Smallman Rehabilitation

Alameda, California

• 2015 Preservation Award, Alamada Architectural Preservation Society

DREADFUL EXTERIOR HIDES DELIGHTFUL INTERIOR

When the Owner first saw this house along Alameda’s “Gold Coast,” he thought it was another lost Victorian covered in stucco. But when he entered the house in “Leonardville,” he discovered the interior was completely intact – only the kitchen and bathroom had been compromised. And it had been built by Joseph A. Leonard himself sometime in the 1890's. He bought the Queen Anne and became a landlord.

Thirty years later, after his children were through with college, it was time for a serious restoration on the old lady: a new foundation replaced the brick one, stucco was stripped from the original redwood siding, exterior trim was restored, windows were repaired, and rebalanced, the front door was regrained, and, finally, a tasteful color scheme highlighted all the efforts.

On the interior, plaster repair, wood refinishing and regraining, period light replacements, and new heating and plumbing kept the Owner occupied. Three original fireplaces were retrofitted with electric faux flames. The kitchen remodel featured a restored stained glass window from another estate while the former maid’s room was transformed into a combined bathroom and laundry.

Eligible for the California Register of Historic Places, the majestic Queen is ready for her third century.