While I had intended to include a couple of RV links in this post along with a link to a blog done by one of the new owners of our former home at 135 Van Ness Avenue in Santa Cruz, I've just read her entire blog and believe it deserves a separate post.
The Craftsman style house in which we lived from November 1954 to October 2010 was built by a furniture dealer named Frank Chapman in 1922. A 1923 article in the Santa Cruz Sentinel states that as a co-owner and manager of a furniture at the NW corner of Pacific Ave and Cathcart Street he had increased the store's business by 50%, attracting customers from as far as San Francisco to the north and Hollywood to the south.
He also became active in the Chamber of Commerce and built a home on a lot on Van Ness Avenue, no doubt having some say in the selection of wood used for the dining room buffet and framing the doors and windows. Sadly, less then 6 months after the Sentinel article had appeared he was dead at age 56, if memory serves.
The next owner, Arthur D. Wirt, who was a former petroleum engineer for Standard Oil in Kern County, lived at 135 Van Ness from 1926 to 1946 -- and likely planted the two apples trees in the backyard,
After Arthur Wirt's death in 1946 former real estate agent Fred Garrison bought the house and made some changes. He had the brown siding covered with a fake brick; and he used the left-over faux-brick for the walls of a shed he added to east side of the garage. And he added a kitchenette and another bathroom to the bedroom in the SW corner of the house. By walling off the door into that bedroom, he had a 3-room rental. (Incidentally, there was a gas jet which could be used for a small one-burner stove and there was a Kelvinator refrigerator.)
One of his renters during WWII was noted SCHS math teacher Alpheus Green, who may have been directed to the rental by another SCHS math teacher, Harlan Smith.
When Fred Garrison died in 1953 his widow Hattie lived there for nearly a year before selling the house to my father in Nov 1954. Some of our family members lived there longer than others; for instance, my two sisters, Jane and Eloise both got married and moved out. And later so did David and then Warren. I maintained 135 Van Ness as my address of record while working for the US Forest Service and serving in the army, once I was discharged I returned to 135 Van Ness.
--
However, the record-holder for living at the house which Frank built was my late mother, who lived there 55 years. Though I continued living there until the new owners took possession, I still didn't live there 55 years because of army service and 9 months teaching at Bishop Union High School.
But now the new owners, Chie Kawahara and Kurt Hurley will direct the evolution of 135 Van Ness. And you can not only follow that evolution but see some additional photos not provided by our real estate broker on Chie's blog, which is titled Midori Haus. (Not sure what "Midori" means in Japanese, but "House" is the English cognate for the German word "Haus.")
If you haven't been following Chie's blog, I suggest you start at the bottom with the first post and then move up to the more recent posts.
--
I look forward to the next chapter in the evolution of the house Frank built.
Thursday's Route: Sacramento RV Park Resort - Chico - Orland
Thanks, Bob, for sharing the history of 135 Van Ness. "Midori" is Japanese for green. "Haus" is German for house, as you've mentioned.
ReplyDelete