Our journey of preserving a 1955 eichler home in south land park hills + telling the current state & past history of mid-century modern in the Sacramento, California region.
Contact: atomicpear [at] comcast [dot] net
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Yesterday I posted some additional information regarding Sacramento region mid-century modern architect Carter Sparks. I've also previously posted a little bit of history regarding Mr. Sparks. I wanted to do this so you had a little background on his life and work."A true master piece of relaxation. This warm inviting home offers custom wood working with vaulted ceilings, wood floors throughout, floor to ceiling glass windows over looking a meticulous landscape with custom ponds. You can totally relax with the privacy that will make you feel you are in the country while you are minutes away from downtown. This Carter Sparks Custom home is perfect for anyone who wants privacy with a flare. It also has a guest house for friends or staff. This is a beautiful home."More regarding this home directly from the realtor.
via Eichler Network Newsletter: Winter 2004, page 4Carter E. Sparks, an architect known for designing large custom homes with lots of glass and wood that blended in with the surroundings, died of cancer Wednesday at his Clarksburg residence.
He was 73.
"To me, he was a fine artist, not just a person creating a plan," said artist Greg Kondos, for whom Mr. Sparks had designed a home and studio. "His homes came out with a warm feeling."
Mr. Sparks designed some of Sacramento's most impressive homes, including some on the bluffs overlooking the American River.
Known primarily as a residential architect, he spent many years designing homes for Streng Brothers, which built thousands of units on subdivisions in Sacramento, Davis, Woodland and Elk Grove.
In addition to his work for Kondos, Mr. Sparks designed homes for Dr. Franklin and Sandra Yee, Dr. Israel and Joan Ore, Jim and Sharon McCuen and Dr. Thomas and Virginia Marshall.
A native of Ogden, Utah, he was the only child of Faye Carter Sparks and Cecil L. Sparks. His father was a master mechanic for Southern Pacific railroad and the family eventually ended up in southern Oregon.
Mr. Sparks studied engineering at Oregon State University before enlisting in the Navy as an aviation cadet in 1944. Dropping out of flight school, he was trained instead as a navigator, and commissioned as an ensign just as World War II drew to a close. Immediately after the war, he was transferred to Washington, D.C., and assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, where he met his first wife, the former Billie Dare, an enlisted person assigned to an office job there.
They began dating and married a few months later. Leaving Washington in 1946, the two Navy veterans moved to Berkeley, where they both enrolled at the University of California under the GI Bill. She studied liberal arts, while he signed up for classes at the School of Architecture.
He graduated in 1950 and worked for two architectural firms in the Bay Area before moving in 1955 to Sacramento, where he went into partnership with another architect, Don Thaden. In addition to homes, they also designed schools.
After he and his first wife divorced in the late 1970s, Mr. Sparks married the former Dolores "Dodi" Hernandez, who survives him. Other survivors include his daughter, Jennifer Sparks-Bellarbi of Sacramento; stepchildren Dennison Sheya of Phoenix, Charles Sheya of Lake Tahoe and Edward Sheya of Folsom; and six grandchildren."
"The more idiosyncratic the client, the more interesting the house will be,'' says Sparks. "The same thing goes for the site. If it's interesting, it's easier to build an interesting house on it. One of my clients decided to build into a hill and that made for an interesting floor plan. Another couple, who were teachers, wanted a house that would be very flexible so they could teach at home after they eventually retired. So all the walls are storage units on wheels so they can be moved to change the number and the configuration of the rooms.While it is well-known that Sparks designed custom homes, commercial buildings, schools, and models for Streng Bros. Homes, many are unaware that he also designed homes specifically for Blomberg (of Blomberg Windows) that were built here in town. I'll have more details regarding this in a later post.
"At the moment, I am working on designs for inexpensive factory-built houses that young couples can afford. They average about 1,400 square feet and, including the lot, should cost about $75,000 in this area. My factory house designs are contemporary and can be put together in 'h,' 'l' and 't' shapes to make them more interesting.''
Carter Sparks says really listening to his clients is one of the ways he gets to know them. "I also like to look in their closets to see if I can find a favorite color and style of clothes they like.'' Though he says of the last group of volume house designs he did to fit a "general attitude,'' 35 of them sold to young architects. "I guess that says something about architects thinking alike,'' he said.
Plan FC-13 by Claude Oakland
Exterior to interior view
Plan FB-4 by John Brooks Boyd".... For many years, Boyd was Eichler's architect on the spot, customizing designs by Jones & Emmons, Anshen+Allen, and Claude Oakland to meet the demands of the clients and the site.More on John Brooks Boyd, including pictures can be found in the newsletter, available directly from the Eichler Network.
The Eichler custom homes were based either on standard Eichler tract designs or on homes specially designed by Eichler's architects for individual clients. While Boyd was rarely involved in designing the basic homes himself, at least two of his own Eichler designs were built: one in Foster City; and another in Mill Valley, near Eichler's Harbor Point development....
Born in Reno in 1931, Boyd served with the U.S. Navy's Sea Bees in the early 1950s, studied architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and then worked for Jones & Emmons before joining Eichler...."
The patient: our silly Jetsons boomerang couch
House + Home, April 1955, Page 258."Joseph L. Eichler and his prize-winning architects, Jones and Emmons, A.I.A., know the important points of difference between Arcadia and other sliding glass doors.I can attest our original Arcadia doors are still operating beautifully in our 1955 Eichler Home here in Sacramento!
That's why they specify Arcadia exclusively for Eichler Homes. For even a single point of difference may pay off with added profits on your present project. Spend five minutes with Arcadia's 1955 catalog -- and see!
There's more to Arcadia sliding glass doors than meets the eye!"
Today's fresh catch: Another gorgeous Carter Sparks custom home in Sacramento's Wilhaggin area near Fair Oaks Boulevard. This home was previously featured in a June 2005 "Inside Arden" article (via The Beam Guy).
Description:"Carter Sparks designed with soaring main gallery that captivates breathtaking views of pool and garden. Sophisticated living space wrapped in massive brick & wood infrastructure crisply defined by sheer walls of butted glass. Dramatic Mid-Century Classic with Honduras mahogany paneling & bleach birch floors."
"Neighbors, the South Land Park Neighborhood Association, together with City Council Member Rob Fong, are hosting a Crime Meeting to discuss recent crimes, Neighborhood Watch activity and organization, and how we can all contribute to keeping our neighborhood safe.I've mentioned the SPLNA before in a previous post and recommend joining and getting involved if you haven't done so already.
The meeting will also be attended by Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Neighborhood Services. We encourage all residents who are concerned about safety to attend, and we especially encourage those interested in coordinating a Neighborhood Watch to attend, as you will be provided with all the necessary tools and resources. The meeting will be from 6:30-7:30PM and will be at the Belle Cooledge Library. Save the date!"
* ... Depending on the size of your house and how high your ceilings are, radiant heating can save 30% on your heating bills (and might help you snag a tax rebate).Go to Ideal Bite's post directly for further information and links.
* Since it doesn't involve vents, forced air, or ducts, radiant floor heating can reduce dust mites by 80% - good news if you or your fam have bad allergies.
* You'll get more-even heat distribution throughout rooms - so you won't have to hang out near vents to feel warm.
