1914 Craftsman for $899,000 once owned by city founder Jared Torrance

A Craftsman built in 1914 in Torrance has hit the market for $899,000 – and brings with it a bit of a mystery.
A title search indicates the home once was owned by city founder Jared Sidney Torrance, said co-listing agent John Fields of Bonanza Realty.
The discovery has created a stir at the Torrance Historical Society.
Torrance, who died in 1921, lived in Pasadena, and the homes he commissioned in what would become Torrance typically were held in a company name, said Janet Payne, the society’s coordinator.
“This little tidbit that John has uncovered is exciting,” she said. “This information is new. We had no records here that Jared Sidney Torrance himself owned any homes in Torrance.”
The 1,944-square-foot house at 1323 Cota Avenue in Old Town Torrance has three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. Much of it is original, including the woodwork and wainscoting, a dining room hutch, pocket doors and a built-in desk in the office, the agents say. The kitchen is connected to a bright breakfast room and the living room has a fireplace.
“No one has ruined this house with the remodels that were popular in the 1950’s through the 1970’s,” Fields said. “The house does need a restoration and remodel but has fabulous bones.”
The front porch spans the width of the two-story home, set on a 10,502-square-foot lot. The home has a broad front lawn divided by a walkway, plus a koi pond and fenced backyard.
The residence was among several that Torrance, an entrepreneur and real estate developer, had commissioned along the street to lure executives from the Midwest to come work for him, Fields and Payne said. Co-listing with Fields are Keith Kyle and Adam Wilson of Vista Sotheby’s International Realty.