Saturday, October 31, 2009

The Rise and Fall of Twelve Acres


Photo: Los Altos History Museum
I received a bounty of information from Jane Metz, describing a house in Los Altos that JHT designed as a country retreat for E. J. McCutchen, a prominent San Francisco lawyer. It was located on Pine Lane, near Adobe Creek. The house was featured in the January 1920 issue of Architect and Engineer.


Constructed for $20,000 in 1918, the 14-room mansion was sited on a sixteen-acre site that was beautifully landscaped by McCutchen's friend, John McLaren, who served as superintendent of Golden Gate Park. McCutchen died in 1933 and the rambling 2-story house was sold to Adolph Meyer of the Pet Milk Company. For a time, the house became known as the Meyer and Manning residence. In 1943, the house and 12 acres of land were sold to the Christian Science Church and served as a home for children until 1959. During this time the estate was known as "Twelve Acres". Once they had further subdivided the property and sold all but two acres, the church built their new children's home about 75 feet from the original house.


Photo: Los Altos History Museum
The old mansion was sold to a member of the planning commission, a contractor who planned to either remodel it or tear it down. Unfortunately, after standing empty for a year, the structure was destroyed in a suspicious fire on August 16th, 1960.


Photo: Los Altos History Museum
Stylistically, this house was transitional for JHT, fitting in after his Viennese Secessionist period and largely of the English Plaster Cottage style he would settle into throughout the 20's. With its clipped gables and thatch-like rolled shingle eaves, it bore some resemblance to the Blasingame House in Piedmont of the same year, or the Cherry House in Oakland of 1915. Ironically, prior to building this house in Los Altos, Edward McCutchen's home in San Francisco had been destroyed by fire--but that was in the days when fire wagons were still pulled by horses and house fires were relatively common.

Thanks to Jane Metz for digging up most of this information. She even found out that during the time the house was serving as a children's home and summer camp, Peter Ueberroth worked there as a recreation leader or PE teacher. Though the building no longer stands, due to its history as a children's home there must be scores of people who have memories off this place.

11 comments:

  1. I lived at Twelve acres from 65-68 when it was a group home for Christian Science children. My recollection is of a beautiful Blue Spruce and an open area leading back to Adobe Creak. For a child of 10 it was like heaven. I still remember spending my Saturdays following the creakbed for miles and romping through the open fields spotted with oak trees.

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    1. I lived there too at that time. Contact me at stumps.b.gone@gmail.com.

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  2. I lived at Twelve Acres in the 50s. I was happy to find this information and would like a resource for a more detailed history and pictures if someone might be able to help me I would appreciate it.
    Aprile

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    1. also stayed at summer camp 1949 - 1950 .. a truly wonderful place .. fond memories ...

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  3. stayed at 12 acres summer camp 1949 - 1950 .. it was truly a wonderful and magical place.. kind and caring staff .. fond memories

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  4. I spent a glorious summer in 1956 at Camp Talahi as an assistant camp counselor. It was on the grounds of Twelveacres. Because I could not go home on one of my required nights off, I was allowed to sleep in the main house in one of the dorms...such a beautiful home.
    Would love to find Sally Harbison, Jackie Roach, Al and Connie Sebold!
    We had wonderful red sweatshirts which said Camp Talahi on them. We wore them to Big Basin for our regular campouts at the end of each two-week session.
    Happy, happy memories!

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  5. The year that the article mentions the house stood empty before it burned down was the year we lived there.

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  6. I was there way too young...scary. I would never send a child to such a place. I'm thinking it was 1961-63 or so.

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  7. There in 50-51. Good food, good friends, conscientious kind adults. Lot's of good memories! Led to a good life!
    Billy Curtis

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    1. Authoritarian woman who I remember being in-charge required everyone call her "Mommy Thor"....creepy.

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    2. I lived at Twelveacres from age 5-8, about 1951-1954. Lived in the little girls dorm. Good memories of Mrs. K (Pearl Kowalski) who was our dorm mother most of that time. Very loving and kind. And her collie Skippy was also SO helpful to me. Also have happy memories of summer camp there, learning to swim. And learning to ride a bike - still have knee scars from falling. I would love to hear from anyone who also lived at Twelveacres. And I wish for photos!
      Linda (Pedroni) Semrau

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