John Mattei
John Mattei

An American flag hangs above an authentic fire hydrant at the home of L.A.firefighter John Mattei in Old Towne.  The front porch includes hanging ferns, rocking chairs, and old window panels that John turned into stained-glass art depicting oranges and vines.

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When L.A. firefighter John Mattei moved into the charming residence on the corner of Almond and Grand two years ago, he instantly felt right at home.  Not only was the historic home located right next door to the old fire station, the neighborhood itself reminded him of his upbringing in his native New York.

“In 2007, I moved to Villa Park from New York to work as an engineer for the L.A. City Fire Department,” says John, a 17-year veteran of the department.  “The guy I roomed with would take me to the Orange Plaza to eat breakfast at Bagel Me.  The historic area reminded me of the neighborhoods where I grew up, with the front porches and the brick buildings.  I knew I wanted to live in a house with a porch, and I also dreamed of someday living in Old Towne.  I was determined to make it happen.”

Although Old Towne and this house in particular were always on his radar during the years he lived in Villa Park, it took him a while to fulfill his vision.  Through the years, he would see the house come up for sale or for lease, but the timing never quite worked out.  Then two years ago, he met the home’s new owners, Terry and Kristie Anderson, residents of Lake Forest.  They were looking for just the right tenant to rent their very special property.

“We had three grad students living there the first year,” says Kristie.  “We really scrutinized our rental candidates to find the right fit.  We loved John from the start because he loves the property as much as we do.  He’s almost like a son to us now.”

Terry and Kristie have special ties to Old Towne.  A longtime financial advisor with his own practice at Laguna Financial Advisory in Laguna Hills, Terry grew up in Garden Grove, as did Kristie, and their parents knew each other.  In the early 1960s, Terry’s mother owned a drive-in coffee shop on Chapman and Main called Greg’s Root Beer, where Terry hung out as a child at the family-run business.  His Old Towne roots also extend to the old Rosalia Holland School of Dance where he took dance lessons in his youth across from Rutabegorz on North Glassell.  The old dance floor is still intact at the former dance studio.  He even recalls performing dance recitals on stage at the old Orange Theater, today’s Son Light Christian Center.

John Mattei and his daughter, Tenley, pictured with the home’s owners Terry and Kristie Anderson.

In the corner of the living room, an old wooden ladder from a fire truck holds John’s quilts and blankets.  The guitars and the record player belonged to his late uncle.  “He spent a lot of time in India and Tibet as a monk,” says John.

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With so many fond memories of Old Towne, Terry was immediately intrigued when in 2020 a friend told him about a historic three-bedroom home for sale in Old Towne.

“I told the realtor I could be there in 30 minutes,” says Terry.  “Kristie and I jumped in the car and did the math on the price point on the way there.  The house was just hitting the MLS that day.  We met the realtor and learned that a Hollywood stunt guy had been the owner for a while and had put in a second bathroom.  At the time, Chapman University was in a housing crunch and this looked like a good business investment, especially with the Mills Act incentives.  Plus we really loved the idea of owning a historic property.  It all came together in 30 minutes inside the house, no hesitation.”

According to the realty ads, the house was built in 1916.  Terry has sifted through the archives at the Orange Library but has found no record of any resident listed in the phone books prior to 1923.  Evidently, a widow named A.E. Barnett resided there in 1924, although her official address was listed as just west of the current address.  Terry surmises that the house was originally a two-unit boarding house because it has two front doors on either street.

“There’s some more history needed to be resurrected about this house yet to be resolved,” says Terry.

A retired in-house advertising executive for Oshman’s Sporting Goods, and later the VP of Advertising and Marketing, Kristie put her creative talents to work when visualizing improvements for the house.

In the bedroom, John displays his collection of sleeve patches commonly traded among traveling firefighters. Made by a friend in Texas, the iron Maltese Cross is the firefighter’s symbol.

John spends lots of time in the kitchen with his daughter Tenley. “She’s a great help and loves apples and blueberries.” 

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The first thing they did was renovate the garage that previously looked like a college kid’s crash pad.  The previous owner’s son had been camping in the garage with a hot plate and microwave, recalls Kristie.

“We fixed the garage up ourselves within four weeks, and I must say, I’m proud of it.  It’s a cross between studio efficiency and a one-bedroom apartment.  We retiled it, improved the cabinets and installed appliances, while maintaining its funky flavor.  We have a second tenant who lives there.”

Inside the main house, the couple appreciates that no previous owner ever painted over any of the original woodwork, including the wood trim, built-ins, closets and floors.  Fortunately, the wiring, heating and AC had been updated, along with the kitchen.

Meanwhile, most all the windows are original to the home and retain the vintage wavy glass.  The couple recently re-painted the home’s exterior and also reworked the original chandelier in the dining room after John noticed a faulty connection.

“We disassembled it, rewired it and replaced the socket,” says Terry.  “Muff’s Antiques in Old Towne had the matching socket.”

John keeps his collection of retired firefighter helmets on display in the living room, along with an old fire extinguisher used as a plant stand.

John’s homemade swing hangs from the old avocado tree in the side yard.  “Tenley loves the swing.  It’s one of our favorite things about living here,” says John.  The vintage signs came from the Orange Homegrown Farmer’s Market.

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In the yard, the couple removed the enormous bird-of-paradise plant that was encroaching the roofline and replaced it with an orange tree.  The avocado tree is well-established and likely original to the property.  John hung a swing from the branch for his four-year-old daughter Tenley.  It’s one of the things he cherishes the most about living there.

“My daughter has her own bedroom with her stuffed animals and dollhouse.  We like to kick the soccer ball in the yard.  The swing on the avocado tree is her favorite thing.  It’s a great looking tree.  Another cool thing is that we hear the bells from nearby St. John’s at the top of the hour.  We walk to the fountain in the Plaza every night and go window- shopping.  I’m friendly with all the neighbors.  Everybody says hello.  There’s a lot of charm to living here.”

The Andersons relish having a long-term renter like John.  As Orange County natives, they also appreciate the vintage local feel of Old Towne, which inspires them to be superb stewards of the historic property.

“We feel so honored to be able to say we own this house,” says Kristie.  “We will always respect and protect the historic nature of the property, and maintain the essence of it for years to come.”

Article Published in the
Nov / Dec 24 edition of the Old Towne Orange Plaza Review
Written by Karen Anderson Photos by Kristin Smetona
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