This booklet chronicles the history of the James A. Culbertson House in Pasadena, California, designed in 1902 by renowned architects Charles and Henry Greene. Commissioned as a winter residence for Chicago lumber executive James A. Culbertson, the home reflected the Greenes’ signature Arts and Crafts ideals—harmonious design, exceptional craftsmanship, and the use of fine natural materials.
The focus is on the home’s 1907 entrance hall, an expansion project that produced one of Greene & Greene’s most admired interiors. Executed in redwood and likely carved by Ernest Grassby, the wall panels depict intricate trees, flowers, and birds, with a continuous banner bearing the motto “The Glory of the House is Hospitality.” Together with other mottos placed throughout the home, these inscriptions expressed the virtues of order, contentment, and gracious living.
Remarkably, the panels survived demolition in the 1950s, preserved in a private home until their acquisition by the Two Red Roses Foundation in 2003. They have since been fully reassembled and installed at the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, where visitors can experience the hall exactly as it appeared in the Culbertson residence.
The publication documents the architectural context, design elements, and painstaking reconstruction of the entrance hall, supported by historic photographs and detailed images of the carvings. It also records the reproduction of key missing elements, including the massive oak front door and stained-glass panels, ensuring an authentic presentation of this Greene & Greene masterwork.
