In 1902, a summer cottage is built at 149 Fraser Ave for Professor I.N. Inskeep. From 1922 to 1936, the house is occupied by Fanny Lane and her daughter, Helen. The Miller family are here from 1946 to at least 1960.
Central Beach Tract
The Central Beach Tract is subdivided in 1900 by Los Angeles investors G.A. Hart and A.R. Fraser.
Inskeep (1902 to 1912+)
In 1901, G.A. Hart sells the 149 Fraser Ave1 vacant lot2 to I.N. Inskeep.3 In 1902, Los Angeles professor of penmanship and bookkeeping, Inskeep, hires prominent Los Angeles architect Marsh and Russell4 to design a $1,500 cottage.5
The Late Victorian style cottage has a mostly symmetric composition. The shingled hipped roof has flared eaves with exposed rafter tails. A central gable on the front elevation has an abstract sunburst.
The deep, full-width front porch, supported on tapered columns, is now partially enclosed by windows. The exterior is clad with narrow clapboard siding.
The Inskeeps live in downtown Los Angeles, and 149 Fraser Ave is a summer cottage. After 1903, they visit less often, and most of the time, put the house up for rent. They still own the house in 1912.
Lane (1922 to 1936)
Widow, Fanny Lane6 moves to 149 Fraser Ave in 1922. Her daughter, Helen Lane (1891 - 1971), continues to live there until 1936, when she moves in with her sister on Olympic Blvd in Beverly Hills.
Miller (1947 to 1960+)
Russian-born salesman Barney Miller (1882 – 19??), wife Ida (1886 – 19??), and son Edward (1904 – 19??), come from Miami Beach, FL to 149 Fraser Ave in 1946. They are here until at least 1960.
Originally, houses on Fraser Ave are numbered from East (Neilson) to West (Ocean Front). In 1907, to conform to the new Santa Monica standards, the houses are renumbered from West to East, and so what was originally 139 Fraser Ave becomes 149 Fraser Ave after 1907. We always use the current address, 149 Fraser Ave, to reference this property.
The 149 Fraser Ave property is the 25-ft wide Lot 31 of Block B of the Central Beach Tract of 1901.
Isaac Newton Inskeep (1858 - 1945). Born in IN, Inskeep attends Oberlin College in OH. In 1886, he founds the Southwest Kansas Normal School and Business College in Winfield, KS. In 1890, Inskeep comes to Los Angeles and is part-owner and manager of the Los Angeles Business College.
In 1890, Inskeep marries Emma L Gifford (1857 - 1929). After 1904, no longer with the Los Angeles Business College, he becomes a real estate dealer. Then, from 1909 to 1910, Inskeep is the manager of Heald’s Business College in Los Angeles.
In the 1910s, Inskeep is buying and selling downtown Los Angeles hotels. He then becomes a handwriting expert and is widely sought after in legal disputes.
We did not find the original building documents. The design of 149 Fraser Ave is by Marsh and Russell, but we don’t know who the builder is. The original 149 Fraser Ave is similar to the original 143 Fraser Ave, although 149 Fraser is a smaller house.
The Central Beach Tract is recognized as a desirable location when it opens in 1901. By 1902, 17 houses are built on Fraser Ave.
By 1909, there are 29 houses on Fraser Ave - with only one vacant lot (156 Fraser Ave).
Fanny H. Harford (1852 – 1926) marries David Clarence Lane (1845 - 1913) in 1883 in IL. David Lane deals in real estate in Pomona before moving to Los Angeles in 1900. When David Lane dies in 1913, Fanny Lane sells their 12-room residence in downtown Los Angeles for $20,000.