Lost L.A.: Bungalow heaven in Sierra Madre? In an era past, you would have found it at El Reposo Ranch
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They were homes away from home, available for rent by the day or the month to relax or recover. The collection of rustic bungalows in Sierra Madre was called El Reposo Ranch, and as our Lost L.A. columnist Sam Watters explains, the bungalows’ design is evidence of how Californians have been refining the idea of indoor-outdoor living for more than a century:
Measuring from 9 by 12 feet to 20 by 32, the box bungalow had wood floors, frames and doors. Canvas panels formed walls that tilted open for air. A shower bath served two rooms furnished with bentwood chairs, a chest of drawers and metal beds. Luxury models had a fireplace, wood walls and glass windows. All had the good-living essential: the shaded porch. In hot or rainy weather, it was the ultimate indoor-outdoor room that preceded by decades the Spanish Revival patio and ‘50s lanai.
To read more about the bungalows’ origins, their symbolism and their ultimate fate, read Watters monthly column.
-- Craig Nakano
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