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.
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 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,”
“Atop one of the knolls, commanding full advantage of the ever-changing vistas, is Casa Altadena, the distinctive exhibition home of Realty Syndicate. Company”
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.
“The Casa Maria Luisa,” the first of the “Daughter of Peralta” homes, will open an exhibition residence with imported furnishings in Smith Reserve (now the Piedmont Pines section of Montclair in Oakland) after January 1, 1930. It was fully decorated by the H.C. Capwell Company and sold by the Realty Syndicate.
Oakland Tribune, April 27, 1930
Casa Maria Luisa, when completely furnished, represented an investment of $50,000.
“Master craftsmen have been employed in building and furnishing this usual home”
Oakland Tribune January 19, 1930
One of the noted Cathedral Artists stenciled the beams and ceilings, lighting fixtures from rare old-world patterns, and overhanging balconies with heavy doors reminiscent of early Spanish California. Oriental rugs of Spanish design are made to order. The house had numerous 1930s state-of-the-art features, including a Walker Electric Sink in the kitchen.
Oakland Tribune January 12, 1930
Casa Maria Luisa occupies three wooded lots with a panoramic view. They surrounded the home with rare shrubs, plants, and Monterey and Cypress Trees.
Casa Maria Luisa opened to rave reviews, claiming to be
“the most beautiful and popular home ever shown in Oakland.”
SF Examiner, April 5, 1930
Forty-six thousand people toured Casa Masa Luisa through April 1930.
Oakland Tribune, April 13, 1930
In 1931, the Oakland Tribune Yearbook named it one of the most beautiful homes of that year.
Oakland Tribune January 19, 1930
William and Cordelia Wanderforde purchased the home in about 1931.
In 1987, a couple bought the home from its original owner, Cordelia, who had lived there for some 50 years. They spent a lot of money repairing and updating the house.
one of the finest acheivments in home design by Frederick L. Confer, architect – Oakland Tribune
Exposition Home was the first fully furnished display to tie the Golden Gate International Exposition. Emge and Stockman announced the formal opening would be on April 17, 1938, in the scenic Montclair Highlands.
Oakland Tribune, April 10, 1938
Built in 1938 in preparation for the upcoming Exposition Fair at Treasure Island in 1939. The home is in Montclair Highlands, the scenic tract, with sweeping views of the Golden Gate and Treasure Island from several windows.
Oakland Tribune April 17, 1938
The lower floor has a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows and French doors leading to a patio. The dining room looks out over the bay and wooded hills, with a large kitchen and a breakfast nook at one end.
strikingly distinctive, and yet livable – Oakland Tribune April 17, 1939
Upstairs, the main bedroom overlooked the entire bay. Off this bedroom, there is a sundeck. The floor includes two more bedrooms.
Oakland Tribune, Jul 1938
In July 1938, Exposition House went on sale. It was sold “completely furnished” and “specially priced” at $18,450 (limited-time only). The price also includes the large corner lot with a panoramic view, which was landscaped with shrubs and trees.
Our house in Montclair on Thornhill 5677 Thornhill – Google Maps –
In the 1980s, my ex-husband and I were custodians at the Montclair Presbyterian Church. Our employment included living in the house next door to the church.
The church celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 1980, and I was surprised it had been there so long.
Oakland Tribune Aug 16, 1923
Since going on an Oakland Heritage Alliance Tour of the Fernwood Neighborhood in the Montclair District of Oakland in about 1984, I have been an Oakland history buff ever since. On that tour, I learned a train (Sacramento Northern) ran through Montclair in the early 1900s and that people lived in the area as early as the 1860s. This sparked my interest, and I’ve been hooked ever since. I remember spending countless hours poring over old newspapers and documents, trying to piece together the history of our neighborhood. Since then, I have spent much time looking into Montclair’s history and have learned a lot.
2018. I started this blog because I had collected so much information on Oakland’s history that I couldn’t wait to share it. I was posting in Facebook groups, which was a great way to connect with others, but there were better outlets to share my in-depth knowledge and research on Oakland’s history. The platform’s format often led to my posts needing to be noticed in the feed, and it took effort to maintain a cohesive narrative. I love sharing what I know and reading what others share, but I felt that a blog would allow me to present my information in a more organized and accessible way.
With the help from my dear friend Phil, I was off and running. It should be easy, I say to myself, because I had already laid out actual pages and everything I wanted to say.
But it wasn’t.
I get bogged down in the details. I worry about getting my facts correct. Finding a happy medium between too much and too little is challenging. So, this is a work in progress, so bear with me.
