Foothills Sentry December 2020

Foothills Sentry Page 9 December 2020 What’s old and what’s new in the renovated courtyard is hard to distinguish. The Pankey Estate originally kept company with orange groves. This historic house has an old soul By Tina Richards The Pankey Estate, perched on a hilltop in North Tustin, was born of citrus, lima beans, wal- nuts and peas in 1934, and has since remained a stalwart on the not-quite-so-rural landscape. It is called the Pankey Estate because it was built by Henry Pankey, a member of one of Tus- tin’s pioneering families. Pankey was a beekeeper, off and on, and grew oranges and lemons on land leased from the Irvine family. He also owned a 20-acre farm, pur- chased with money made from citrus. In 1934, he used the fruits of his labors to create a showplace for his family in Lemon Heights. Pankey spared no expense and found no detail too small to fuss over. The 18-room Spanish-style residence was carefully hand- crafted, from its thick insulating walls to its bathroom tiles to its durable wood floors. Pankey ex- cavated into bedrock to create a 2,700-sq.-ft. basement and built an apartment above the four-car garage. A houseful of heart The basement housed a speak- easy with a wet bar and dance floor. The original bar counter, sink, fixtures and liquor cabinet are still there, restored to reflect the refined revelry of the time. The Pankeys, however, didn’t live there very long. Henry died in 1942 and the house was sold in 1943 to the Hilsabecks. John Hilsabeck was a surgeon with a private practice in Orange. He operated at several Orange County hospitals, including St. Joseph and was involved in the early development of CHOC. Hilsabeck was also a founder of the Bowers Museum Foundation. Hilsabeck and wife Mary Ann raised 12 children in the Lemon Heights home; the family stayed there almost 70 years. It was sold again in 2012, shortly before he died. The current owners, who wish to remain unnamed, purchased the property in 2016. They were intrigued by the house itself and the Pankeys. Henry Pankey's son Edgar left his own mark on the Tustin-Orange area. He was a third-generation Pankey family citrus farmer, who increased his local land holdings to grow more orange trees, helped form a re- gional farm bureau and continued the family tradition until Orange County’s farmland gave way to urban development. Love of the land Ed Pankey started buying up land out of state, but he and his wife Libby lived here and re- mained active in the community. He helped raise money to build Children’s Hospital of Orange and became a lifetime trustee of Chapman College (later univer- sity). In 2000, the Pankeys wrote a book, “Love of the Land,” that chronicled the family’s farm heri- tage. When the current owners bought the estate, the house need- ed restoration, and the grounds were lacking in plant life. The new owner’s first task was to buy more than two dozen mature na- tive trees and plant them in care- fully considered locations. Be- cause bedrock rests just below the surface, many of the holes for the trees were dug with jackham- mers. The landscaping continued with bushes, flowers and ground cover that now looks as if it’s al- ways been there. Hardscaping replaced DG and new brickwork that complemented the original palette enlarged an already exten- sive patio and created a finished courtyard. Past is prologue Inside the house, the goal was restoration using materials, fix- tures, carpets and furniture that kept the 85-year-old house aes- thetically intact and its history alive. Much like Henry Pankey be- fore them, the new owners had an eye for detail and an artisan’s touch. The former “dumb waiter” that brought firewood from the basement to the living room was resurrected and refinished to be- come built-in wall art. “We didn‘t put any television sets in the living areas,” the prop- erty owner says. "They didn't have them before, and they don't fit now. We didn’t want to put in anything that would detract from the space.” Ed Pankey died in 2002. Lib- by, now 102, lives in the family home in Tustin. She has visited the hilltop estate several times and left the current owners a per- sonalized copy of “Love of the Land,” an artifact that sharpened the family’s focus on their home’s historical significance. Today, the Pankey Estate is list- ed for sale. The kids are grown and mostly gone. “It’s too much house for just the two of us,” the owner/preservationist says. “I love creating environments. To me a house is like a blank can- vas. This one is pretty well fin- ished.” The basement bar, once a speakeasy, remains a testament to the elbows that once rested on it. The original tilework is as stunning today as it was in 1934. The new owners were given the keys, each one with a purpose. They keep track of which is which by leaving them in the locks. Photos by Grant Rivera