Cottages, Castles, and Cloudbursts

Last Wednesday morning was cold by Piedmont standards, and it rained hard shortly before our Piedmont Recreation Department’s Walking Wednesdays walkers gathered at the Exedra. We wanted to play it safe with the weather and stay in the central part of Piedmont for our weekly walk. Some moisture and weather uncertainty were in the air but there was a good turnout of 30 water-resistant walkers with umbrellas in hand and two of their K-9 best friends.

Before we started walking, it was shared that Ann Swift was the Piedmont City Clerk for 22 years from 1988 to 2010 and an unofficial historian for the city of Piedmont. As a gift to the city on its 100^th anniversary in 2007, she authored "Cottages and Castles – The Centennial Houses of the City of Piedmont." This book describes 173 of the city's historic homes that were over 100 years old at that time. Checking with Piedmont Deputy City Clerk Lisa Argue it was confirmed that copies of the book are still available at City Hall for $30 cash or check.

Ann started her book writing about Piedmont’s “First Generation Houses.” It was the late 1870’s when the first significant European arrivals into the East Bay hills were made. These were primarily middle-aged 49ers who decided to leave San Francisco for the more pristine land across the bay. Some, like Isaac and Sarah Requa, built mansions on large tracks of land.

However, after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake many other people also wanted to come to this area and there was a financial incentive for the large estates to be subdivided to provide sites for more homes. Jim Kellogg described for the group the history of Victorian architecture, which was the predominate style from the mid-19^th Century through the turn of the century in 1900. Variations of Victorian style included Queen Anne, Italianate “stick style” and American Gothic that were built throughout America including the Bay Area. Most Victorians in Piedmont were Queen Anne style which included wraparound front porches, steep gable roofs with roof turrets and decorative drip moldings, highly ornamented fanciful wood trim, spindlework, sculptured turned posts, and many other decorative wood details.  Victorian style became very complicated and sometimes had a mix of differing details because the second half of the 19^th Century brought to America factory produced parts, “pattern books” for owners to select from, and the American railway system to enable parts to be shipped everywhere.

There are still many Victorians in the western side of Piedmont on Rose and Sunnyside Avenues, but there are also many in the central part of the city. We could see some of Ann Swift’s Victorian “Centennial Houses” and stay near the center of town in case of rain. Her historical information could be shared, and walker and architect Jim Kellogg could also discuss the homes’ features.

We started off going up Highland and Mountain Avenues to see 55 Craig Avenue, one of the two oldest homes remaining in Piedmont. Around 1880, Hugh Craig built this elaborate Stick Italianate Victorian on then Vernal Avenue. (The street was renamed Highland Avenue in 1910 to honor "The Highlands,” the massive 22-bedroom mansion of Isaac Requa, a prominent mining and banking businessperson.)

Craig was born in Sydney, Australia in 1841 to Scottish parents. He grew up in New Zealand before moving to California. In 1874, he began working for the New Zealand Insurance Company and opened an office in San Francisco where he worked in fire and marine insurance from 1875 until his death in 1919. He was a successful businessman, but not one of the mining, lumber, and other millionaires who built large Piedmont mansions. Craig grew barley and oats for his horses at his home and commuted to San Francisco by streetcar and ferry. He was also instrumental in the incorporation of Piedmont in 1907 and served as mayor from 1907 to 1914. When the City widened Highland in 1912 he put his house on rollers and horses pulled it to its current location.  Jim Kellogg noted that the Craig House is Piedmont’s best example of Victorian Italianate style. The house was designed by Charles L. Bugbee, who was one of the leading west coast Architects in the second half of the 19^th Century, and designed many notable projects including homes for Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, David Colton, and R.J. Tobin.  

We walked up Craig Avenue to Highland and noted 311 Highland across the street. The exact construction date of this Victorian is uncertain but Captain William Lawrence is listed on the City Directory of 1894 at the address. The two sisters of Lawrence’s wife, Mary, joined them some time before 1900. After Mary’s death, the sisters stayed on as housekeeps for Lawrence and he left them the house when he died. Unfortunately, the sisters struggled with their finances and took on a boarder, but it was not enough. One morning after the boarder left for work they seated themselves in their rocking chairs, turned on the stove gas, and quietly end their lives.

Just up Highland at the stoplight is 1900 Oakland. This wonderful Queen Anne was built in 1899 by John Rackliffe when he was 73 years old. It has a wraparound front porch, cross gabled roof and octagonal corner turret, and intricate wood shingle detailing that were typical of the Queen Anne design. Rackliffe and his wife, Ellen, built this home for their family of two adult children and a grandchild. The Rackliffe’s were one of just a few families listed in the 1900 Piedmont Census. Jim Kellogg added that the Coffins, who are the current owners, selected Greer Graf to design the recent extensive second story addition on the east end of the house, which fits perfectly with the original Victorian design and detailing, and received a Piedmont Design award.

Down the street was 225 Highland with its unique, very deep setback front lawn. Jim Kellogg pointed out that this house was built in the Victorian era, but is more California Ranch style than true Victorian because of its restrained wood detailing. Annie Hendry built this house in 1898 at 1905 Oakland Avenue, across the street from the Rackliffes’ house. She had extensive gardens in front of the house. However, when the City widen Highland Avenue in 1912, and planted 70 street trees along the street, it demolished much of Hendry’s garden. She responded by moving the house to 225 Highland and placed it as far back as possible from the street so that future street work would not affect her garden. Hendry continued to live in Piedmont through 1930.

We went back to Oakland Avenue and down it to 1811 Oakland. Edward and Martha Elrod built this home in 1896 and in 1901 Hamilton and Olive Whitney purchased it. The house was originally a single story Victorian cottage. In 1966 it underwent a renovation and was raised to create a second floor. The Queen Anne details, such as fishscale shingles and a stained glass window under the front gable, were retained. 

We turned north on Bonita Avenue and went up to 227 Bonita. Ann Swift calls out “a whimsical gargoyle” on the front gable. It looks down at visitors of the Queen Anne home that Paul and Johanna Berkenfeld built in 1895. Jim Kellogg noted that this house was in the late period of Victorian design, and is an excellent example of a straightforward Victorian rectangular plan that benefitted from “pattern book” resources that the Berkenfeld family used to its fullest to select fanciful carved wood and shingle detailing, spindlework supporting the entry porch and roof gable above the living room bay window leading up to the “whimsical gargoyle” at the gable ridge. 

As we had been walking to these lovely homes the rain had increased. Rather than continuing down Oakland Avenue to see more Victorians, it was decided they could wait for another and hopefully dryer Wednesday. We returned to the Exedra going up Bonita and Magnolia Avenues. It was shorter walk than usual because of the rain, but still an enjoyable and informative one thanks to Ann Swift and Jim Kellogg.

P.S. I’m attaching our group photo and a map of the walk along with a cartoon that the Post ran a few years ago about our walking in the rain.