscaped and well-designed, the Dewella Apartments were constructed for $11,000 in the historic central core of Fullerton, California, in 1929. The Spanish Colonial Revival apartment court, one of the oldest apartment buildings in the city, consists of eight five-room units arranged around a central courtyard that features an oval-shaped fountain. Two identical wings, extending north and south, are linked at the rear southern end of the lot by a one-story structure used for utility, storage, and garage space. The use of the two-story structures on the sides and a single-story structure at the rear is an unusual reversal of the bungalow court, the preferred multi-family dwelling in Fullerton prior to World War II. The Dewella Apartments are unique for their graceful combination of building and landscape, which features sweeping staircases, symmetrically designed apartment wings, and formal layout of the garden area in front. The exterior features white stucco walls, red tile roofs, clay tiles, decorative iron work, balconies, and other Spanish style elements. The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture integrates Mission-style turrets and Monterey-style balconies, a combination that is unique to Fullerton. Laid out in a symmetrical pattern, the Dewella's landscape and landscape elements (benches, fountain, pathways) are carefully integrated into the apartment complex's architectural design, enhancing its picturesque Spanish Revival ambience. The apartment court also features the oldest neon sign in Fullerton, only one of two that still remain within the original townsite. The apartments' identical interiors feature gas fireplaces, oak wood floors, built-in china and linen cabinets, coved living room ceilings, and hallway telephone stations. Only minor changes to both the exterior and interior have occurred, and the Dewella retains a high degree of integrity of location, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Overall, the property is in excellent condition."