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The John Rowland Mansion was built in 1855 by Alta California settler John Rowland I. In 1973, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service - United States Department of the Interior for its architectural and cultural significance. The mansion was built with original Mullally bricks in the Greek Revival Style on what was a 48,790 acre rancho formerly inhabited by the Kizh nation. Embodying California’s early history, the Rowland Mansion speaks of Western pioneer tales and is home to 19th and 20th century artifacts.
Aerial view of the John Rowland Mansion and surrounding plots.
Imagery ©2024 Google, Map data ©2024.
Currently gridlocked by commercial warehouses and removed from street view, the regional presence of the landmark has nearly vanished. Programming ceased during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but Amy Rowland, a sixth generation descendent of John Rowland II and the president of LPVHS, has advanced a restoration process with her board over the past six years. Having fond childhood memories of the property, she is working to rebuild the home as a central gathering place for the San Gabriel Valley community.
Amy Rowland (6th generation Rowland) and portrait of John A. Rowland I.
House Museum site visit, February 23, 2024. Photograph by Evan Curtis Charles Hall.
House Museum partnered with LPVHS to help realize this vision. Artists, gathered by House Museum director Evan Curtis Charles Hall, were invited to use the physical and conceptual history of the Rowland Mansion as their material for creation. The landmark exhibition explores how art practice can be an alternative method for historic preservation. 11 site-specific artworks are installed on the mansion’s second floor and exterior grounds, complemented by the Rowland family exhibition on the ground floor—curated by Amy Rowland.
The landmark exhibition features work by David Horvitz in collaboration with Zara Schuster and Terremoto. Horvitz is an artist from Los Angeles who has exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, New Museum, and Palais de Tokyo in Paris. He has a garden on 7th Avenue that was created in collaboration with Terremoto Landscape. Horvitz worked with artist Zara Schuster and Terremoto, planting California Black Walnut Trees at the John Rowland Mansion. He quotes poet Maria Sledmere, "Let's make a new garden from old wounds" on his engraved brass plaque, which all of the artists were asked to contribute to the exhibition.
David Horvitz, I imagine I am looking into the eyes of someone looking at my eyes after my death, 2020.
Emily Barker, foremost an artist, consultant, and organizer who recently exhibited at the 2022 Whitney Biennial curated by Adrienne Edwards and David Breslin and Crip Time at the Museum of Modern Art in Frankfurt, created a series of accessibility interventions at the John Rowland Mansion. Due to an absence of ADA consultants that service historic landmarks in the San Gabriel Valley, Barker’s nonprofit Moving Parts Per Institute has provided consultations to make the landmark more accessible. Apart from the second floor gallery, the historic site’s first floor and grounds are now partially accessible for wheelchair users.
Amy Rowland’s assembly of artifacts found in the attic of the John Rowland Mansion.
Hall, presented readymade works from found materials at the Rowland Mansion. He has processed artifacts from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Penn Museum, archival materials from the Municipal Archive of Lugo, Italy, and settlement contexts with the Bat Archaeology Project, in Bat, Oman. He believes the best way to preserve the past for future generations is through engagement by artists. The “landmark exhibition,” a term that House Museum uses quite literally, focuses on how we present, live with, and sustain our cultural assets. It foregrounds the importance of art practice as being an alternative method for historic preservation.
Officially re-opened on July 20, 2024, the midsummer program offers a new view into the property and the artworks built specifically for it. Opening day included a traditional Mexican dance performance by Ballet Folklorico Popurri and a vocal set from emerging singer/songwriter Taylor Sackson. Photographic prints of selected artworks are available for purchase from the official print production partner of House Museum, Prolongations.org. The Rowland Mansion's yearly calendar will center on youth engagement, offering workshops and educational tours. There is ongoing opportunity for aligned organizations, patrons, and volunteers to support the future work of the John Rowland Mansion and House Museum.
Rowland Revision
By Evan Curtis Charles Hall, produced by Marcos Hering and Austin Mayer, AIA. Edition of 7. Prints available at Prologations.org.