The French regency designed home was a joint effort of Frederick L. Confer and his father, F.W. Confer.
The house was built on a sloping lot among the pine trees with a picturesque view of the bay and the Golden Gate. The lot is just under 1/2 acre in size.
The home was sold before it was completed. The buyer was R.F.D. Le Mon of New York, who was planning on making Oakland his home.
R.F.D Le Mon was the developer of the Le Mon Park section of Piedmont Pines.
Mitchell & Austin were the realtors in charge of the property.
Featured in Architectural Magazine
October 1936
The house featured in an article called ” Homes – They Are Building Them Now” in the October 1936 edition of The Architect and the Engineer.
In 1937 he designed another home for R.F.D. Le Mon at 14 Cornwall Court.
Putting down roots in Montclair
In 1944 Admiral Thomas Sprague and his family moved into 26 Ascot Court. But his life in the Navy took off and traveled around the world. In 1951 Sprague retired from the Navy, and they settled in after only living in them for 2 weeks in the 8 years they owned it.
The Sprague Family lived there until about 1963 after Mrs. Sprague passed away.
I wish I had more to share about Thornhill Park. I only learned about it by accident when looking into Judge EM Gibson’s home, who lived on a ranch where Thornhill School is now and over to Aspinwall Drive. He lived there in the late 1880s.
Thornhill Park went on sale in May 1917. The Reality Syndicate handled the sales at first.
Thornhill Park was an area of small farms of 1/4 acre to 1 acre where you could grow your food or raise chickens, as noted in the ad below.
Oakland Tribune May 1917
Oakland Tribune 1922
The home of F.M. Boggs was the home of Judge EM Gibson (more about him later), and after the home of Dr. Mark Emerson, Alameda County Coroner, and now St. Johns Church, is in that location. Approximate location 1707 Gouldin Road
Oakland Tribune April 1922
By 1922 they were having a “Liquidation Sale” and trying to “close out” the rest of the tract by selling 1/2 acre lots for 66 cents on the $1.00.
It seems Thornhill Park wasn’t a big seller. I noticed it wasn’t advertised as much as any other tracts in Montclair, like Forest Park, Merriewood, or Fernwood, were.
Later, Phil Hearty, a developer and agent who had an office at 5815 Thornhill for years, took over the sale of the remaining Thornhill Park lot. Now Thornhill Park is part of Forest Park and Montclair Highlands.
Some of the homes in Thornhill Park –
Oakland Tribune April 1922
A September 1919 advertisement for “6-Room Bungalow on One Acre in Beautiful Thornhill Park” located at 650 Thorn Road is now 6116 Thornhill Drive. The Langdon family lived there from about 1923- 1945.
6116 Thornhill Drive about 1948 – from the Forgotten Montclair Group on Facebook
Oakland Tribune Sept 24, 1919
6138 Thornhill Drive is another of the original homes in Thornhill Park. Back in the 1920s, the address was 670 Thorn Road. The Bullard family lived there until the 1990s.
Storybook firehouse on Moraga Avenue in the Montclair
Circa 1934
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
The photo below is overlooking the area that is now Montclair Elementary School, and in the distance, you can see the intersection of Thornhill and Mountain Blvd and the Women’s Club.
Tracks for the Oakland, Antioch and Eastern Railway
(later Sacramento Northern Railway) in Montclair
Circa 1925
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Then
LaSalle Avenue looking down the hill towards Mountain Boulevard
Montclair Real estate offices and trolley depot in view.
circa 1927
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Now
Looking down LaSalle Ave towards HWY 13 – Google maps
The photo below is probably on LaSalle Ave from Mountain Blvd. the small building is where Highway 13 is now.
Sales offices of real estate broker and home builder Cos Williams in Montclair –
circa 1925 Eston Cheney, photographer.
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
The photo below is probably taken from where Highway 13 is now. Off in the distance is the Sacramento Northern Station. Located at what is now the top of LaSalle Ave, as seen in the above photos.
Graded and staked lots in the undeveloped Montclair
Signs for the Cos Williams Montclair sales offices
circa 1925
Eston Cheney, photographer.
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room
Then
Northeast corner of Mountain Boulevard and Medau Place
Fred F. Chopin on Montclair Realty Co.
circa 1950
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Now
Corner of Mountain Blvd and Medau Place – Google Maps
Then
Sidewalk construction on Mountain Boulevard near Antioch Street Montclair
Circa 1958
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Now
Looking Up Mountain Blvd. Google Maps
Then
Construction Scout Road and Mountain Boulevard in the Montclair
circa 1955
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
Now
Scout Road and Mountain Blvd – Google Maps
The photo below is overlooking the area that is now the intersection of Oakwood and Thornhill Drives. Showing houses on Oakwood Drive
Looking out towards the bay from near the ridge-line above the Montclair
Several winding dirt roads and homes in view.
circa 1930
Eston Cheney, photographer
Oakland Public Library, Oakland History Room.
This post, originally published in 2019, has been updated and expanded.
November 7, 2025
A few of the homes that were built in the Montclair Highlands area of Oakland in the 1930s and 1940s.
Drake Drive
In 1936, Frederick L. Confer designed a “modernistic” (now Art Deco) home for Mr. and Mrs. George H. Everest and their two daughters. The Everest family had been living at 1760 Mountain Blvd before moving into their new home in Montclair Highlands at 1831 Drake Drive.
Oakland Tribune Oct 11, 1936
Emge and Stockman developed the home, and James H. Anderson, who had previously worked with the architect, was the builder.
Oakland Tribune Mar 21, 1937
Oakland Tribune April 11, 1937
The house features four bedrooms upstairs, each with its own bathroom. The lower floor features one bedroom, a bathroom, and a private entrance.
The house was completed in May 1937
Oakland Tribune, May 23, 1937
Behold the fantastic views from all the upstairs bedrooms, the dining room, the living room, and the patio. The large corner lot also has a large yard.
Oakland Tribune June 6, 1937
The House has been on the market many times since 1937.
San Francisco Chronicle, July 19, 1946
Oakland Tribune July 31, 1949
In 1969, it was listed for $46,500
In March of 2019, it was listed for sale at $1,695,000.
The houses at 1881 and 2001 Drake Drive were also built around this time.
Oakland Tribune.
Narragansett House
Cape Cod colonial architecture characterizes the nine-room Narragansett House in the Montclair Highlands Section on Balboa Drive, built as a model home in 1937. Fully furnished by H.C. Capwell’s.
Oakland Tribune Feb 07, 1937
The home opened in February 1937; by the end of the first week, 3,500 had toured the house, and by the end of April 1937, over 25,000 had visited.
The site for the home was selected due to its panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay. The enjoyment of the view played a big part in the design of the house. The living room has a large plate-glass window that frames the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate.
Oakland Tribune Feb 14, 1937
“Three large bedrooms, two tile baths, an extra lavatory, and games room make a complement of rooms adapted to the needs of the most exacting home seeker.” Oakland Tribune Jan 31, 1937
Tomorrow’s Home Today was the first Oakland Home constructed under the Precision Built system, and it opened in December 1939. It is located at the corner of Balboa and Colton Boulevard in Montclair Highlands, with a sweeping view of the San Francisco Bay.
Montclair Realty Company sold the home.
“The walls and ceilings were built with Homasote, the oldest and strongest insulating and building board on the market. The walls were prefabricated by the Precision-Built process in the shop of a local mill under standards of exacting accuracy, which ensure tight joints, freedom from sagging, and permanently crack-proof walls and ceilings”. Oakland Tribune Jan 21, 1940
The agents for the house were Mitchell & Austin, with Harry Stockman as the agent in charge.
The Jackson Furniture Company entirely furnished the house.
The View Then and Now
Oakland Tribune, March 31, 1935
The view now
Award-Winning
The house is a modified Regency-type design. And it won an award for the distinguished “house of seven rooms or less” in the fourth Biennial Exhibition of American Architects. The house has also been called Monterey Style. Color is used abundantly throughout the house. The exterior is painted white with mustard color shutters.
Oakland Tribune, July 14, 1935
The Style House was built amongst the pine trees on a site with an inspiring view of the bay. A prize-winner at a recent exhibition in San Francisco by the American Institute of Architecture, the “Style House with its novel Regency architecture,…remains one of the outstanding demonstration in the history of Eastbay real estate.”
Oakland Tribune August 25, 1935
Unique Home and Cozy Interior
The living room, with a vaulted ceiling, features French doors that open to the delightful front patio and the rear deck, offering stunning SF and Bay views.
Oakland Tribune 1935
The floor plan features a full bath and a spacious bedroom on the main level, complete with French doors that open to the patio. There are two additional large rooms, one of which features a deck to take in the views. The lower level features a bedroom, ideal for a family/rumpus room, a half bath, a generous laundry/craft room with a workstation, and a storage area—a two-car garage.
Oakland Tribune, March 31, 1935
On opening day, a local Ford Dealer had a brand new Ford V8 parked outside the house.
Recently, someone asked about when 7-Eleven came to Montclair, which was about 1958. I thought I would go back a little farther and tell you about the first store in Montclair.
A Bit of History.
In 1925, Otto Schuneman bought land on Thorn Road and built a store. His store was a combination fountain, grocery store, and service station. The address was 281 Thorn Road.
The Montclairion – circa 1957
From 1935
Early residents of the area remember the place as a tourist bus stop, where refreshments were served at the fountain and an outdoor terrace.
The original building is still standing behind the 7-11 store.
Showing the location of the first store
Mr. Schuneman leased the store. E.G., Nickerson of 408 Florence Ave (now 5800 Florence Terrace) in 1926, and Captain Baldwin in 1928.
The Monclarion
From the Montclarion 1964
Funk’s Grocery – 1930-1940
In March of 1930, Davis L. Funk leased the store from Schuneman and bought out his remaining stock. Mr. Funk had owned a couple of other stores in Oakland.
He called his store Funk’s Grocery and Montclair Grocery.
The Funk family lived at 5677 Thornhill in the mid to late 30s to early 40s.
In the early 1960s, the Montclair Presbyterian Church bought the house from the owners.
My ex-husband and I worked for the church from 1983- 1987 and lived in the house.
Note: Montclair Presbyterian Church (MPC) and the Montclair Library were formed in March 1930.
1941 Directory for Montclair
Montclair Food Center 1940-1957
Montclair Food Center – Carrol Mauro 1951
From Carrol Mauro
In 1940, Funk took on a partner, his son-in-law Malcolm “Scotty” Hodge, the husband of his daughter Lenore, and the store was renamed the Montclair Food Center.
Funk and Hodge ran the store together until Funk died in 1949 at his home on Grisborne Avenue behind the store.
Oakland Tribune 1949
Hodge and his wife continued until 1957 when they couldn’t negotiate a new lease with Otto Schuneman, the owner. I thought it was because he could make more money leasing it to Speedee Mart.
Montclarion 1957
Montclarion 1957
When the store closed in 1957, it was the last one in Montclair to maintain a credit and delivery service. Montclair Food Center was more than just a store for many of its customers.
By 1957, Montclair was also changing. Payless Grocery Store (soon to be Luckys) and LaSalle Avenue Market were located in the business district, and a new Safeway would soon be built.
Min-a-Mart and Speedee Mart 1958-1966?
A Min-a-Mart opened in about 1958.
In 1959, the store was leased by Speedee Mart Corporation.
In 1964, the parent company of the 7-Eleven Stores bought all the Speedee Mart franchises in California.
They began slowly changing the name to 7-Eleven (7-11)
In 1926, the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland approved the plans to build a Bible School in the Montclair District of Oakland.
Drawing by Charles Williams circa 1926
The building was to cost about $25,000. It became necessary because they had outgrown the temporary accommodations at the school. They started out with seven students in January of 1926; by July, they had eighty.
Thorn Road StudentsCicra 1926Thorn Road Students
In June of 1927, it was announced that the school would be open for four weeks during summer vacation.
Oakland Tribune, June 1927
The 1920s saw significant growth in Montclair, and the Bible school began holding Sunday services for the area’s residents. They held Easter Services up on Skyline Drive and festive Christmas services.
Sunrise Service Circa 1928
Christmas circa 1928
Thorn Road Bible Schoo,l Circa 1928
Oakland Tribune April 05, 1930
In 1930 Montclair Presbyterian Church was organized with 90 Charter Members.
Oakland Tribune, April 1930
In 1938 they built a new Chapel which was there until they built the present complex in the mid-1960s at 5701 Thornhill Drive.
