SCOUT HOUSE INFORMATION

Scout House:
[This description of the Scout House is adapted in part from the California Department of Parks and Recreation Historic Inventory Recordation Form (DPR 523) prepared by Kent Seavey in 2004.]

The Scout House is a two-story, wood frame building with a raised basement and a concrete foundation. Built in 1931, and renovated at least three times, the building is irregular in plan and is stylistically a loose vernacular derivative of the Craftsman idiom. It has a medium pitched gabled roof that is clad with composition shingles. The exterior walls are sheathed with horizontal wood siding and textured stucco. Carmel stone chimneys are located at east and west gable ends of the building. The chimney at the western end of the building has been encased in cement stucco. A two-story, wood-frame addition, built in 1941 on the east elevation, approximates the scale and massing of the rest of the building. Fenestration consists of a variety of aluminum sash windows that replaced the original steel-frame windows. The house is located at the northeast corner of Mission & 8th Streets on a lot that rises steeply from the street level. The Mission and 8th streets corner of the lot is defined by a Carmel stone retaining wall pierced by a set of open Carmel stone stairs that provides access to grounds and building. Mature oaks surround the property.

In 1910, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts, visited the Monterey area to promote scouting in the region. Several members of the Boys Club of Carmel, including leader John Neikirk, joined Baden-Powell in a bivouac at the Presidio of Monterey and soon became official Boy Scouts. In 1925, with the sponsorship of Carmel American Legion Post #512, and the help of Douglas H. Greeley, Sr. and Fred Leidig, Carmel’s scouts received an official charter as Troop # 86, Boy Scouts of America. Dr. Amelia Gates donated the Scout House site to the troop so that they could erect a permanent meeting hall. With the assistance of Louis Levinson and F.L. Veatch and the support of the Carmel Pine Cone, Troop #86 succeeded in raising the necessary funds to construct the building. Designed by architect Allan C. Collins, the clubhouse was completed in 1931 by master-builder M.J. Murphy (Seavey 2001).

The Scout House appears to be eligible for listing in the CRHR under Criterion 1 for its importance to the history of Carmel. Since its inception, the residents of Carmel built a strong community base by actively participating in civic, educational, and social activities. The building is a reflection of such civic activities, as the site and construction of the building was made possible through community philanthropic efforts to build a facility for Carmel’s local chapter of Boy Scouts of America. The building is considered significant for its association with the history of Carmel’s community character.

Source: Final Environmental Impact Report for the Sale of Flanders Mansion Property, Prepared by Denise Duffy & Associates, Inc., August 2005, pg. 106.