The Pitzer House and Garage, designed in 1912 by Pomona architect Robert H. Orr for Lee C. Pitzer and his wife Blanche, stood on a site then surrounded by Pitzer Family citrus groves. Lee Pitzer became the first citrus producer in northern Claremont, an area long dismissed by growers as unsuitable because of its sandy soil and cool climate. The house was sold in 1950 to Maurice C. and Adele Pesirs, owners of the Claremont Nursery, who also operated the lemon groves south of the house until the late 1970’s. John and Patricia Hodges bought it in 1984 for Patricia’s business, Claremont Psychological Services. Sunrise Assisted Living acquired the property in 1999 and preserved it in 2000 as a major architectural landmark of Claremont, restoring the house for use as its regional office and integrating the garage with terraces and garden spaces of a new assisted living facility. The garage’s fieldstone-clad walls were retained, and an open roof trellis traced the shape of the original roof after it had deteriorated beyond repair. The ensemble is historically significant for its distinctive combination of California bungalow style and fieldstone construction associated with the Los Angeles foothill belt.