7758 College Avenue is known locally as the Simon Murphy House. It has long been known as the Simon Murphy house after the original builder, Simon Murphy. Vic and Carol Dennis purchased this as their home in 2008. Since that time, their goal continues to be to restore the home to its former glory.
This house is a simple Queen Anne Victorian residence and was built by lumber dealer, Simon Murphy in 1887. Murphy owned land in East Whittier and La Habra and was responsible for developing the water supply system for Whittier. He hired H.L.Reed to build the flume that carried water from the San Gabriel River to East Whittier and the Whittier colony. Additions to the residence were made in 1901.
The home was sold to the McGee family around 1904. The McGees were early Whittier residents involved in farming and the development of the Whittier Sanitary Dairy, predecessor of Quaker Maid Dairy. Other alterations made to the house include additional windows added to the side of the second story and enlargement of the carriage house in the rear of property.
A three-car garage was added to the property in 1991 built to blend with the historic architecture. The house was most recently listed by Claudia Todd at Whittier Brokers.
CURRENT PROPERTY DESCRIPTION WITH ADDITIONS: This property sits on a 19,080 square foot lot shared by the main house, carriage house, three-car detached garage and fenced off pool. The house is 3,362 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 2 baths.
The local designation date is September 25, 1991. This “local designation” is formally known as the CITY OF WHITTIER OFFICIAL LOCAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC RESOURCES.
SOURCES: The information on this page is correct to the best of our knowledge. It has been obtained from the original local designation documents and edits from the Whittier Historic Neighborhood Association. It may also include ongoing current ownership input.