COPYRIGHT 2020 © PRESERVATION ALLIANCE OF LAFAYETTE
L. O. Clark House could be called an eclectic style building, having both Victorian and Spanish Revival elements. However, it was originally constructed with a Spanish tile roof, and therefore the Spanish Revival style was the more prominent. It was the first home built in Arbolada and was built by one of Arbolada’s four original developers. Arbolada was a subdivision inspired by the “garden cities” of England in the late 19th century. It was the first fully-designed and fully-planned development in Lafayette. The subdivision covenants specified design parameters, prohibited the removal of existing trees, and imposed a minimum cost of construction. It was originally planned to have a Spanish Revival theme throughout. Due to The Great Depression of 1929, economic influences resulted in bankruptcy for the developers, and therefore only the first four homes were built with the developers’ Revivalism vision. Dr. L. O. Clark’s house was one of the first four homes. He was part owner of the property on which Arbolada sits, and was Lafayette’s first board-certified surgeon. He envisioned his planned development to be a neighborhood for doctors, university professors and other such professionals. Once the economy began to rebound, construction of houses in Arbolada resumed, but without efforts to enforce the covenants. Consequently, there are only four residences in Arbolada that reflect the subdivision’s planned theme. The other three are also featured in this book on pages 69, 73, and 86.