Tifal Brothers on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Gustav, William, and Charles Tifal, also known as Tifal brothers or Tifal, were American architects best known for their
The Tifals were defining contributors to
The Tifals built more than 350 Craftman-style homes and bungalows in 
* The Hillview (1917),
American Craftsman
American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...
-style houses in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and Monrovia
Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Biography
The Tifals immigrated to theUnited States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
from Posen, Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Eldest brother Gustav first settled in Monrovia
Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...
, California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
in 1909, looking to recuperate after finishing a project in Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. While there, he became interested in local real estate and opened a firm with his younger brothers. They maintained offices in Monrovia and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, where they would become synonymous with both the development of Los Angeles and the American Craftsman
American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...
style.
The Tifals also acted as developers, and between 1911 and 1914 they built more than fifty houses in the East 52nd Place Tract on a speculative basis for around $2000 each.
Charles, the youngest brother, designed most of the Tifal homes despite having no formal architectural training, while Gustav and William ran the company and oversaw construction. In the 1920s, Charles partnered with Ralph Hurlburt and continued his career in San Diego
San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...
, then in the 1930s, he continued solo.
Architectural style
The Tifals were defining contributors to American Craftsman
American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...
architecture, their houses representing the design, materials, and craftsmanship of the movement. Characteristic elements of Tifal houses include a one story height, an exterior sheathed in either wood shingles
Wood shingles are thin, tapered pieces of wood primarily used to cover roof shingle, roofs and walls of buildings to protect them from the weather. Historically roof shingle, shingles, also known as shakes, were split from straight grained, k ...
or clapboard
Clapboard (), also called bevel siding, lap siding, and weatherboard, with regional variation in the definition of those terms, is wooden siding of a building in the form of horizontal boards, often overlapping.
''Clapboard'', in modern Am ...
, and a low-pitched gable roof
A gable roof is a roof consisting of two sections whose upper horizontal edges meet to form its ridge. The most common roof shape in cold or temperate climates, it is constructed of rafters, roof trusses or purlins. The pitch of a gable roof c ...
s. Further design elements include overhanging eaves
The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...
with exposed rafter tails, wood sash
A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the human body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else encircling the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, ...
and casement window
A casement window is a window that is attached to its frame by one or more hinges at the side. They are used singly or in pairs within a common frame, in which case they are hinged on the outside. Casement windows are often held open using a c ...
s, front porch
A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (a small room leading into a ...
es, and porch piers Piers may refer to:
* Pier, a raised structure over a body of water
* Pier (architecture), an architectural support
* Piers (name), a given name and surname (including lists of people with the name)
* Piers baronets, two titles, in the baronetages ...
and chimneys
A chimney is an architectural ventilation structure made of masonry, clay or metal that isolates hot toxic exhaust gases or smoke produced by a boiler, stove, furnace, incinerator, or fireplace from human living areas. Chimneys are typically ...
made of Arroyo stone, clinker brick
Clinker bricks are partially-vitrified bricks used in the construction of buildings.
Clinker bricks are produced when wet clay bricks are exposed to excessive heat during the firing process, sintering the surface of the brick and forming a shi ...
, and stucco
Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
.
List of works
The Tifals built more than 350 Craftman-style homes and bungalows in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and more than 100 in Monrovia
Monrovia () is the administrative capital city, capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liber ...
, including:
* 37 contributing, five non-contributing, and two demolished properties in the 52nd Place Historic District
The 52nd Place Historic District is a historic district consisting of American Craftsman-style homes in South Los Angeles, California. African Americans became the dominant demographic group in the district beginning around 1930, and many leade ...
plus nine additional contributing and one additional non-contributing properties in the 52nd Place Tifal Brothers Tract Historic Preservation Overlay Zone (1911-1914)
* Monrovia Historic Landmark #20, 21, 30, 43, 48, 54, 56, 62, 63, 66, 96, 108, 131, and 138 (1911-1917)
* Residence at 1291 North Mentor Avenue, Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...
(1915), contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
in the Bungalow Heaven Historic District
Other Tifal works include:
* The Hillview (1917), contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...
in the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District
The Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District is a historic district that consists of twelve blocks between the 6200 and 7000 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. This strip of commercial and retail busines ...
Additional works by Charles Tifal, all of which are San Diego Historic Landmarks (SDHLs) and all from the 1920s done with Ralph Hurlburt, include:
* Edwin and Rose Emerson House (1924), SDHL #697
* Sam and Mary McPherson House (1925), #824
* John W. Snyder Company Model Home No. 2 (1925), #906
* John W. Snyder Company Model Home No. 3 (1925), #933
* John Snyder Spec House #3 (1926), #1089
* J. Francis and Clara Munro House (1926), #1056
* Ralph and Helene Benton House (1926), #1318
* Edward and Emma Barrett House (1930), #1147
See also
*List of American architects
This list of American architects includes WP:N, notable architects and architecture firms with a strong connection to the United States (i.e., born in the United States, located in the United States or known primarily for their work in the United ...
* List of people from Los Angeles
The following is a list of notable people who were either born in, lived in, are current residents of, or are otherwise closely associated with the city or county of Los Angeles, California. Those not born in Los Angeles have their places of bir ...
References
{{Reflist 20th-century American architects Architects from Los Angeles American people of German descent