The Essick House, listed by the Los Angeles County Museum in its Guide to Architecture in Southern California, was designed by one of the Woman’s Club’s early members, Mrs. Newman Essick. This John Austin-style Craftsman home, constructed in 1914, was used as a private residence until purchased by the Woman’s Club in 1972.

By this time, the house had fallen into disrepair and was threatened with demolition. The membership of the Woman’s Club believed it could be saved through a community volunteer restoration effort. The idea quickly spread through the city. The Civic Club volunteered to join the project; the Search and Rescue Team pledged its support; and Franklin D. Howell III, chairman of the Cultural Heritage Committee of the southern California Chapter, AIA, volunteered his services as architectural advisor.

The night before the club made its crucial decision to begin this Herculean task, winds toppled an 80-foot deodar tree in the front yard which, in turn, knocked down the six-foot-high wall surrounding the grounds. The site presented a disaster scene as members passed by on their way to the meeting, but, undaunted and confident of community support, the members voted overwhelmingly to proceed. The house was purchased in March of 1972, with funds from the sale of the old clubhouse and $10,000 set aside for the restoration work.

Thus began a community-wide project in which eventually over fifty different organizations, businesses and institutions, and hundreds of volunteers took part. Thousands of hours were devoted to scraping, sanding, painting, re-plastering, carpentry, plumbing, and repairing to restore the interior. Work continued through the sizzling summer heat as workers ranging from seven to well over seventy, from civic leaders to mothers with tots worked side by side, returning the house to its former charm. Boy Scouts attacked the jungle of weeds and debris outside, filling truckload after truckload in clean-up and clear-out work sessions.

Seven months after the project began, the Club moved into its new home, bringing the beautiful furniture from the old Clubhouse for the first meeting on September 27, 1972.

The following Spring, the Search and Rescue Team scraped and sanded the exterior, members of the Volunteer Fire Department gave it a high-pressure bath, and Team members returned the following day with paint sprayers and brushes.

Work continued through the year, both inside and out. The former garage and workshop areas were renovated to house the Club’s Wistaria Thrift Shop and a student apartment. Members worked industriously inside the home, refinishing and reupholstering furniture. Outside they placed temporary plantings, including a 450-square-foot California wild flower section to beautify the grounds until funds could be raised for permanent landscaping.

In January, 1974, the City officially declared the site a Point of Historic Architectural Interest and the house was dedicated to the community as the Essick House at a gala open house honoring all who had participated in the restoration project.

Since its restoration, Essick House has been maintained as a community meeting place and historic site, and well as quarters for the Club. It has been used as a case study for students of architectural history at USC and landscape architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, and has been the subject of a number of historic and architectural tours.

A favorite choice for wedding receptions, private parties and business meetings, it has also been the site of numerous luncheons, dinners, and special events for community organizations.

Information taken from Sierra Madre Woman’s Club History, March 7, 1982