A Visit to the House on Jackson Street ....... October 4, 2023

Photograph taken by Lester Hayes in 1907. From the King Album.

 

The exterior of the Jackson Street home. Pictures taken October 4, 2023 by Patti Alden.

   Way back on August 15, 2021 I posted several pictures of a home that my Great Great Grandfather Charles J. King built in San Francisco in 1907.  The photographs were in a family album embossed with the name Mrs. C.J. King.  You can read about the journey to find the home and its location by clicking the link Jackson Street House on the right.  Since then I have been in contact with the new owner of the home off and on, waiting for an exterior renovation to be completed so that we could visit the home in person.  That day came in early October of this year! The weather was a beautiful 84 degrees in San Francisco and the sun was shining.  It was a great day for a quick trip to the coast. 

   

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge!

     A  little visual history first.....

The home in 1907 during the initial construction.  You can see the three stories with the top window framed in and the large bay window underneath that had been started.  The home was built as two separate family dwellings with access to the top two stories via a staircase that ran up the right side of the home. 

A 2021 Google Image.  At an unknown date the exterior of the home was simplified and many decorative details were left off after a thick layer of stucco was added.  A garage was also added underneath the bottom story some time ago when the street levels were lowered. 

   The Jackson Street House after exterior renovations by the current owners.  Note the exterior lighting and new landscaping.  It has a fresh, modern look that is well balanced with the addition of molding that mimics the original. The roof railing at the top was not added back as a part of the renovation, primarily due to the additional cost. The next door neighbors look like they are in the middle of exterior renovations also. Shared by the owner September of 2022.

  The home on the left was there when C.J. King built this home. 

 

 You can see the back portion of the home. 

    The beautiful bay windows. They are exquisite!

Looking up! The smooth texture of the stucco gives the home a modern look.  This looks very similar to the finish that was on the original home. 

The staircase and stairwell leading up to the top floor apartment.  There is also access to the second story apartment from here. The owners also added a small elevator to the home.  The first floor apartment is accessed by the second front door, and is currently being  rented out and was not available to look at. 

A closeup of the lattice on the landing. The owner believes it is original to the home.

I had shared a digital copy of our original photograph with the owner several months ago.  Their print is proudly displayed at the top of the stairs to tell the story of the home. 

The owner of the home led us up to her top story apartment and balcony.  This is the view from the balcony.  We have driven over the Golden Gate Bridge many, many times not even knowing that we could see this house from there!

Mom (Margaret) enjoying the view from the top floor balcony. Of course, her Great Grandfather would not have had this view of the bridge as it wasn't completed until 1937. Solar panels were a thing of the future too!  The owners installed solar panels on this home, and drive an electric car that is charged with the electricity generated by the solar panels.  As an engineer, I think Charles would find it all very fascinating!

An interior archway in the upstairs apartment.  At the time the home was built, the family servant may have lived up here.  The space has since been renovated with an updated kitchen, bath and laundry area  as well as extra living space extending out onto a new balcony.  You can still find original details here and there!

A close up of the archway molding detail. 

The curved vestibule leading to two similar bedrooms.  The floor is original. 

 Closeups of the floor and curving floor molding.  

Detail of the hallway molding....

Original windows in the small  hallway leading to the back portion of the apartment. There was lots of storage space in this section of the top story, and may have been where the household helpers kept the family linens or other items.  There is now a large updated bathroom at the end of this walk thru that serves as the master bathroom.  

Down on the second level is the owner's son's apartment and living quarters.  We were able to take a peak at some of the original elements in the rooms.  This room may have been a dining room at one point, but has been remade as a master bedroom.  The ceiling molding is absolutely beautiful!

Close up of the beautiful plaster work.

Mom (Margaret) admiring the plaster work ceiling molding in this bedroom.  

   Before we left, the owner showed us down to the basement/ garage area (we used the elevator!) and showed us where the little Airbnb apartment was in the back (yes, you can rent it out!!).  It was an amazing tour and we were so appreciative of the time she took to show us around her home and share her family's story.  She and her family have kept the look and feel of the original home while adding modern updates as most older homes in the area have done.  They have been a part of  preserving the valuable history of this beautiful city.  We certainly felt a tangible and physical connection to the past in this home, and a connection to Charles King especially.  He was known as a master carpenter and woodworker and we could see the craftsmanship and attention to detail in this home.   I am so thankful that his work has been preserved for many more generations to come. 

Margaret (Hansen) Boothby, Stephanie (Boothby) Efstratis, Patti (Boothby) Alden October 4 2023.

Jackson Street House, front steps. 

Heading home across the Golden Gate Bridge......

  Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen->Emma King Hayes Van Duzer->Charles and Anna King from St. Austell, Cornwall, England. 

52Ancestors52Weeks Week 32 Theme: In the City.......The House on Jackson Street Then and Now

I originally shared this picture in my blog post of  7-11-2021.  Picture taken by Lester Hayes 1907 and from the King Album.

    
   The city of San Francisco has played a very large part in my family's history, on both my maternal and paternal sides.  It is of course much different now than it was at the turn of the century, or even in the 20's, 30's and 40's.  Big cities have a way of evolving and changing with the times.  For my Great Great Grandfather, Charles King, San Francisco provided an opportunity to get back on his feet financially and allowed him to continue to work in his building and carpentry trade.  In my post of July 11, 2021, I shared this picture of a home he had built in the city in 1907.  Since that post, I shared this photograph with the private Facebook group San Francisco History to 1915 to see if I could pinpoint an address and if the house was still standing.   I have discovered not only the complete address, but I have been in contact with the current owners! (I am not adding the actual house number to this story).  I have since researched the original families that lived in the home after its construction in 1907.  Life in the city was a little different then. 

  The home looks a little different today, but is still standing thanks to the sturdy construction methods my Great Great Grandfather used.  

Then.......

  The members of the group helped  locate the home on Jackson Street, San Francisco, just a block from the Presidio.  There was an address on each pillar, so the home was originally two living spaces.  According to a  member of the Facebook group, the home was built by Charles J. King and Charles Berwin for the grand sum of $14,925 (taken from the San Francisco Call March 7, 1907 Real Estate announcement).  Charles Berwin is found on the 1910 US Census and did indeed live at this Jackson Street address.  He was a 47 year old merchant who owned a furrier business on Geary.  He lived with his wife  Anna and his 8 year old son Ralph H. and 7 year old daughter Edith.  Both Charles and Anna were born in the United States, but their parents were from Germany. They lived in this house with another person named Rose Reynolds who was born in Ireland and came to this country in 1909.  She was 30 years of age, unmarried,  and her occupation was listed as "Servant".  So, the Berwin family was in a financial position that enabled them to have a home built in a beautiful neighborhood and to live in relative comfort with the help of a in home domestic worker.  It is hard to say what Rose's exact duties were, but she may have done everything from cooking to laundry to child care. 

    By 1920, Charles was living on 3rd Avenue with Anna and was listed in the Directory as an importer of fine furs.  His business was located on Powell Street.  I am not sure how long the Berwins lived on Jackson Street; Charles is listed as living on Jackson Street in the 1917 Directory, but they are not there by the 1920 US Census. Charles passed away in 1929.  

  The Berwins lived next door to the Levy family.  Moses Levy was born in California, but his parents were born in Germany.  His wife's name was Rose and her parents were from Russia (Polish) as well as Germany.  He was jewelry merchant.  They lived with their 19 year old son Lester who worked in the clothing business.  This family had two domestic workers; Hannah Landstrom who was a recent immigrant from Sweden, aged 23, and Tamaska Yaki, a 22 year old male from Japan.  Both were listed as "Servants--Private Family".   

  Both of these families were a part of the great city's growth after the 1906 earthquake.  They became a part of  middle and upper middle class business owners who were taking advantage of the growing economy as well as an increasing equality of opportunity.  My Great Great Grandfather would be included in this socioeconomic status.  

Now..

    The house looks a little different than it did 114 years ago, but you can tell it is the same house.  The pillars are gone as are most of the beautiful ornamental details.  The exterior is now a non descript neutral stucco.  A garage was added underneath the first floor, and stairs were added to the front door as the elevation was changed. 

This view from Google shows the same house to the left that was there when the house was originally built.  I wonder if  Charles King would recognize it? I am sure he would not recognize the amount of money you would have to pay today to purchase it! A current Zillow estimate puts it at about 2.7 million dollars. 

You can really see how much the whole street elevation was changed with the addition of garages under the homes.  I'm not sure what decade that occurred.  The property now consists of three living units, a garage and guest quarters behind the garage.  Those are  interesting changes made in 114 years! 

   Some wonderful  members of the Facebook group located and notified the owner of my post,  and we have since been in touch.  I have shared several pictures of Charles King and the pictures that were taken as the house was being built with her, which she was thrilled to receive.  She is currently in the process of renovating the exterior of the house, and will use the original photographs to restore the wonderful details that my Great Great Grandfather used in 1907.  She has even extended an invitation for our family to visit when she is done!  I cannot wait! Family history coming full circle.  Besides, there  is a beautiful stained glass window in the dining room that may be original to the house that I would love to see in person.  And, I would love to know more about the current owners. 

  Another member of the group who is a builder mentioned the construction that was used to build this home.  It was called platform/western style framing, and was superior to the balloon framing of the Victorian homes.  Balloon framing relied on framing a whole group of  vertical walls, tilting them up and then fastening the floor to the studs after.  This resulted in a fire hazard potential as there were spaces between ceilings and floors that were interconnected to wall cavities which could allow a fire to quickly spread directly to the roof.  He made the comment that he had worked on many San Francisco homes, and he could tell this was a sturdy, well build home.  He also mentioned that it was originally clad in stucco to provide a more durable envelope for the structure, as opposed to wood.  

Picture shared in my 7-11-21 post.  Charles J. King was using the more up to date building method of platform/western style framing.  This home is still located on Jackson Street in San Francisco. 

 

  This was a fun post to write.  Coming to the very large and growing city of San Francisco  gave Charles King the opportunity to start fresh after his bankruptcy issues in St. Austell, Cornwall.  St. Austell must have seemed tiny and quaint compared to San Francisco!  He made the most of the Great Earthquake of 1906 and helped build the city into a more modern and up to date place than it was before.  I can imagine that he was excited to learn new building methods and put them into use.  I can't imagine what he would think of the city these days.  This particular neighborhood is still relatively quiet and might just look very close to how it did in the early 20th century (minus the cars and garages....)! 

He and my Great Great Grandmother Anna eventually moved to a more rural part of the Bay Area in Santa Clara where they spent many happy years on "The Ranch". 

  

Picture of an unknown child at a building site of Charles King.  Photo from the King Album. 

  Relationship Reference:  Me->Margaret Hansen Boothby->Margaret Elizabeth Hayes Hansen->Emma King Hayes Van Duzer->Charles and Anna King from St. Austell, Cornwall, England.