Le Mon Park Section of Piedmont Pines

The name Le Mon Park comes from R.F.D. Le Mon, a New York capitalist, who made his home there after purchasing a large amount of land to develop and build beautiful residences. 

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Taken from Le Mon Park for the Oakland Tribune Year Book 1938

Trip to Oakland

In 1935 R.F.D. Le Mon (Lemon), a retired Capitalist from New York, came to Oakland searching for real estate to develop and build fine homes. He found the perfect site high up in the Oakland hills with a magnificent panorama of Oakland, the bay, and beyond. He called it Le Mon Park. 

Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Jun_20__1937_ (1)
Oakland Tribune June 20, 1937

Le Mon purchased 60 acres of panoramic view property in the heart of Piedmont Pines on Castle Drive and Cornwall Court.

From Google Maps

” With an elevation ranging from 1300 to 1400 feet, Le Mon Park in Piedmont Pines commands a view of which its residents can never be deprived.”

Oakland Tribune July 18, 1937
Oakland Tribune

“it’s only a 15-minute drive to the center of things.”

Oakland Tribune
Oakland Tribune June 1937

 

I’ll take it.

In a 1937 interview, Le Mon recalls his trip to Oakland.

“I was rambling through the pine clad hills,” Le Mon relates when I came across a residence in the course of construction and occupying a magnificent site and commanding view on Ascot Court. In the spur of the moment, he said, “I’ll take it,”

Oakland Tribune Jun 20, 1937

The Model Homes

  • Coronation House – 1937
  • Villadora – The House of Gold – 1937
  • Fremont House – 1937
  • Penthouse – 1938
  • Weybridge Gables – 1938
  • Chateau Longue-Vue – 1939
  • Maison Normandie – 1940

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The End

Casa Altadena

In Smith Reserve

Atop one of the knolls, commanding full advantage of the ever-changing vistas, is Casa Altadena, the distinctive exhibition home of Realty Syndicate. Company”

SF Examiner February 11, 1928
Casa Altadena – flickr

Casa Altadena is of Spanish architecture. It occupies a knoll overlooking beautiful wooded vistas and canyons on one side and a panorama of the bay on the other.

Oakland Tribune – January 29, 1928

Opening Day

SF Examiner February 11, 1928
SF Examiner February 11, 1928

Over 500 people attended the opening on January 29, 1929.

Oakland Tribune February 5, 1928

Casa Altadena reflects the discerning taste of its decorators, who sought to incorporate the romance of the Peraltas into its furnishings.

One of the rooms in Casa Altadena – Oakland Tribune January 29, 1928

Details include its tiled roof, arched doorways, decorative tiles, wood trims, antique wall sconces, and decorative wrought-iron work.

Oakland Tribune – 1928
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1931

Casa Altadena Today

Casa Altadena Today – 6401 Chelton Drive
The house today
  • Casa Altadena
  • Smith Reserve (Piedmont Pines)
  • Open January 29, 1928
  • Spanish design
  • Realty Syndicate
  • Still there
  • 6401 Chelton Drive

Location on Google Maps

More Info:

Updated July 17, 2020

The End