Explore Our History
The Coulter House
Let's begin with the Coulter Family!
John Rayer Coulter, the father of Hortense Coulter, who would become the owner of The Coulter House, was a self taught businessman, banker and mason out of Pennsylvania. As a young man, Coulter entered into partnership with his brother in Charlotte, Michigan to learn about railroad construction - his brother's firm was integral to the development of the Michigan Central Line. When contracts for the building of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroads were opened, Coulter went to Illinois and secured the position of Superintendent of Construction. In 1869, Coulter left the Railroad business and started a private banking house in Aurora, Illinois with W.W. Bishop. This bank still stands today as Union National Bank of Aurora. During his time in Aurora he was widely known for his works of charity and philanthropy.
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In 1856, Coulter married Lucy Miner. They had two daughters, Etoile and Hortense.
Not much is recorded on the history and travels of Lucy and her daughters. It is rumored that after John Coulter passed they traveled the world extensively before landing in San Diego, California. It is not surprising that San Diego became home base for the widow, as her and her husband were very close with William Jefferson Gatewood, the founder of the San Diego Union Tribune. Hortense became an influential San Diego socialite and philanthropist. She was a musician and a member of the philharmonic.
In 1915, Hortense Coulter commissioned the architect Carleton Winslow Sr. to design a home to be built blocks away from Balboa Park, where the Panama-Exposition had been erected by his firm in the years prior. Construction on the home was completed in 1916 by a architecture firm out of Los Angeles, it included an extensive exterior garden, interior acoustic details and private suites for her staff. All of which still exist in the home today!
American Architect Carleton Winslow
​Carleton Winslow Sr. was born on December 27, 1876 in Damariscotta, Maine. He studied architecture at the Art Institute of Chicago and then at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Winslow started his work in architecture with the New York firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson. During his tenure at this firm he became the supervising architect of the Panama-California Exposition of 1915 in San Diego - what is now known as Balboa Park. Balboa Park includes: San Diego Natural History Museum, The Museum of Us, San Diego Art History Museum, The Timkin Museum of Art, The Zoo, and many others! Winslow is credited with choosing and bringing the Spanish Colonial style to San Diego through this project, gaining favorable recognition for his work. He is credited with specifically designing of the Balboa Park Botanical Building.
In the two years to follow, Winslow contributed to the design of multiple homes around the park, including the Coulter House.
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Winslow moved to Los Angeles in 1917, where he worked on the LA Public Library. He then moved up the coast to Santa Barbara where he designed the Cottage Hospital, worked on the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and multiple residences.
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His career continued with Ojai Public Library, Bel-Air Country Club, Cathay Circle Theatre, and a few Episcopal churches in Los Angeles.
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Winslow died in 1946.
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