This is an updated version of this post I wrote in 2019. When I moved my blog to a different host (server), some of my posts didn’t fare well in the move. I’ve been reviewing my them one by one, making corrections and updates as needed.
The Million Dollar View home is named for its exceptional panorama of the entire bay.
Oakland Tribune August 9, 1936
Oakland Tribune Sept 13, 1936
Oakland Tribune August 9, 1936
The home officially opened on August 9, 1936, and by the third week, 7000 visitors passed through the Million Dollar View Home. The architect was Conrad T Kett, and the builder was Paul Walter (Worter?)
Oakland Tribune, March 22, 1936
The residence was designed with the family in mind. Great care was taken to ensure the kitchen was both conveniently and spaciously arranged.
Oakland Tribune August 1936
English Tudor with six spacious rooms that take full advantage of the panoramic view of Oakland, San Francisco, and the Bay, including both bridges and vistas from San Pablo Bay to miles down the Peninsula.
With an extra-large living room, dining room, breakfast room, and kitchen. The kitchen is usually large and is a masterpiece of careful planning and scientific, step-saving arrangement. Oakland Tribune Aug 09, 1936
Three large bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a second-floor sundeck.
Women will marvel at its extra cupboard space and the way we have provided for thoses hard to store odds and ends
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
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
