:: May 2006 ::
A Victorian Dream
The Craypo family takes the former residence of William Monroe,
founder of the city of Monrovia, from shambles to splendor.
text Teena Apeles
photos Evans Vestal Ward and Teena Apeles
Shannon Craypo is not a fan of Victorian architecture. The former teacher and professed Craftsman fan first laid eyes on the two-story Queen Anne–style home on Monroe Street in Monrovia almost four years ago. “I can’t say it was love at first sight,” she admits. “The house was in really bad shape.”In fact, the home looked to her like “a money pit.” However, her husband Steve, the owner of a pool construction business, saw an ideal fixer-upper.
It took the couple two years of hard work and serious creativity to make the home the breathtaking sight it is today. The three-bedroom Victorian home, which the Craypos share with their two kids, was built in 1884 as a temporary, single-story dwelling for William Monroe while his much grander home, The Oaks, was being erected on Primrose Avenue. The residence was passed along to Monroe’s brother, Campbell, who moved into it with his family. In November 1887, he raised the home and built another story underneath.
Step through its paneled double doors with original ornate brass doorknobs and hinges, and the house is instantly enchanting. A fireplace greets visitors in the entryway, with the dining room to the left and salon to the right, both of which have furnishings reminiscent of the late 1800s.
Of course, this was not the picture-perfect image the Craypos first faced. The house sustained significant damage from the 1991 Sierra Madre earthquake and was even condemned for some time.
Craypo rattles off the many inconveniences they tolerated during the early years: “The kitchen was completely nonfunctional . . . half of the walls had to come off, the whole back of the house had to come off,” she says. “There were bees in the walls of my daughter’s room, so there was honey seeping all over the place. It was bad . . . not livable really.” The Craypos had to replace windows and crown molding, redo the floors, erect new walls, rebuild the front porch and retrofit the structure to meet current standards.
The result? A gorgeous Victorian worthy of receiving historic landmark status, which it did last year. The Craypos laugh about it now, especially because before their renovations no preservation group was interested in it. The couple was mindful of keeping the Victorian style in the exterior and interior. “We tried really hard not to change that much because we really like old houses,” Craypo says. “In the kitchen, we have new appliances, but I tried to get ones that were replicas of old appliances.” However, there is one thing the Craypo home has that reminds them they are living in the 21st century: TiVo.
© 2005 Arroyo Monthly