Category Archives: Model/Display Homes

Pine-Covered Hills

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Studio Homes by Phil Heraty

Phil Heraty (1896-1969) was a Bay Area Builder and Developer responsible for homes in Concord, Walnut Creek, San Leandro, and Oakland. I covered Melrose Highlands in Oakland here.

In 1940, Heraty opened new offices at 3625 Hopkins Street (now MacArthur Blvd.) and announced that this would be the headquarters for all company operations. The branch office at 5815 Thornhill, the original tract office for the Merriewood Development, is now home to a daycare.

It is now Medical Offices – Oakland Tribune November 10, 1940

This post will cover a group of homes built in the Broadway Terrace area by Lake Temescal.

Lake Temescal Studio Homes

The development of Lake Temescal in 1938 as a recreation center with swimming and picnic grounds significantly increased the demand for building homes in the wooded hill district adjacent to the lake.

Oakland Tribune 1938

In May 1938, Phil Heraty announced the completion of a new group of eight studio homes he called ‘Lake Temescal Studio Homes.’ The previous year, he sold 37 studio homes in the area.

Oakland Tribune May 1938

Below is one of the Studio Homes. It was located at 6192 Ruthland Road and was lost in the 1991 fire.

Oakland Tribune 1938

The Temescal, a furnished 6-room display home, was opened in November 1938. It was listed for $4950.00

Oakland Tribune 1938

The Temescal is located on Florence Terrace, where it meets Capricorn Avenue.

This is the area where I grew up. I used to walk to school with a girl who lived there. They moved sometime in the mid-1970s. I then babysat for the next family that lived there. I watched their daughter from about six months to three years old. I love this house! I fantasized about living there.

5748 Florence Terrace Today.

Unusual Studio Homes

“Live in the Pine-Covered Hills”

Oakland Tribune Aug 25, 1940

In 1940, Heraty announced the completion of a new group of “unusual studio homes” located along Broadway Terrace and Taurus Avenue.

Oakland Tribune 1940
Oakland Tribune 1940

The new two-bedroom homes would cost less than $4900 to less than $6000. They featured large living rooms with beamed ceilings and corner fireplaces, corner tiled sinks in an airy kitchen, and elevated bedrooms on a huge lot. The largest home in the group had a rumpus room finished in knotty pine.

Sliding Down

Oakland Tribune 1953

In the spring of 1952, a group of studio homes in the Upper Broadway Terrace area at Taurus Road began sliding down the hill. I’m not saying they had anything to do Phil Hearty and the construction.

  • 7075 Broadway Terrace
  • 7081 Broadway Terrace
  • 7085 Broadway Terrace
  • 7093 Broadway Terrace
  • 9009 Broadway Terrace
  • 9025 Broadway Terrace
  • 9033 Broadway Terrace
  • 9041 Broadway Terrace
Oakland Tribune May 18, 1952

The following year, during the winter rains and after the city of Oakland had done extensive work on the slide, the homes began to slide again. This turned what was left of the homes into rubble and further damaged others.

In 1954, eight Broadway Terrace property owners sued the city of Oakland and the Oakland Sewer Construction Company for $135,000. The suit alleged the damage was caused by seepage from a ditch the sewer construction company dug.

 “eight houses in a hilly portion of Oakland, which, prior to 1949, were serviced by septic tanks. The area is a natural drainage area” Findlaw

 “prior to the sewer installation, had leaking septic tanks, and possibly some springs.” Findlaw

The area now has big homes built after the 1991 fire.

More Info:

  • HAMILTON v. HARKINS (1956) – Findlaw

Blandings’ Oakland Dream House

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In 1948, as part of the promotion for the movie Mr. Blandings’ Builds a Dream House starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy, the studio built “dream houses” in cities across the United States. Oakland was chosen as one of the locations.

They initially planned to build 100 replicas of the home in the movie. In the end, only 73 dream houses were built. Some homes were sold by raffle, and some were auctioned off, with a percentage of the proceeds going to local charities. The charity in Oakland was Childrens’ Hospital.

Before the movie’s release, blueprints were sent to local builders by the studio, asking that they build the homes as close to the specifications as conditions would permit.

Children’s Hospital

They charged 50 cents to tour the house, with the proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital. 

Funds from the sale of tickets to Mr. Blandings’ California Dream House were used to purchase a large Autoclave sterilizer for a new wing at Oakland’s Children’s Hospital.  

Children’s Hospital branch members served as hostesses at the open house.

The Dream House

“This is very likely the most famous modern home in the world today”

Oakland Tribune September 18, 1948

The Oakland Dream Home was located in the Chabot Park area at 11000 Cameron Street. It was situated on three choice free from fog and only minutes from downtown Oakland. The lots overlooks the entire Bay Area (that might be a stretch) and five counties, adjoins Lake Chabot Golf Course and miles of bridle trails.

The had two large bedrooms, and a combination den or bedroom, a 36 foot living room with a 12 foot plate glass window overlooking the bay. There was a badminton court a double car garage, a rumpus room connected to a large outdoor area.

It was for sale in 1981 for $151,000, but sometime between then and 1994 it was demolished and a new house was built.

Oakland Tribune 1981
The house today – photograph by author

More Info:

  • A Visit to Mr. Blandings’ Fictional Dream House – Blog

Piedmont Pines Display Homes

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Happy New Year!

A bit more history of the display or model homes in the Piedmont Pines neighborhood. There seems to be a lot of information on these homes, and local architects (now famous) designed many.

Spanish View Home – Ascot Lane

“The Spanish View Home is completely equipped with the latest ideas in modern home construction”

Oakland Tribune 1932

The Spanish View Home and the one next to it were designed and built by Thomas Sharman.

Oakland Tribune June 26, 1932
“Spanish View Home” 31 Ascot Lane – Google Maps

Architectural Prize Home – 1933 – Unknown Location

I haven’t been able to locate the address of this house. If you recognize it, please let me know.

Oakland Tribune November 19, 1933

The Architectural Prize Display Home was designed by Miller & Warnecke. The design was chosen from among 19 individual plans submitted by 11 different architects during a competition in the spring of 1933.

Oakland Tribune December 10, 1933

It opened in December 1933. Thirty-nine hundred and eighty-five visitors walked through the home on its opening day, and by the end of the first two weeks, over Seventy-five hundred people had visited the house.

The home was created with these three principle points:

  1. Moderate in price -well within the means of the average family.
  2. It had to fit the site in Piedmont Pine and take full advantage of the contour of the lot, the size of the lot, the view, and the trees.
  3. It had to set a standard for the future homes to be built in the area.

Miller & Warnecke had this in mind when they designed the home.

Oakland Tribune Dec 1933

There are seven large rooms, including the rumpus room or recreation hall, in the basement. The living room, dining room, and kitchen are on the patio level. The bedrooms are elevated a half story above the living room.

Oakland Tribune November 26, 1933

The home was furnished by Breuner’s of Oakland, and L’Hommedieu were the selling agents.

Pages: 1 2

Court of All Nations

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“Homes of Cosmopolitan Architecture”

Oakland Tribune Mar 29, 1925

The Court of All Nations is located on Hillen Street (formally Trumbull Street) near Mills College, with a view of the bay and the nearby hills. The group of fifty homes was built in 1925, with the first four starting in January of that year.

Unique Idea Result of Europe Trip

The unique idea was brought back by local builder R.C. Hillen after spending five months motoring through Europe in search of ideas for one of his next developments.

He wanted to reproduce the picturesque homes that dot the hillsides and valleys of European countries.

The homes are of five and six-room European style with American convenience. Each home is an architectural gem, specially adapted by W.W. Dixon, architect and the editor of the Home Designer Magazine, from sketches Hillen made during that trip.

They will include patios and landscaped gardens both in front and back.

Casa Romero

Casa Rome
Oakland Tribune May 17, 1925

Casa Romero is a Spanish-Moorish type, and it opened in ???. The iron grill balconies before the windows and the flower-grown patio with pool and fountain suggest old Spain.

Oakland Tribune

W.W. Dixon, who designed Casa Romero, said, ” the name an old Spanish name dating from the days of the Mexican Grants in California.” Casa Romero means the house of the Romeros.

“‘Casa Romero’ Is All Electrically Equipped: Radio Featured.”

Oakland Tribune May 17, 1925

A Pipe-Organ Radio is installed in the living room. The rare acoustic properties of the room, eighteen by thirty-six feet in size and eighteen feet high, were fully utilized. A Radiola super-heterodyne is hidden behind what appears to be pipes of an organ on the balcony above. Using a central control, you could listen by loudspeaker or earphone connections by merely pressing a button.

The hidden radio – Oakland Tribune 1925
Casa Romero Today
Casa Romero Today from Google Maps

European Style Homes

Some of the homes were designed along the lines of English cottage architecture, and others suggest French and Italian villa homes with homes from Spain, Norway, or Holland.

All have charming features and will include a large living room with a unique fireplace, a dining room with a buffet, and a kitchen with all the modern fixtures. Priced from $6500-$7900

Grand Duke

The Grand Duke Model Home – Oakland Tribune 1925

Dixon and Hillen

Walter W. Dixon (1884-1953)

Robert C. Hillen (1884-1955)

Style: Storybook, fairy tale, Hansel & Gretel

Dixon designed homes and other buildings, alone and with the firm Dixon and Hillen, from about 1910 to 1950, mostly in the East Bay.

Dixon built grand Storybook houses and houses in other styles and is best known for compact Storybook tract cottages.

Both were involved under the name of Dixon and Hillen Publishers with the Home Designer Magazine, based in Oakland and printed out of their office at 1844 Fifth Ave. The monthly publication costs $2.50 yearly for a subscription and covers mostly bungalow and Storybook types of homes.

They also designed the homes on Picardy Drive in Oakland.

More Info:

The End

In Le Mon Park – Piedmont Pines

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Oakland Tribune June 1937

“a thing of beauty and joy forever.”

Robert Mitchell Mitchell & Austin
Le Mon Park

Coronation House Opens

The “Coronation House,” a display home for Mitchell & Austin, opened on May 2, 1937, in the Le Mon Park section of Piedmont Pines.  It is located on Castle Drive.  The display home was furnished by Breuner’s with the Coronation theme (King George’s Coronation May 1937.)

Oakland Tribune May 2, 1937

“English architectural riches have been transplanted to Piedmont Pines in Coronation House”  the ad goes on the say ” Coronation House “fit for a king” in the beautiful Le Mon tract… the crowning achievement of the season”  

Oakland Tribune May 2, 1937
Oakland Tribune May 2, 1937

“this six-room home with three bedrooms and a bath, with gorgeous living room and un-impaired view, delightful recreation room and kitchen.”

Oakland Tribune May 1937

“the coronation motif is carried out throughout, the crown drapes furnishing a fitting background for pieces following the English provincial motif ”

Oakland Tribune May 1937

Today

6301 Castle Drive – Google Maps
  • Coronation House
  • Early Colonial
  • 6301 Castle Drive
  • Le Mon Park – Piedmont Pines
  • 1937
  • Mitchell & Austin Real Estate
  • Still there

Fremont House

When General John C. Fremont hiked to a vantage point in the vicinity of Piedmont Pines in time to the setting sun.

“That we shall call the Golden Gate.”

General Fremont – Oakland Tribune Aug 8, 1938
Oakland Tribune May 9, 1937

From the windows of Fremont House, you can see the Golden Gate.

  • Fremont House
  • Castle Drive
  • Style – Early California
  • Le Mon Park – Piedmont Pines
  • 1937
  • Mitchell & Austin
  • Need Location

“See the world from Piedmont Pines”

Sales Manager Mitchell Austin

Thousands of visitors passed through Fremont House and Coronation House and admired the attractive architecture and the natural advantages of the grounds on which they are located. Sweeping views of the bay, Mount Tamalpais, and both bridges could be seen from the windows of both homes.

Villidor – House of Gold

“Commanding a sweeping panorama of the bay and the hills, it offers magnificent views of sunrises and sunsets.”

Oakland Tribune Jun 20, 1937
Oakland Tribune June 27, 1937

Villador, the house of gold, opened to the public in June of 1937.

Oakland Tribune Aug 8, 1937
  • Villador
  • 6324 Castle Drive
  • Le Mon Park – Piedmont Pines
  • 1937
  • Mitchell & Austin
6324 Castle Drive – RDFin.com

More Info:

The End

Donations

High Street Park Homes

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In early 1926 J.B. Peepin announced that his company would be building approximately thirty-one in the High Street Park Tract on Culver Street.  Prices averaged $5950 for five rooms, with a down payment of only 10% and 1% of the balance.

Oakland Tribune Nov 14, 1926

Peepin was already well known in Oakland and San Leandro as a builder of Bungalows. 

Living rooms have studio ceilings, and the newest wall treatments. Hooded fireplaces, in latest designs. Each house has a breakfast room, with a hand decorated breakfast set, included in the purchased price.”

Oakland Tribune July 26, 1926

Charming hand stenciled kitchens, with linoleums, and every built-in convenience including kitchen cabinets and refrigerators.”

Oakland Tribune July 26, 1926
Oakland Tribune Aug 22, 1926

Gardens are laid out to suit each home, with lawns, shrubs, patio entrances and fish ponds.”

Oakland Tribune July 26, 1926

Casa Linda

  • 4100 Culver Street
  • Built 1926
  • Price $5950-$6200

Casa Linda opened on July 18, 1926. The home was entirely furnished by Montgomery Wards & Company.

Oakland Tribune 1926

“The Home Beautiful”

Oakland Tribune July 18, 1926

Casa Linda, as the name implies is an unusually beautiful Spanish home, and embodies in its design and ornamentation new and pleasing innovations by our architectural service.   Oakland Tribune July 18, 1926

Orange was the kitchen tile color, the hand-decorated furniture, and wall-paper in the breakfast room. Spanish galleons are the motif of parchment shades.

Oakland Tribune July 18, 1926

 The exterior of “Casa Linda” was enhanced by the patio entrance with stepping stones and a fish pond.

Zillow.com – 4100 Culver St
Zillow.com – 4100 Culver St

Casa Palomar or Palomares

  • 4150 Culver Street
  • Built 1926
  • Price $5950-$6200

Opened in September of 1926 and was furnished by Montgomery Wards and Company.

Oakland Tribune Sept 19, 1926
Oakland Tribune Oct 17, 1926
4150 Culver Street – Google maps

Casa Novia

  • 4157 Culver Street
  • Built 1926
  • Price $5950-$6200

Casa Novia opened to the public on December 5, 1926 it was furnished by Lachman Brothers of San Francisco.

Display Home Is Especially Designed for Newly-Weds, Builder Says”

Oakland Tribune Dec 5, 1926
Oakland Tribune Dec 5, 1926

An arched doorway opens into the front hall affording a glimpse of a large living room with arched windows. The dining room and breakfast room are separated by columns and the kitchen is decorated with orange tiles.

Sold in 2020

In August of 2020 “Casa Novia” was put on the market for $789,000 and sold for $820,000 in October of 2020.

Zillow.com – 4157 Culver Street

Culver House

  • 4132 Culver Street
  • Built 1927
  • Price $6250

The furnished home went on display on April 24, 1927.  

Oakland Tribune May 1, 1927

Large rooms, with plenty of sunshine make this home appeal to the housewife.”

Oakland Tribune Apr 24, 1927
Oakland Tribune April 1927

Sold in 2020

  • Estately.Com – 4132 Culver Street

The was listed for $889,000 in November of 2020 and sold for $955,000 in December.

Villa Romancia

  • 4145 Culver Street
  • Built 1927
  • Price $6775

Villa Romancia opened to the public in January of 1927.

Oakland Tribune 16, 1927

“Castles in Sunny Spain”

ROMANCE! MYSTERY! That is what you think of when you see Villa Romanica.”

Oakland Tribune Feb 13, 1927
Oakland Tribune 1927

Open House 2021

In January of 1921 Villa Romancia is for sale. The listed price is $699,000. An open house was held on January 3, 2021.

Redfin.com – 4145 Culver Street
Redfin.com – 4145 Culver Street

Culver Street Homes

  • 4115 Culver Street
Oakland Tribune Aug 21, 1927

List of Model Homes:

  • 4100 Culver Street – Casa Linda
  • 4132 Culver Street – Culver House
  • 4145 Culver Street – Villa Romancia
  • 4150 Culver Street – Casa Palomar
  • 4157 Culver Street – Casa Novia

More Info:

  • 4157 Culver Street – website
  • The Bungalow Book By J.B. Peppin – flickr

The End

Fairway Estates in Oak Knoll

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When this area was first built up in the mid-1920s it was part of Oak Knoll. Now it is considered to part of Sequoyah

“Fairway Estates is in the heart of the country club district and consists of a group of estates with building sites of generous size.” Oakland Tribune, August 18. 1929

Fairway Estates and Country Club Fairway Estates and Oak Knoll Unit C are all in the area known as  Oak Knoll. Sequoyah Hills on three sides surround Oak Knoll. 

The Oak Knoll Land Corporation handled the development.

In Fairway Estates

Oakland Tribune November 10, 1929

There are two large bedrooms with a sewing room and bathroom and a large dressing room with many different built-in fixtures and cabinets. On the lower are the maids’ quarters, with separate shower and billiard room. The bathrooms and kitchen are beautifully finished in colored tile.

3968 Turnley Avenue – Google Maps

In Fairway Estates

Oakland Tribune August 18, 1929
4050 Sequoyah Rd – Google Maps
4050 Sequoyah Rd – Google Maps

The Jefferson Home

Oakland Tribune 1930

The Jefferson home is a seven-room, two-story residence of Spanish design. With a large living room and a massive oak stairway leading to a balcony overlooking the Oak Knoll golf course and country club.

3643 Califia Avenue – Google maps

“Another reason is the beautiful setting of Fairway Estates – overlooking the Oak Knoll Country club and golf course and views of wooded hills, the harbor, the bay cities, and the Golden Gate.” Oakland Tribune, August 18. 1929

Oak Knoll Country Club District

The Nine room Spanish Style home.

Oakland Tribune Oct 12, 1930
3845 Twin Oaks Way
3845 Twin Oaks Way

In Fairway Estates

Model Homes in Fairway Estates

Oakland Tribune June 30m 1930

Spanish Type Model Home

Spanish in architecture.

Oakland Tribune March 1930

The Fairway Estates model home opened in March of 1930. The home was designed by Watson Vernon to fit the lot-on which it stands, to utilize the view possibilities of the property to the best advantage.

Fairway Avenue – Google maps

Model Country Club Residence

Oakland Tribune June 08, 1930

The Spanish home takes greatest advantage of the two way view the wooded hillside on one side and the bay on the other. This six room home has a spacious master bedroom with a sunroom on the upper floor. The dining room window overlooks the golf course.

Oakland Tribune March 1930
Oakland Tribune June 08, 1930
3900 Fairway Avenue

Beautiful Spanish Model Home

Oakland Tribune Mar 1930
3982 Turnley Ave – Google Maps

Fairway Estates Home

3549 Calafia Avenue –

La Casa Bella

Oakland Tribune November 30, 1930

Artistic in the extreme…”

Oakland Tribune Nov 1930

La Casa Bella opened in November of 1930. The home is of Spanish architecture showing the Moorish influence.

A master bedroom that will lull you to sleep after a gallon of coffee…”

Oakland Tribune Nov 16, 1930
Oakland Tribune March 30, 1930

A living room almost large enough for a country dance…”

Oakland Tribune Nov 16, 1930
3978 Turnley Avenue – Google Maps

Spanish Home at Oak Knoll

“…with the liquid silver of the moon lying in the pools of mystery the patio will coax you out of doors all hours of the day or night” – Oakland Tribune May 04, 1930

Oakland Tribune

More Info:

The End

Claremont Pines Model Home

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Claremont Pines was formally the P.E. Bowels estate “The Pines.”  It is bounded by Broadway Terrace, Country Club Drive, Acacia Drive, and Romany Road.

Oakland Tribune

Palatial Home to be Built

In July 1928, a palatial residence, the Tribune-Schlesinger Home, was to be built in the new subdivision Claremont Pines developed by York Company Inc.

Oakland Tribune 1928

The Spanish-Mediterranean-style home was sponsored by the Oakland Tribune and was furnished by B.F. Schlesinger and Sons.  

The house was designed by Frederick H. Reimers, an Oakland architect, and was constructed by C. Dudley de Velbiss, a well-known builder.

Drive Out Today

The Oakland Tribune columns fully describe each phase of the construction. The site was open to the public during construction.

Great care was taken in selecting the residence, which occupies a prominent corner overlooking the Claremont golf course and facing the Golden Gate.

“The Mediterranean type of architecture was selected to conform to the contour of the site and to the general rolling nature of the terrain.”

Frederick Reimers July 29, 1928

The house has sixteen rooms, each with an individual style. It also has a ballroom, library, and smoking room.  

The halls and library have floors of colored, hand-made tile and arched doorways.  

Ground Floor – Oakland Tribune 1928

It is further enhanced by a series of walled-in courts and terraces. 

The landscaping was done under the supervision of Johannes Reimers, a local landscaper and artist who was also Frederick’s father.

Tribune-Schlesinger Home Breaks Ground

On August 09, 1928, the official groundbreaking was held in the presence of a large group of Eastbay notables.

Oakland Tribune August 1928

Home Nearing Completion

“Plastering is now ready to start.”

Oakland Tribune 1928

$55,000 was invested in the project, exclusive of the furniture and furnishings.

Unique Feature of Home

“a haven of rest and peace from the busy world.”

Frederick H. Reimers Architect

The exterior brick fireplace and terrace brick walls leading to the entrance are the same color as the stucco.

A Firm Foundation

Another feature was the concrete foundation installed by J.H. Fitzmaurice, Inc., a local concrete contractor. The foundation’s material was of the very best quality at the time. 

All bearing walls are twelve inches in thickness.

Shows Rapid Progress

Significant progress was reported on November 04, 1928. It was expected to open on December 02, 1928.

Oakland Tribune November 1928

Under the guidance of A.L. Abrott of B.F. Schlesinger & Sons, a rare harmony of late Renaissance furnishings, promised to make the home of exceptional interest.

The upper floors followed the lighter moods of the seventeenth century when Venice was still at the height of her glory.

The ballroom or social hall on the ground floor was decorated in the spirit of modern jazz and twentieth-century amusement.

Magnificent Vestibule

Upon entering the vestibule, one is impressed by the tremendous Castillian effect of the entrance and the monumental stairway—the curving staircase with artistic hand-wrought iron railing.

Oakland Tribune October 28, 1928

The main stairway leads to a secondary vestibule, giving access to four bedrooms.

New Type of Telephones

Convenience was the new type of telephone installation by Pacific Bell. Each telephone is placed to obtain the highest possible comfort and privacy for the users and blend in with the decor.

Two main lines were installed: one for the family’s use and the second primarily for the servants’ use.

A hand telephone with a key box was installed in the master bedroom. The keys could cut off the servant’s phone for privacy.

Oakland Tribune 1928

A wall telephone connected to the servants’ line was placed in the garage.

Formally Opened

The formal opening was held on Sunday, December 30, 1928.  Lucile Webster Gleason of the Dufwin Theater, star in “The Shannons of Broadway,” formally opened the doors.

Large Crowds

Ten thousand visitors viewed the home in its first opening week, and seven thousand attended the opening day.

Oakland Tribune Feb 1929

Tribune-Schlesinger Home Claremont Pines

Tribune-Schlesinger Home Claremont Pines Cheney Photo Advertising 1928

Claremont Pines Homes

Oakland Tribune 1929

More Info:

Claremont Pines – Oakland Local Wiki

Today

Google
  •  2 Westminster Drive
  • Frederick H. Reimers, architect
  • C. Dudley de Velbiss – builder
  • York Company Inc. – Developers
  • Built-in 1928
  • Sold for $2,3 million in 2008

The End

Melrose Highlands- Part 2

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Oakland Tribune

In 1935 Phil Heraty, a local real estate agent and developer, took over the sales of Melrose Highlands.

Colonial Village – 1935

A type of English brick was used on the exterior of a few houses that were built in 1935.

Oakland Tribune June 1935 – 7773 Greenly Drive

Oakland Tribune July 1935

Oakland Tribune July 1935 – 7765 Greenly Drive

Oakland Tribune July 7, 1935

Both the houses are on Greenly Drive, they are side by side at 7765 and 7775.

Google Maps – 7775 Greenly Drive

Heraty to Build 100 Homes – Jan 1940

Oakland Tribune Jan 14, 1940
Oakland Tribune 1940

Cape Cod Colonial – 7776 Sterling Drive

Six generous sized rooms with light-filled upstairs bedrooms. Downstairs has the living room, dinette, and kitchen. Detached Garage. Price $4150.00.

Oakland Tribune 1940

The present-day photo below. I see they made a room out of the garage.

7776 Sterling Drive – Google Maps

Oakland Tribune 1940

7225 Sterling Drive – 1940

Oakland Tribune Mar 1940

Oakland Tribune Mar 1940
7725 Sterling – Google MAPS

Heraty Homes – Greenly Drive

Forty new -home owners have moved into Melrose Highlands since his organization became the selling agents

said Heraty – Oakland Tribune Sept 08, 1940

said Heraty – Oakland Tribune Sept 08, 1940
Oakland Tribune Sept 08, 1940 –

New Economy Home at 8108 Greenly Drive – 1940

Oakland Tribune Aug 18, 1940

8108 Greenly Drive – REDFIN.Com

Building Progress in Melrose Highlands

Below is about 8032 Fontaine Street, which was lost due to the construction of the freeway.

Oakland Tribune Aug 1940

Oakland Tribune May 11, 1941

Beautiful Melrose Highlands – 1941

In May of 1941, a furnished “Model Home’ opened in Melrose Highlands at 8033 Fontaine Street.

8033 Fontaine Street – Google Maps

Oakland Tribune May 11, 1941

Built to Order in Melrose Highlands – 1941

A Garden Showplace on Greenly Drive

The home of R.E. Derby on 7757 Greenly Drive was featured in the garden section on the Oakland Tribune in July of 1939.

their principal concern was, what to do with the “mud hole” in the backyard.

R.E Derby – July 16, 1939

R.E Derby – July 16, 1939

Oakland Tribune July 16, 1939
Oakland Tribune July 16, 1939
Oakland Tribune July 16, 1939

The End

The Highest Home in Oakland – 1928

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“1928 Model View Home “

The 1928 Model View Home – Oakland Tribune 1928

The 1928 Model View Home is situated at the “Top of the World” in reality the topmost peak in Montclair Highlands, overlooking several counties as well as affording a magnificent sweep of the entire bay and part of the Pacific Ocean beyond.

Montclair Highlands Commands Ones of The World’s Finest Views, and Only 15 Minutes From Downtown

Montclair Realty – 1928

Combining modern features in fixtures with a marine view, the Spanish themed home with certain additions, designed by Hamilton Murdock, an Oakland architect.

Oakland Tribune 1928
Oakland Tribune March 1928

The “1928 Model” View Home “The Home Electric.” All the latest features of proven merit – the things you have wondered about are used in the “1928 Model” home, including Oakland Tribune Mar 25, 1928

  • Complete Electrification
  • Quartz-Lite – window glass
  • Colored plumbing ware
  • Venetian Cabinets
  • Linoleum Floors
  • Balanced Illumination
Oakland Tribune 1928

Screen Test for Children

In November of 1928, they held a movie screen test for children in the “1928 Model View “ home. The screen test was under the direction of the Sherman Clay Company.

Oakland Tribune Nov 11, 1928
The Oakland Tribune November 1928

The “1929 Model View” Home

For a few weeks in 1929 is was renamed.

Oakland Tribune Dec 1928
Oakland Tribune 1936
Asking price $8750.00
1954 – Asking price $17,500
1969

Location

The “1928 Model View” home is located at 1949 Asilomar Drive in Montclair. It was one of the first homes built in the hills directly behind the business district of Montclair. The area was called Montclair Highlands. The 1928 Model View Home was built just up the hill, the lone home to the left of the arrow.

1928 photos showing the of the Observation Tower –
The solitary home to the left of the yellow area is the Callahan House
at 1989 Asilomar Drive
Photo from East Bay Hills Project

The house has 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and last sold in 1974. I don’t have a present-day picture.

1949 Asilomar Drive – Google Maps
  • 1928 Model View Home
  • Montclair Highlands
  • Spanish Style
  • Hamilton Murdock – architect
  • Elmo Adams – builder
  • Howard Gilkey – a landscaper
  • Paul Pause – owner
  • Montclair Realty
  • 1949 Asilomar Drive

The Callahan House is the bottom in the photo below.

Oakland Tribune 1928
1989 Asilomar Drive – Google Maps

Last sold in 2017 for $1, 682, 619 – 1989 Asilomar Drive

The End