George H. Barker, the owner of the West Side Light Company commissioned
the Greenes to design a very large American Colonial house in
Pasadena in 1902. They had experience with the Colonial idiom
from their work in Boston and proceeded with the design of mansion
named “Light Hall.” The house had a two-leveled
pillared portico on the front and a double-storied stair-hall
entry with multiple windows. This filled the public space with
light appropriate to its namesake and the profession of the
owner. Although the house did not fit with the Arts and Crafts
style for which the Greenes became famous in future projects,
there are touches of Arts and Crafts in the unpainted wainscoting,
beamed ceiling and medieval-inspired furniture of the breakfast
room and the den’s picture-rail banding.
