Thanks to the Oakland Heritage Alliance, I had a great time on Sunday October 4th. This was the day that the Oakland Heritage Alliance and the Fernwood Club opened up the doors to nine homes in the historic Fernwood neighborhood in Oakland's Montclair District.
Being the architectural geek that I am I was noticing the houses that could be the work of William Raymond Yelland, who happens to be my favorite architect. I noticed four houses that could be his handiwork. Each of the homes was a different style architecturally but fit very well within his body of works.
The first house on the tour was a mission revival Spanish styled home. It had brick arched chimney toppers and a shed roof over the garage. The interior space had some of Yelland's signature hyperbolic arches between rooms and just for effect, like on the staircase landing.
The second house was a New England style home complete with the white clapboard siding. The guidebook mentions that the original owners found the plans in a magazine article entitled "a little cottage out west". The guide book assumed that the round oval window was something that was done by the architect that adapted the plans. (to be added when I look it up again). Having studied Mr Yelland for all these years I was familiar with his farmhouses in Clarksburg and Diablo that have the same style complete with breezeway connecting to the garage. In the guide book it mentions the Normandy touches to the garage, well that makes too much sense for Yelland. The fireplace from the inside is a clinkerbrick masterpiece including two candle niches, one on each side. I am also familiar with Yelland's Endwell New York United Methodist Churchwhich has those same oval windows. So many people are nay sayers and only know the Normandy Village style of Yelland, He did all sorts of properties, including this New England style.
The New England Style home in the Fernwood neighborhood
The third home was the stop over for snacks and beverages on the tour. I did not take any photographs of this home. I had a wonderful conversation with the owners. This home reminds me of the large Judge Bruner tudor in San Leandro, where my friend Liz used to live in during my High School days. The Bruner house is rumored to be a Yelland, waiting for my friend's confirmation. Anyway, in my conversations with the owners, I was invited in. I saw all the features of the designs I have become so accustomed to seeing. The living room was an almost duplicate of the 802 Cherry house in Hayward. If you recall that house was the mirror image of my parent's "Derry Residence". The main difference is the Derry Home has a barrel vault textured ceiling and the 802 Cherry house has the large beamed ceiling, just almost identical to this house here in Montclair's Fernwood.
The fourth home was just incredible, I don't know where to begin. Let's start at the garage at the street, this little building is so very storybook and so very Yelland. It reminds me of the old buildings that were up in the Kensington Neighborhood center (Burned and Razed). It has a little bricked in niche off the left hand side of the building in a little garden wall jutting out into the garden.
The garage of the storybook home. That brick niche is so very cool.
Then you go down some steps and then over a little bridge over Temescal Creek to the main house itself. The home is a large Tudor with all the artificial aging elements that makes a storybook home.
the wonderfull storybook style home in the Fernwood neighborhood
The interior of the house really gets me excited. The interior is very similar to the Hildreth Residence done in Piedmont Pines. All the classic Yelland interior features are there. This time the Rosetta Stone for me. A cast concrete fire place! Homes in my San Leandro "The Broadmoor" neighborhood also have cast concrete fireplaces like this. I realize that many builders ordered these out of catalogs. Here we have an example of what could possibly be Yelland choosing these for his designs.
The cast concrete fireplace in the Fernwood neigborhood
The below picture is my fireplace from my home (excuse the messy mantle). As you can see these fireplaces are cousins and possibly from the same company. Mine is slightly smaller and does not have a shield in the center.
The cast concrete fireplace at my home
oh what fun I had.
One of these days, I will get my San Leandro neighborhood it's Yelland Credentials it deserves. The Broadmoor and Estudillo Estates is a virtual cornucopia of Yelland designs.
illustration #1
illustration #2
illustration #3
illustration #4
illustration #5
illustration #6
illustration #7
illustration #8
illustration #9 The Montclair Library
illustration #10
illustration #11