On January 19, 2009, property owners Richard and Carol King submitted an application for designation of 60 El Circulo Drive as a historic monument. At the April 6, 2009 meeting of the City of Pasadena City Council this application was approved.

Below are excerpts of descriptive text of the property and structures as included in that application:

The 1.2-acre property is at the northeast corner of El Circulo Drive and Las Palmas Road, at the foot of the SR134 bridge over the Arroyo Seco. In contrast to Rapor, another of Buff & Hensman's works from this period which was recently designated as a historic monument, and which sits at the top of a hill with an extensive view, the setting of 60 El Circulo Drive is secluded, natural and rustic.

The Arroyo Seco, which at this location is a small creek, flows along the rear and eastern side of the property, and the buildings on the site are developed within extensive landscaping and mature tree canopy coverage.

The property has three buildings: the main residence and garage were completed in 1979, a pavilion, which functions as a guest house and writing studio, were completed in the mid-1980's and a gazebo, designed by Donald Hensman, was completed in 1993. The buildings were built in an easterly progression on the site, with the main house at the westernmost end of the property and the gazebo at the northeast corner.

The buildings all have boxy symmetric forms with flat roofs and utilize a minimal palette of materials including medium-dash stucco, redwood, teak, clear glass and art glass, quarry tile, boulders found on-site and pebble-aggregate paving.

They have open plans and interior furnishings and built-ins designed by the architects, including handcrafted wood pieces by Conrad Buff.

Conrad Buff 111 (1926-1988) and Donald Hensman (1924-2002) formed their firm of Buff & Hensman in Pasadena in 1952. This collaboration, which lasted nearly 40 years between the two USC-trained architects, produced designs for numerous residential, commercial and institutional projects throughout Southern California.

The firm's office was responsible for a total of 44 projects in Pasadena (three condominium projects, one office building-for the firm's offices-six remodels/additions, and 34 single-family residences).

The firm was heavily influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement and their reinterpretation of this tradition achieved its highest level of ex APRIL 6,2009 pression in the King Residence. According to the National Register nomination of five Buff & Hensman Houses, the firm in 1987 was issued the first "Gamble House Master Craftsman Award, which acknowledges 'contemporary artisans whose body of work in all areas of the arts represents the basic principles of the Arts and Crafts movement - the union of client, design, materials and craft."" I Lamprecht, Barbara & Daniel Paul. Cultural Resources of the Recent Past, City of Pasadena, 2009.

The property at 60 El Circulo Drive ("Rapor") is eligible for historic monument designation under Criterion C, (s17.62.040 PMC): (The property) is exceptional in the embodiment of the distinctive characteristics of a historic resource property type, period, architectural style or method of construction, or is an exceptional representation of the work of an architect, designer, engineer, or builder whose work is significant to the region, State or nation, or that possesses high artistic values that are of regional, statewide or national significance.

Under this criterion, the King Residence is significant as an intact and regionally significant example of the Contemporary residential style of Buff & Hensman. The building exhibits architectural integrity (its ability to demonstrate why it is significant) through its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. In its original-and unique-location, it is an excellent and intact example of the high-style mature work of a distinguished architectural firm.

The house expresses the influence of Modernism in its use of strong geometric forms, flat roofs and simple detailing. The subtle influence of traditional Japanese architecture is expressed in the use of wood, simplicity of form and integration of building with outdoor features. Craftsman influence is expressed in the rich use of wood on both the interior and exterior, earth-tone coloring, artglass doors, Arroyo stone and high-level craftsmanship throughout.

Much of Buff & Hensman's work from this period emphasizes symmetry, as does the King Residence. However, in this instance, the rustic setting and the landscape design work to soften this symmetry in response to the site. Upon first encountering the building, the easterly wing is hidden from view by plantings and is accessed by a narrow path of railroad ties, giving it the feeling of a more private space.

The King Residence exhibits the culmination of the firm's craftsmanship, including site, landscape, building and furniture design. In addition, the house has furniture and hardware hand-crafted by Conrad Buff himself. This emphasis on "total architecture" was also seen earlier in the Prairie School and the Arts and Crafts movements, where architects strove to create holistic environments integrating buildings with their surroundings.

Also remarkable on this property is the progression of phased development over time, all designed by Buff & Hensman in response to the owners' desire for "a sense of being hidden away in nature; a place more rustic and wild than refined and manicured..."' The master plan for the site was conceived at the outset of the design process and developed over a period of 14 years, first with the house in 1979, the pavilion and tennis court in the mid-1 980's and, finally, the gazebo in 1993 (designed by Hensman after Buff's death). Although unusual for a structure built in 1993 to be recognized in a nomination for a historic monument, it is contributing because it was conceptually included in the original site design and ultimately designed by Donald Hensman in the same style and materials as the house and pavilion.