This is a Prairie-style home built around 1912 by San Jose architect Frank Delos Wolfe for orchardists Frank and Viola Allen. Wolfe was a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and built many Prairies during this period.
Click here to see the entire photo album of the house.
View when you enter the front door. The room is 26' x 22', with a 16' ceiling with egg-and-dart molding, and it's always sunny. The
central fireplace is a feature of this Prairie syle.
More recent picture of the living room.
Living room with Stickley TV cabinet.
Here are the windows on the inside with a rug I designed and had made to "reflect" them.
Front door now. I added some trim, painted it the same color as the egg and dart molding, and painted stencils on it. Click here to see a side-by-side of the same door before and after.
Living room stained glass windows from outside.
The deep overhangs are a hallmark of Wolfe. The decorative molding goes all around the house.
Door into dining room. The painting over the door is one I did of the
famous
cat mascots of the town of Los Gatos. There's a closeup of the painting on my art page.
Dining room. Still has all its original built-in cabinets, stained glass,
and the egg-and-dart molding.
Dining room cabinet closeup.
Related links:
Most of the Wolfe sites contain
pictures of or references to the Col House in the Shasta Hanchett neighborhood,
which is considered Wolfe's masterpiece.
Our house is almost a twin to the beautiful Col House.
- George Espinola's Web site dedicated to Wolfe. Espinola is the expert on Wolfe, and has written a book on Wolfe and MacKenzie's designs.
- SF Chronicle article
- From the Palm Haven Web site
- Historical report on our house.
- Race Street Prairie house. The owners of this house did a great job renovating and did a lot of research. The site contains links to our place and others that match it.