Lanterman House

What is Lanterman House?

From the outside the house reads as an American Craftsman bungalow, the low, practical style common across Southern California in that period. The difference is the material. Instead of wood framing, builder A. L. Haley carried the familiar Craftsman look into reinforced concrete.

Inside, the house still has most of the furniture and finishes it started with. The entire second floor is given over to a grand ballroom, and the basement still holds the rooms where Dr. Lanterman saw patients. The property also keeps an archive of family papers, plus documents and photographs that once belonged to a local historical society that no longer exists.

History of Lanterman House

Lanterman commissioned the house in 1915. He had cared for people hurt in San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire, and that experience shaped his insistence on concrete. Haley, born in 1865, was a well-known builder of homes and commercial buildings around Los Angeles.

The house became a museum in 1993 and was added to the National Register a year later. It is also a California Point of Historical Interest, and a foundation bearing the family name looks after it.

Visiting Lanterman House: tips

Guided tours run on a limited schedule, so check the museum's website before making the detour. The research archive is open by appointment. Restrooms and wheelchair access are available, and the house is suitable for children. Allow about an hour for a tour. Descanso Gardens is only about half a mile away, and the two make an easy half-day together. Kidspace Children's Museum is about 4 miles off for families.