The Price of Pedigree: Exploring Piedmont’s Architect-Designed Homes
Provided below is Lori A’s summary of Moya R’s excellent tour of Piedmont homes designed by notable architects that we had this week.
Thanks go to Moya and Lori for this!
Best,
Dick
On the hottest day of the first full week of September, a large Walking on Wednesday group of about forty hardy humans and five K-9 best friends braved the sun and gathered at the Exedra to answer the burning question, “Does the architect affect the value of a home?” The leader for our September 9th walk was Moya R, a local realtor and Wednesday Walker, who was very well-qualified to explore that subject.
Moya introduced the walkers to seven Piedmont homes designed by famous architects and compared their selling prices to average market sales prices to determine whether the architect impacted the homes’ value. The answer may surprise you. Moya started with an introduction to some of the notable architects who designed homes in Piedmont during the city's major 1907–1940 building period. They include Albert Farr, Julia Morgan, John Hudson Thomas, and J. Francis Ward.
Julia Morgan: Julia Morgan (1872–1957) — Oakland-raised architect, UC Berkeley civil engineering graduate, first woman licensed as an architect in California, and designer of more than 700 buildings, including Hearst Castle and numerous distinguished East Bay residences. Morgan designed about 10 beautiful homes that remain in Piedmont. They were all designed within a period of 15 years after Piedmont’s founding in 1907.
Albert Farr: Albert Lincoln Farr (1871–1947) – Known for designing residences in the Craftsman and Georgian styles, Farr was primarily active in the San Francisco Bay area. Besides designing several grand homes in Piedmont, his first in 1906, Farr also designed Piedmont’s civic buildings including City Hall, the Exedra monument, and Piedmont Community Church in the neo-Spanish style. He also designed the Benbow Inn in Garberville, L’Auberge Carmel in Carmel, and Jack London’s Wolf House in Sonoma. Farr moved to Piedmont in 1908 and lived in three different homes here. When he died, he lived on San Carlos Avenue.
John Hudson Thomas: John Hudson Thomas (1878–1945) — A prominent East Bay architect and UC Berkeley graduate known for inventive early-20th-century residences blending Arts & Crafts, Prairie, Tudor and other European influences; he worked under John Galen Howard before establishing his own practice in 1910.
J. Francis Ward: Joseph Francis Ward (1898-1970)—An East Bay architect who collaborated with Albert Farr on distinguished early-20th-century Piedmont residences, including the Tudor estate at 55 Sea View Avenue. He became Albert Farr’s partner in 1922 in the architectural firm of Farr & Ward until 1941. Then from 1944-1954 he partnered with John S. Bolles in the firm of Ward & Bolles.
Moya led us south on Highland Avenue past Piedmont Community Park and then turned east on Sierra Avenue to the first home at 12 Sierra Avenue. John Hudson Thomas designed the home in the Arts and Crafts style. Built in 1914, its architectural features include: steep rooflines, prominent gables/dormers, grouped windows, French doors, and traditional millwork and fireplace. The house sold in 2008, and the listing materials mentioned Thomas as the architect.
The next two houses we saw were farther up the street at 45 and 49 Sierra. Julia Morgan designed both of these homes. 45 Sierra, built in 1925, is characterized by strong horizontal lines, low-pitched projecting roof forms, broad eaves, stucco exterior and bands of windows. It is more restrained and geometric than 12 Sierra. It sold in 2013 and the marketing materials promoted Morgan as the architect.
Next door was 49 Sierra which was built in 1914. Its architectural features include steep cross-gabled roof; half-timber detailing; stucco and brick; tall, grouped windows: and a strong English/Tudor character. It is undergoing renovation, and the group discussed the importance of wiring, roof, and foundation work. Most buyers are also looking for updated kitchens and bathrooms, while keeping many of the original features in the other rooms of the house. This house sold in 2023, and Julia Morgan’s design was an important selling point.
Next, the Wednesday Walkers headed north on Caperton Avenue until we reached Mountain Avenue. The temperature was rising and the walk was uphill, but the group persevered to see what other notable architects had designed homes in the neighborhood. The first house we looked at on the street was 284 Mountain. Albert Farr designed the large, substantial residence in 1914, It has steep gables, a prominent chimney, grouped windows and a strong Arts & Crafts/English character. The house also has a new addition and a pool. It sold off market in 2015, so because there were no marketing materials, it is uncertain whether Farr’s being the architect played a factor in its sale. (Many of the walkers knew that the house across the street from 284 Mountain, a mid-Century modern at 300 Mountain, used to be the home of Al Davis, previous owner of the Oakland Raiders).
The next house the walkers perused was at 235 Mountain. It was built in 1912. Albert Farr also designed this house. It is a Craftsman-inspired home with Georgian and Colonial influences. The house has a broad, symmetrical façade with brick lower story, shingled/stucco upper story, multi-pane windows and extensive Craftsman millwork. The group noted the house’s indoor-outdoor relationship through its French doors, terraces and formal gardens. The marketing materials in 2021 explicitly mentioned the architect and the exquisite preservation of the house as part of its uniqueness.
The Wednesday Walkers girded our loins, so to speak, and slowly climbed up Mountain Avenue in the bright sunshine until we reached level Sea View Avenue. Our first stop was 2 Sea View; another home Farr designed in 1924. This large home has French Mediterranean composition with a formal arched entrance, classical stone surround, stucco exterior, wrought-iron detailing and strong symmetry. The elevated approach and formal gardens reinforces its sense of grandeur. The house sold in 2025. Farr’s design was prominently mentioned as a selling point.
Grateful to be walking on a flat street, the walkers strolled down to 55 Sea View where we took our group photo. The dynamic duo of Farr and Ward designed the house in 1924. It is described as “a grand-scale Tudor estate with red brick, steep rooflines, prominent chimneys, asymmetrical massing, leaded-glass windows and substantial carved wood and plaster detailing.” Two large bronze lions stand on either side of the front door. Whoever remodeled the house, which sold most recently in 2024, did a skillful job with historical preservation in mind.
As Moya pointed out, 55 Sea View is one of the strongest examples on our walk where architectural pedigree, scale, preservation and estate quality coincide with exceptional value. At this level, architecture becomes part of the identity of the estate—not simply a feature of the house, she said. To those who are unfamiliar with the neighborhood, this house is also known as the Otis Spunkmeyer house, because a previous homeowner, Kenneth B. (B.B.) Rawlings was the founder of the Otis Spunkmeyer cookie company.
Part 1 of Moya’s fabulous notable architect walking tour concluded with the walkers heading down Lincoln Avenue, turning right on Sheridan Avenue, and making a final right on Highland before heading back to Piedmont Park. The answer to the question, “Does the architect affect the value of the home? is a definite “probably,” but not a resounding “yes.” It all depends on what the buyer is looking for and what the seller has done to improve the property. All of the houses we saw sold for higher than the average price of a similar-sized Piedmont home, but whether that was due to the architect’s name being in the marketing materials (six of the seven houses) or something else about the house that the buyer found to be appealing is more difficult to determine. We hope that Moya will return in November for Part 2 of the tour so that we can further explore this intriguing subject and see more beautiful Piedmont homes.
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