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:
Moderate in price -well within the means of the average family.
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.
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.
The “Coronation House,” a display home for Mitchell & Austin, opened on May 2, 1937, in the Le Mon Parksection 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.
Wow, the above headline is sensational at its best.
A fast-moving brush fire that destroyed at least four homes in Oakland threatened at least 50 more homes in the area of Pine Needle Road and Upper Broadway Terrace. This was on September 25, 1937.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
The photo below was taken at the height of the blaze, but before the fire jumped Tunnel Road.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Families Flee
Oakland’s civilian defense police knocked on doors to tell the residents of Broadway Terrace, Upper Montclair, and Piedmont Pines to evacuate.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Their families fled their homes in fear; others who sought to save their belongings were ordered out by the firefighters.
Big Trees Burn
The fire started close to the home of Police Inspector Jesse Jackson at 6019 Pinewood Road at around 3 pm on September 25, 1937, possibly due to someone burning trash in their yard.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
During the first six hours, the fire had burned across the western edge of the Pinehaven district, up Broadway Terrace to a point just below Skyline Blvd., and thenback down another canyon to the west.
SF Chronicle Sept 26, 1937
Flames burned through acre upon acre of brush and climbed up into the tops of pine and eucalyptus trees.
Hoselines Burned
Several hundred feet of hose laid across brush to ease the link from the pumps to the fire area were destroyed by flames. Lack of water was a problem; they had used up all the water in the reservoirs (tanks) in the immediate area.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
The abnormally high temperature, combined with the heat of the flames, made it difficult to fight the fire.
Oakland Post Enquirer, Sept 27, 1937
Eyewitness Accounts
C.F. Humphrey – 13025 Broadway Terrace
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Mrs. Marguerite Risley – 6493 Farralone Way
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Homes Lost or Damaged
Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Homes Destroyed
6142 Ruthland Road
6539 Gwin Road
15030 Broadway Terrace
“The photo at left shows the flames encircling the little summer home Ted Gould on Broadway Terrace. A few minutes later it had been engulfed.” Oakland Tribune, Sept 26, 1937
Homes Damaged
16060 Broadway Terrace
17014 Broadway Terrace
17044 Broadway Terrace
17050 Broadway Terrace
6142 Pinewood Road
Sept 26, 1937
Sept 26, 1937
Arrest
The fire started when a “backyard bonfire” got out of control. An Oakland music teacher was arrested the Monday after the fire for burning trash in his home at 6064 Mountain Blvd. He stated the fire got out of hand and spread up the canyon towards Skyline Blvd.
Oakland Tribune, Sept 28, 1937
The music teacher was charged with a misdemeanor and was freed on $100 bail after explaining to the court that he did not know he needed a permit. He also said, “a sudden gust of wind spread the fire.”
Later, the court suspended his sentence and the $100 fine, as it did not believe he had set the fire intentionally, but rather due to carelessness. The teacher was put on probation for 180 days.
1929 Fire
There was a fire in November 1929 in the same area. Some of the same homes were damaged at that time. The Powers home at 6142 Ruthland Road was damaged in 1929, only to be destroyed by fire in 1937. The Albright home at 16060 Broadway Terrace was damaged in both fires.
Prominent real estate companies and builders in Montclair held an “open-house” week during the Oakland National Home Show held October 22- 30, 1937. Oakland Tribune Oct 22, 1937
Claremont Circle is a real estate development by the E.B. Field Company. It opened in 1935.
Oakland Tribune Sep 1935
Claremont Circle has a magnificent panorama view of SF Bay, Golden Gate, Marin County, and Mount Tamalpais
Oakland Tribune 1935
Oakland Tribune Sep 1935
Oakland Tribune Sept 1935
Oakland Tribune 1935
Oakland Tribune 1935
The homes of Claremont Circle
Oakland Tribune Aug 1936 38 Sonia Street
Oakland Tribune Sept 1936 Not sure of the location
Oakland Tribune Oct 1936 Not sure of the location
Wide Horizons Display Home
Oakland Tribune Feb 14, 1937 34 Sonia Street
In February of 1937, the E.B. Field Company held a contest to name their newest display home that opened. The winning name was “Wide Horizons.” The house was located at 34 Sonia Street
The Home of Today is located Claremont Circle, a small real estate development by E.B. Fields Co. on Sonia Street. It opened in May of 1937. The address is 58 Sonia Street.
Oakland Tribune Apr 1937 58 Sonia Street
The Home of Today was designed and built by Earl R. MacDonald and Herman A. Schoening
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
