Tag Archives: Piedmont Pines

26 Ascot Court – Piedmont Pines

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Model Home Opens

26 Ascot Court is on a quiet cul-de-sac in Piedmont Pines, and it opened for inspection in October 1935.

Oakland Tribune – Oct 07, 1934
See here

 

in 2019 from Realtor.Com

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.

 

Architect and Engineer October 1936

 

Architect and Engineer October 1936

 

Architect and Engineer October 1936

 

Architect and Engineer October 1936

 

Architect and Engineer October 1936 –

Frederick L. Confer has designed many homes in the Oakland. Including the Style House, which was discussed in a previous post.

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.

 

Oakland Tribune July 1952 –

A Montclair Treasure – March 2019

In March of 2019, the house was put on the market for $ 1,249, 000 and it sold for April of 2019 for $1,300,000.

 

From Realtor.com

 

Realtor.Com

 

Realtor.Com

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Style House in Piedmont Pines

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The Tribune Jackson Style House – 5737 Chelton Drive

Updated October 2022

The “Style House” opened to the public in April 1935. Over 1500 visitors passed through the home that first weekend.

Local architect Frederick L. Confer designed the home with James H. Anderson, and the builder was James Armstrong.

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 has French doors to the delightful front patio and the rear deck with SF and Bay views.

Oakland Tribune 1935

The floor plan has a full bath and generous bedroom on the main level with French doors to the patio. There are two more large rooms, one with a deck to enjoy the views! The lower features a bedroom, ideal for a family/rumpus room, a half bath, a generous laundry/craft room with work station, 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.

Oakland Tribune March 31, 1935
Oakland Tribune March 31, 1935

Realtor.com
Realtor.com
Realtor.com
Realtor.com
Oakland Tribune April 16, 1944
Oakland Tribune May 8, 1955

More on the Style House –

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Le Mon Park Section of Piedmont Pines

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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. 

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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_Sun__Jun_20__1937_ (1)
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,”

Oakland Tribune Jun 20, 1937

The Model Homes

  • Coronation House – 1937
  • Villadora – The House of Gold – 1937
  • Fremont House – 1937
  • Penthouse – 1938
  • Weybridge Gables – 1938
  • Chateau Longue-Vue – 1939
  • Maison Normandie – 1940

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The End

Casa Altadena

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In Smith Reserve

“Atop one of the knolls, commanding full advantage of the ever-changing vistas, is Casa Altadena, the distinctive exhibition home of Realty Syndicate. Company”

SF Examiner February 11, 1928
Casa Altadena – flickr

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.

Oakland Tribune – 1928
Oakland Tribune August 16, 1931

Casa Altadena Today

Casa Altadena Today – 6401 Chelton Drive
The house today
  • Casa Altadena
  • Smith Reserve (Piedmont Pines)
  • Open January 29, 1928
  • Spanish design
  • Realty Syndicate
  • Still there
  • 6401 Chelton Drive

Location on Google Maps

More Info:

Updated July 17, 2020

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Spanish Home for Smith Reserve

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Updated Jan 2021

“A Spanish Type Home for Smith Reserve”

Oakland Tribune December 15, 1929.

Casa maria luisa Oakland_Tribune_Sun__Dec_15__1929_(1)
Oakland Tribune December 15, 1929

“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.  Fully decorated by H.C. Capwell company and sold by the Realty Syndicate.

Oakland Tribue 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 reminiscent of early Spanish California with heavy doors.  Oriental rugs of Spanish design are made to order.  The house had numerous 1930’s 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.” 

S F 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 the original owner Cordelia who had lived there for some 50 years.  They put a lot of money into repairing and updating the house.

  • 6514 Ascott Drive
  • Built 1929-30
  • Smith Reserve (Piedmont Pines)
  • Realty Syndicate
  • Hamilton Murdock – Architect
  • Opened in 1930 for a $18,500
  • Last sold 1997 for $698,000
6514 Ascot Drive Casa Maria Luisa
Casa Maria Luisa Today – from Google Maps.

More Info:

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