Wrought iron, pierced stucco grillwork, arches, and a gated courtyard, all favorite Spanish Revival elements, make a bravura showing in this Beverly Homes dating from 1927. The real focus, however, is the unusual circular pavilion topped by a tiny dovecote, a detail harking back to post-medieval structures of the European countryside. While the practice of rearing pigeons in dovecotes dates back to Roman times, the earliest surviving examples are circular towers dating from the 16th century. Pigeons were prized for their meat and eggs, but above all for the valuable fertilizer gleaned from their droppings. Dovecotes, whether functional or false, were a common decorative motif in Storybook, Normandy, and English Cottage home styles of the Twenties, but were relatively rare in Spanish Revival design. Curiously, the dovecote returned for an encore as a purely decorative feature on Ranch style homes of the 1950s, where it was frequently placed at the peak of the gable above the garage door, or astride the roof ridge beyond it.