Month: October 2009

Top Ten Reasons Montclair Works

Don’t worry, we aren’t wearing 100% rose-colored glasses.

After a nice weekend when we kept running into friendly faces, I started thinking about why Montclair works for us.  It’s a mix of the geography and the people, for starters.  Yet we are making a conscious decision to live in Oakland, even though there are plenty of great places in the Bay Area.

Fall Flowers In Montclair

What gives?  As the season abruptly changes, it felt like time to describe why Montclair works – but with caveats included as well.  So here are the Top Ten Reasons Montclair Works:

10.  Flowers bloom all year – Right now there are lovely purple flowers, and last month we saw the naked ladies (really called that, too).  Downside? Mother Nature also delivers mudslides, droughts and fire seasons.

9.  That weather, that weather – In the hills, the weather cools at night and warms in the days.  It’s nice up here.  Downside? Some days, we crave a little morning sunshine and curse that marine layer.

8.  Historical buildings aren’t old – We’re already preserving and honoring buildings less than a century old, like the Fernwood Drive storybook cottages.  Downside? We don’t have anything on downtown Oakland, where it all really started.

7.  Older guys standing sentinel – If you are living on the right block, then you know the older guy who’s been here for at least two score.  Downside? He may know everything, maybe too much.

6.  Shopkeepers who know you – Around here, merchants will remember you, know your preferences and likely trust you.  Downside? Forget turning into a complete recluse, as it takes effort to do.

5.  Schools of people – If you had or have kids in grade school, then you know about the intense parent, teacher and principal engagement.  Downside? Putting money into buildings, grounds or maintenance isn’t a priority.

4.  Our little, cute critters – We do like spotting deer, turkeys, airborne birds and occasional coyotes.  Downside? We’re less fond of the raccoons, skunks, rats, spiders or ants invading our turf.

3.  Oakland’s polyglot – There’s such a mix of different people, from so many different walks of life.  Downside? The economic and geographic divides are very stark.

2.  City or no-city – Montclair Village seems suburban or exurban, with the city this-close.  Downside? Nothing like the hills as a magnet for stealing cars or robbing homes!

1.  There’s a somewhere, there – Montclair boundaries are a bit amorphous, and we like it that way.  Downside? Oakland divides us into pieces, for police beats and council representation.

With these reasons in hand, you should feel pretty good about living here but hardly complacent.  As Hillary Clinton must have declared, “it takes a Village or District to make a difference, to speak up and pitch in.”

Artisans Make Fall Pilgrimmage Here

** Update:  The Festival runs again during 2010, on October 2nd and 3rd. **

We welcomed the arrival of artisans back to Montclair Village today, as they made their fall pilgrimmage to our sidewalks.  Montclair’s Fine Arts and Crafts Sidewalk Festival has returned in full force, and continues from 10am through 5pm tomorrow.

After spending a few hours walking around today, we can report there’s a nice mix of paintings, prints, pottery, glass, jewelry, metal sculptures, clothing and other unique items.  Here are a few things that caught my attention.

Pottery Art

While there are several pottery exhibitors, Mark Untener’s plate and bowl stood out from the crowd.  You can see some of the arts and crafts influence in them, but with a twist.  Mark has been making ceramics for 35 years, ever since he realized that pottery mattered more than his college biology major (email:  untener-at-sbcglobal.net).

Fruit Portrait

Karen LeGault creates paintings and prints that seemed a little different too, and I asked her what influenced this fruit-on-vine print.  She explained her affinity for more intense, Western colors within a Chinese aesthetic.  Anyway, Karen’s art fits the bill for anyone who wants something calming (email:  klegault-at-sbcglobal.net).

Redwoods Zen

There are several escapist, acrylic paintings by Jane Kiskaddon, who uses an Airstream to travel.  So this meditator also uses a trailer to spend time in the local Redwoods, isn’t it great?  When Jane and I spoke, she explained that her art is mystical and uses this color palate pretty consistently (email:  janekiskaddon-at-mac.com).

Birdhouse in Garden

You’ll find “art-house” birdhouses on display in the village, courtesy of  re-use artist Ken Rhoads.  He salvages items and creates one-of-a-kind birdhouses that provide stylish shelter for your local avians.  Full disclosure is that I walked away with a rustic domicile, temporarily displayed in my garden (email:  ken-at-williamgraydesigns.com).

Vibrant Quilt

Plus there are lovely quilts with unexpected colors and vibrancy!  Quilter Catherine Douat uses unique fabrics that make a difference, and can spend up to 50 hours on her fine hand-stitching per piece.  She also creates customized wedding and baby quilts, which are truly meant to be used (email:  catmj1-at-yahoo.com).

Other interesting items?  Metal artist Christina de Lopez offers great rusted dogs and cats as well as brightly-colored insects (email:  Finnweld4u@yahoo.com).  Returnee Laura Blacona offers whimsical salt and pepper shakers (email:  info@rawarte.com).  Kristi Flynn has a huge display of pillar candles, and she’ll mix scents and colors just for you (email:  kitchencandles@yahoo.com).

Anyway, make a little time to hit Montclair Village on Sunday and meet some of the juried artisans along Mountain, La Salle and Antioch.  With this fall mix of art and crafts, you don’t have to give up your first born to afford everything.  We think many items would be perfect for holiday gifts, if it’s possible to think that far ahead.

Fernwood, Perfect For Oakland Founder Hays

Come take a peek at the Fernwood area on Sunday, when Montclarions will open their historical homes to the public.  The legacy of Fernwood makes this a “must see” place in Oakland – as a unique little enclave.

Back in 1852, Colonel John Coffee Hays decided the Temescal Creek was a perfect place for a homestead which, for obvious reasons, he called Fernwood.  If the place was good enough for Oakland’s founding father and first mayor, then there must be something special about it.

Fernwood - Storybook House

Fernwood Gets Settled

Colonel Hays built a large estate at Fernwood, which Wood’s History of Alameda County called “one of the most beautiful of the State and located at the base of the verdure-clad hills of the Coast Range, in a quiet nook [with] lordly oaks and a handsome building and exquisite art.  Indescribable views in every direction.”

After Hays died, two other landed gentry occupied the area.  The Dingees lived there first, until their opulent home burned down.  Later the Percy family lived a little more modestly there.

The fun began after Marion “Borax” Smith and Frank Havens decided to develop this tract.  These were the guys running “Realty Syndicate,” which also developed the Key System and the City of Piedmont.

This time, they wanted to create a place where homes were lovely yet more whimsical.  They marketed the heck out of this new tract as well.  George Duncan, who’s been lucky enough to live in Fernwood for some 45 years, shared more about the development over the years:

The beginning: The 100 (or so) lots development of Fernwood was in 1924, when Havens started selling off the Dingee Estate after an ad campaign that included naming a ferry boat “The Fernwood,” and conducting motorized sales tours from the ferry for potential buyers from San Francisco.

Hood location: The area of the ‘hood is basically one long block surrounded on the east by Mountain Blvd, between Thornhill on the south and Florence Terrace on the north and Fernwood Dr, on the west.  The area lies about equidistant between Lake Temescal to the north and Montclair Village to the south.

Highway destruction: When Landvale Ave. became State Highway 13, following WWII,  it wiped out all the houses on the west side of Fernwood Dr. that backed on the freeway as well as a neighborhood swim club and three or four tennis courts located on Florence Terrace.

Railroad phase-out: The neighborhood organization, “The Fernwood Club,” came into being to hire attorneys to help protect it when The Sacramento Northern RR stopped running and the intersection at Thornhill and Moraga was remodeled to accommodate a freeway exit and an underpass from the highway.

Spared in 1991: In The Oakland Hills Fire of 1991, we were spared almost certain damage when the fire was controlled a block or two to the north at Broadway Terrace as it climbs up the ridge of hills to Skyline Blvd.

Fernwood - Spanish Hacienda

Fernwood’s Still There Today

The Fernwood neighborhood honors its roots, with vestiges of the original Dingee and Percy estates scattered around the properties.  According to the Oakland Heritage Alliance, Dingee’s legacy includes remains from waterfalls, terraces, fountains, orchards, and vineyards in local yards and gardens.  Percy’s legacy includes various creek-side landscaping, plantings and trees – with some species from the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in 1915.

While most homes were built before WWII, they range from the 1920s through 1960s on the street.  There’s a range of styles instead of cookie-cutter development, yet Fernwood still seems cohesive and natural in its landscape.  While the area’s best known for storybook styles, you can also spot Tudors, Spanish, Mission-Revival, Mission, Regency-inspired and Japanese modern homes there.

The houses emerged from different sources.  In the 1920s, the Spanish homes were designed by Oaklander Roger Blaine who worked with Timothy Pflueger, the architect who created the Paramount Theater.  Another home was designed by a young John Carl Warnecke, who went on to design JFK’s gravesite at Arlington Cemetery.  And several homes were even moved here from the Treasure Island World’s Fair in 1939.

Since fire danger has always been part of our history, some of the homes are fire-proofed fortresses.  After one of the largest fires, the Berkeley Fire of 1924, one notable specimen was constructed with double-brick walls and a slate roof.  The early Fernwood homes look like they were built to last, and have done so.

Fernwood - Old Tudor

Oakland Heritage Alliance’s Tour

Please visit the Storybook Houses of Fernwood this Sunday afternoon.  The Oakland Heritage Alliance (OHA) has organized a self-guided tour through the neighborhood, featuring nine Period Revival homes from the 1920s.  The hours are from 1:00 to 5:30 pm, and you may visit all the homes by walking along Mountain Blvd and Fernwood Drive.

Just show up at 1600 Mountain Blvd, in the Montclair District.  The tour costs $35/person for the tour, or $25 if you belong to the Alliance.  It’s worth every dime, as a major benefit for this group which “advocates the protection, preservation, and revitalization of Oakland’s architectural, historic, cultural and natural resources.”

With a part-time administrator and nine-person volunteer board, the OHA organizes nearly two-dozen walking tours and a dozen lectures annually.  Doug Dove, who’s an OHA board member and Fernwood House Tour chairman, said that tour attendance was very high all summer long.  He expects at least 500 people at Fernwood, including the 60 docents and/or homeowners!

The Fernwood neighbors will be a congenial and welcoming bunch.  They still operate the Fernwood Club, which taps ino the proceeds of invested money from their old freeway fights.  While the Club meets for picnics or dinners, they have also made donations over the years.  Most notably they contributed the brick fireplace for Montclair Library, another storybook structure.

Thus it’s not surprising that nine Montclarions are sharing their Fernwood properties, and supporting the Oakland Historical Alliance this year.  If you have been on any of the historical walking tours before, then you already know the OHA prides themselves on finding experts and having them share their Oakland knowledge.  Fernwood’s open houses are the final tour event for the season – in a cool place to live that we call home.

House Numbers Are Fire Safety Headache

In normal places, you don’t have to think very hard about your home’s street numbers and where to display them.  You put a set of numbers somewhere that’s visible from the street, and make sure the vegetation stays cleared from the numbers.  Then you’re all set for either first responders or everyday visitors.

In Montclair, this task just isn’t normal.  Around our homes, placing house numbers appropriately isn’t at all intuitive and has turned into a little guessing game.  As city fire inspectors  do their jobs, many residents have been notified to take care of their numbers and they are trying to meet standards.

Street Numbers Visible

Generally to be compliant, you need to display numbers that are close to the home as well as visible from the streets.  Fire Safety compliance rule #10 says you need to “provide street address numbers that are clearly visible from the roadside: minimum height 4 inches, in a contrasting color.”

“Making house numbers clear and visible helps [first responders] get to the right address as soon as possible.  The spread of a fire in a densely vegetated area can be very quick so every second counts,” declared District 4 Council Rep Jean Quan.

The main challenge relates to proper placement on homes. The ideal situation is to place numbers on the house and near the front door.  However many homes aren’t visible from the street, so numbers are attached to gates and fences which can be viewed properly from the street.  Both seem to be acceptable protocols.

“It’s smart to ask us to standardize – somewhat, depending on the physical characteristics of each property – the placement of house numbers, so they can protect us,”  said neighbor Sue Kahn, on the Montclair SIC’s Yahoo board.

For properties nestled between two streets, the degree of difficulty rises. “In the hills we often have two entrances on different streets and sometimes two addresses, it is very confusing,” explained Council Rep Quan.  “As someone who has walked to almost every house in my district I understand [the] concern.”

According to Montclarion John Rabold, “it’s clear to me that if a house’s legal street address is, say, 1234 Front Street but its back border is on Back Street, the visible address on the front of the house should be 1234 but any visible address on the back of the house should be 1234 Front Street.”

Keep on trying to comply. Today is another Red-Flag Day, a designation issued by the National Weather Service which means that high winds and low humidity continue to translate into high fire danger.  Anything we can do to protect our home fronts is serious business, so this house number talk isn’t mumbo-jumbo.