About

The Peck house is an irregularly shaped and colored stucco house in Mediterranean Revival style that faces west onto Monument Valley Park, separated from a trail by a low stone wall with a gate. The house is similar to the two houses north of it with a two-story south end but this one is capped by triangular pediments on the façade and south elevation. A second-floor balcony is cantilevered over the doorway beneath. The one-and-a-half-story northern end displays a hipped roof and a hipped roof dormer. The sliding glass windows appear on the second floor. Windows have white sills and white rectangular wood brackets support the balcony.

The house displays white sills below the windows top and bottom. The front door on the south is recessed and flanked by a pair of two lights over two-light windows. Near the center of the façade, a pair of three light over three-light windows are outlined by mismatched shutters. A metal awning is supported on thin poles covering an aluminum framed sliding glass doorway. A brick apron borders a landscaped area with a low sculpture on a round stone base. An ornamental iron fence sits on the north edge of the property. A rectangular addition is located east of the original house.

The dwelling is toward the rear of a 7,200-square-foot lot in the Lefkowsky Resub division of Block G, Addition No. 5 the south house facing Zyder Zee. Designed and built by Benjamin Lefkowsky, it was a five-room stucco dwelling with one bathroom costing $4,500, the same as 611 Zyder Zee, and again spelled it Zuyder Zee. It is the oldest house of the three.

The house was built for Mr. and Mrs. James A. Peck who were newly married and lived there for several years.

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Timeline

• 1925

  The home was built by Benjamin Lefkowsky after pulling a building permit on August 25, 1925.

  

• 1925

  On August 26, 1925, the Gazette Telegraph published a City Brief for the property that reads:

  BUILDING PERMITS – Two building permits were issued by the city engineer yesterday to Benjamin Lefkowsky for a $4,500 residence to be erected at 609 Zuder Zee…

• 1926

  On January 18, 1926, the Gazette Telegraph published an article that reads:

  Lets Contract for Unique New Home

  Contract for the construction of a new residence in property opposite Monument park, in a new addition known as the Zuyder Zee, has been let by Mr. and Mrs. James A. Peck of 423 North Tejon street. The new residence is to be the home of Mr. and Mrs. Peck, who were married in December. 

  The contract has been awarded to Benjamin Lefkowsky, who will construct an original and unique architectural type of dwelling.

• 1927

  J.A. Peck is listed as a resident in the City Directory from 1927-1931.

Additional Resources

• 609 Zyder Zee – a collection of documents compiled during the Historic Uptown Neighborhood’s historic preservation efforts.
• Benjamin and Ethyl Piland Leftowsky Biography by Tim Scanlon