Monrovia City Council to Consider Historical Landmark Status for Alta Vista Avenue Home

A home once owned by a prominent Monrovia family who had a popular Myrtle Avenue business in the early 1900s may get historic landmark status.

The Monrovia City Council Tuesday night will consider granting landmark designation to the Spanish Colonial Revival-style home at 505 N. Alta Vista Ave.

The Historic Preservation Commission reviewed and approved the initial request owners Eric and Laura Laun submitted at its Oct. 23 meeting for the two-story, 3,221-square foot, four-bedroom house built in 1926, according to city staff.

The city's historic preservation ordinance requires a property to meet at least one of seven specified criteria in order to get local landmark status, according to the staff report to council.

The house meets two of the seven, with previous owners identified as significant figures in local, state or national history and the home's architecture embodying one or more distinctive styles.

The home's second owners were John and Elsie McBratney.  John McBratney had three storefronts on Myrtle Avenue named McBratney's Irish Linen Store, according to staff.

John and brother William came to Monrovia in 1906 and opened the first store in 1909.  In 1912, William died, leaving John as the business' sole owner.

John and Elsie bought the Alta Vista Avenue home in 1929. When John died in 1938, he left Elsie in charge of the store, who was assisted by her sister-in-law Elizabeth McBratney.  The younger members of the family subsequently became active in running the store.

The McBratney family lived in the home until 1955.  The store was sold by the family in 1969 and closed a few years later.

"The home at 505 North Alta Vista Avenue serves as a reminder to the community of a notable Monrovia family," staff wrote in the report to council.

The current owners are also requesting approval of a Mills Act Contract, which would reduce property taxes.

"If granted a Mills Act Contract, the set standards and conditions will be applied that include placing a historic plaque on the property and an electrical safety inspection within 2 years," staff wrote.

If the Mills Act Contract is approved, the city is expected to lose around $2,170 per year in property tax revenues, according to staff.

The Monrovia City Council meets at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.