Historic homes of Santa Rosa

The first official map of Santa Rosa filed with the county of Sonoma, was in 1854 by Julio Corio. We're going to start our tour of santa rosa with a walking tour of the junior college area and Mendocino Avenue. I'm standing in front of 8-4 Mendocino Avenue,

A late Spanish colonial revival. This house was built in 1937. This house features a shaped parapet over the arched entry. It was built by local builder Frances Nielsen for the Rosenberg family. This large rambling residence has multi paned French doors occurring regularly on the facade with

arched relief detail on the tops and sides. Max. Rosenberg opened a store in Santa Rosa in 1896. Some of the homes on Mendocino Avenue have remained in the names of the original families. Rosenberg's department store was located in fourth and D since the late 19 thirties.

Since 1996. It has been a Barnes and noble bookstore. It's hard to believe, but Mendocino Avenue once was an open field covered with a considerable number of trees. The Junior College area today is identified by its educational institutions. The most notable buildings are the complexes of

santa rosa High School and santa rosa Junior College, both on Mendocino Avenue. This is 76, 7 Mendocino Avenue, also known as the Comstock House. The comstock house is a very distinctive structure on Mendocino Avenue. It's an outstanding shingle style house with colonial revival elements. This house

was built in 1905. This house was designed by Brainerd jones For the local lawyer James Oates for his wife and mother in law. A photo from 1880 when he died in 1915. mrs Nellie heard Comstock purchased it for her son, Hillard Comstock. Hillard Comstock, a very

handsome man. Hillard Comstock studied law with Colonel Oats and was his partner in the law firm of oats and Comstock until he died in 1950. From 1910. Hillard comstock served as a Superior Court judge from 1929 until his retirement. A remarkable example of 20th century architecture

as you can see, the Comstock house is undergoing restoration. A short history of the Comstock house tells us that it is a private family home in santa rosa California. It is currently undergoing a restoration, intended to return the exterior to its original 1905 appearance. The house

is named for the comstock family who lived here for 74 years. Comstock house would be noteworthy if only for its link to the illustrious family, But it is a remarkable example of early 20th century architecture that remains in mostly original condition. The main rooms of the

house were never remodeled and still appear almost exactly as they did in 1905. Also rare is that the original blueprints and the architects directions to the contractor have been preserved. The architect for the Comstock house was Brainerd jones. Next to the comstock house is a structure

that probably was the Davis family home. This is 759, Mendocino Avenue. It was built in 1871 In 1853. The streets of Santa Rosa were laid out, An engraving appears in the 1877 Thompson Atlas. You can see the train running in the background. It was the W.

S. Davis family home. It has been altered considerably. Here is a 1901 photo of the Davis home. New settlers coming into santa rosa brought with them the wood traditions of the Gothic and greek Revival styles. This is 7 27 Mendocino Avenue, also known as the belvedere

Belvedere is an architectural term for a structure designed to incorporate a view. This house provides an interesting contrast to the comstock house. The term belvedere means lookout tower. Both were designed by Brainerd jones In Santa Rosa, he designed only seven known houses, five of them still

existing. This house was built in 1901. It is one of the finer surviving queen and houses in santa rosa and the only one with an open belvedere. This house was built for wh limestone. An employee of Isaac. The American Queen Anne was a popular design in

the early 20th century. This house was built by the local firm of Simpson and roberts. The lump stone house is listed on the National Historic Register. The building costs were noted in 19 0. To santa rosa paper as $10,000. There is a restaurant on the second

floor and a bar on the first floor, It was considered one of the handsomest dwellings in Sonoma County at that time. This is a two story colonial revival home. This is 96 humboldt Street. This house was built in 1909. The 1909 picture shows a balcony railing.

The home was built for the family of frank L. Hoyt, a millwright engineer in business locally and in san Francisco with his brother Henry, an architectural designer under the firm name of White Brothers, their firm was responsible for a number of santa rosa buildings. The characters

block at fourth and B Streets, the Old Post Office and Federal building, and several Carnegie libraries in other northern California cities. The different textures include pattern shingles and drop lap siding, the classic round columns on both the 1st and 2nd stories and let it glass windows,

add a note of formality to the house. This unusual example of the stick Eastlake style displays queen and forms. This is 638 Right Street. This house was built in 19031 of the earlier buildings on Wright Street. This unique residents has marble front stairs that came from

the Elks Club, which was demolished in the 19 seventies. There's an array of bold details, such as barge boards, brackets at the slanted bays and the group columns on the porch. It's difficult to see them. Now we now take our walking tour to the Mcdonald Avenue

area of santa rosa California in 18 75. Mark Mcdonald had bought 130 acres of wheat fields just east of College Avenue for $39,000 718 McDonald Avenue was built in 1910. A large two story craftsman style house with dormers and an open arbor front porch. This solidly

built home was designed by Brainerd Jones. The architect. This house was built for paul T Haman senior, whose father, F G. Haman was in partnership with Bertolt, Hone and WP Hartman at the old adobe Paul Hammond Sr was born in Santa Rosa in 1864 and founded

the Hamann Drugstore. This is 7 24 Mcdonald Avenue, built in 1910. This two story shingle style house has a shed dormer and craftsman style windows. The hooper residents and several others on the avenue are the work of frank a Sullivan who built over 60 buildings in

santa rosa alone among the most prominent today are the Doyle building at fourth and D Streets and the Jacobs building in Railroad Square. As you can see this house is right next door to 718 McDonald Avenue. In 1877, Mark McDonald had planted many trees in the

area. This is 815 McDonald Avenue, built in 1878. 1 of the first houses to be built on MacDonald Avenue. This two story stick Eastlake House has a wealth of Eastlake detailing. Note the spindle brackets on the bay window front veranda and balcony arch ornament. This house

was built for dr and mrs augustus s right who had formerly lived at 805 Mcdonald Avenue. Local builder TJ Ludwig may have built this house. The house remained for many years in the possession of the right family. When Mark Mcdonald was advertising his Mcdonald's edition, he

stated there were homesteads, cheap and desirable lots sold in houses built to order on the installment plan terms. Easy. I wonder if the same could be said today. This is 8-5 McDonald Avenue, built in 1878. Another one of the original houses built in the macdonald edition.

This large stick style residence features inventive stick detailing and symmetrically placed, full height square bays. You cannot see the full height square bays at this time because the trees are covering them. It is believed that this house was built for a retired sea captain in the

early 1870s. Some of the trees found on the site were reportedly imported from other lands by the captain. The next resident was Clement Young, who lived there with his mother and sister. Young became Governor of California in the 1920s. Here you can see the full height

square bays. Mr and mrs Frank. Grace moved into the house in 1901 Frank and his brother Joseph Owned Grace Brothers Brewery, an important local industry for 60 years. The Macdonald edition was destined to become a showplace of elegant homes, including large structures reminiscent of the architecture

of the gilded age. Mark Mcdonald came west in search of gold. He certainly found it on Macdonald Avenue. This is 904 McDonald Avenue, built in 1877. Probably one of the first houses built on McDonald Avenue. This house is my personal favorite because this is where Alfred

Hitchcock filmed shadow of a doubt in Santa Rosa in the summer of 1942. This house was evidently built for G. In Savage, a local dry goods merchant. The J. W. Wiley family later resided here. Wiley was a dental surgeon with an office on 4th Street In

1901. Wesley and Nellie Felton Hopper lived in this house. This is a well kept home. We come now to the Shining Jewel in the Crown of McDonald Avenue, 1015 McDonald Avenue, also known as Mapleton. This house was built in 1877 by Mark McDonald. This is one

of santa rosa's outstanding Victorians. It was built by TJ Ludwig for Colonel Mark Mcdonald, the developer of the Macdonald Edition, as a summer home. This is a replica of a plantation house overlooking the Mississippi River. It is a large, elaborately decorated stick style residence with a

southern influence. The mansion is surrounded by extensive grounds with a carriage house. The building was nearly lost by fire during the restoration done by Jack and judy less during this elaborate mansion is the dominant building in the Mcdonald Avenue neighborhood and because of its quality and

original design features, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This is 1127 MacDonald Avenue, built in 1877. This is one of the first homes built on Macdonald Avenue. This is a nicely proportioned stick style house with square bay and dormer windows set at

the roof edge, William and sarah Finley moved to santa rosa in 18 72 dr William Finley had been the first president of Corvallis College Oregon State College and in 18 76 was chosen as the second president of the Pacific Methodist College. The detailing on this house

creates an interesting texture. This is 8 - nine Spring Street, built in 1915. This is a very good example of a craftsman bungalow, showing a swiss style second story balcony. This house has vertical roof ventilators at the gable ends. This is 1313 ST. Helena. Built in

1937. This vine covered English cottage features a steeply pitched shake roof and a prominent chimney. This house was built for dr boles by bob witting a local contractor who was responsible for many buildings in santa rosa dr Bowles had served in flanders in World War One

and made a pen and ink drawing of a home he had seen there from that drawing, bob witting, drew up a set of plans and built the house