Your Eichler Hostess is Calling....

Notice anything different around here? *blink blink blink*

That's right, I got a makeover. Many thanks to Ben Della Rosa for the new 'do! Check out the cute extra graphics in the left margin as you scroll down. I feel swell!

I've been slaving away in the kitchen working on serving up some new posts about mid-20th century Sacramento. I have several things on the burner and can't wait to dish them out!

In honor of my new look, thought I'd share the above ephemera with you: It's a door knob tag used by Eichler hostesses. What's an Eichler hostess? Thought you'd never ask.

Per a December 10, 2000 article by Patricia Leigh Brown for the New York Times:

"In model homes, Eames and Bertoia furniture mingled with hanging salamis and the aroma of roasting turkey, making modernism homey. 'We weren't selling, we were educating,' said Catherine Munson, a Marin County real estate broker who has sold some 3,000 Eichlers since 1958."

According to an article written by Marty Arbunich from the Eichler Network quoting the lovely Ms. Munson:

"the Eichler organization had this concept that these hostesses were to be some sweet, little housewives who told the potential buyers as they walked through how groovy it was to live in an Eichler home. We were supposed to look pretty and decorative, demonstrate the swivel table, and serve chocolate milk and graham crackers to the kids."

Consider me your Eichler hostess; I'm not selling, I'm educating.

Carter Sparks + Streng Bros. Homes = "Solution for contemporary living in the Sacramento Valley"

Streng Bros. Homes brochure, circa 1976

I was finally able to view and scan a primary source from 1976 regarding where Streng Bros. Homes were located in the Sacramento Valley. I've posted about this before, but wanted to share this brochure because it has shows specific home plans and specific neighborhoods. Absent in this group are the Streng Bros. Homes in Elk Grove and Natomas.

The homes listed in the brochure were designed by Carter Sparks, who stated:

"These homes express my solution for contemporary living in the Sacramento Valley. I have included broad overhanging eaves for shade, and open planning to create an easy flow between interior and exterior spaces. The use of natural materials unifies the homes with their surroundings. When these elements are combined, they form a pleasant blend of function and beauty that results in a better home in which to live."

According to the brochure, Streng Bros. Homes were built in the following locations:

Sacramento, North Area: Autumn Hill, Barrett Hills, Bellwood Heights, Clearfield, Cordova Meadows Estates, Crestridge Estates, Del Dayo Estates, Del Norte Oaks, Eastridge, Glen Oaks, Greenridge Heights, Homewood, Northridge Oaks, Oak Creek Estates, Overbrook, River College Square, Riverside Bluffs, Shelfield Estates, Shelfield Oaks, Sierra Oaks, Sierra Oaks Vista, Walnut View Estates, Wildflower, Whitney Woods, Wilhaggin.

Sacramento, South Area: Lake Greenhaven Shores, South Land Park Hills, South Land Park Riviera, Greenhaven '70, Riverside Estates, Noonan South Land Park Terrace, South Land Park Village.

Folsom Lake Area: Lake Natoma Heights, Lakewood, Hidden Valley, Lakeview Estates, Valley Pines, Arden Bluff.

Davis: Willowbank, Oakside, Elmwood, Westwood, Norwood, University Farms, Andersen Place, El Macero C.C. Estates.

Woodland: Walnut Manor, Gibson Estates.

Winters 

Hope this helps in your searches for these wonderful homes. See my previous post for additional details and suggestions.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming

Ever feel like this?

I have to say, that home tour wore me out a bit. Been getting lots of inquiries about Sacramento Modern (SacMod), our new non-profit dedicated to promoting, preserving, and protecting modern art, architecture and design in the Sacramento region. We're also quite busy preparing to meet with some state preservationists this coming week. Despite the fatigue, still thinking up new ways to entertain and educate people around here. This is the best non-paying job EVER!

And now, back to more *stuff*:

Original letter to new Eichler Home owners in Sacramento

Say hello to a letter personally signed by Joseph Eichler to the Michaels family when they purchased their Sacramento Eichler Home. You may recall they also shared a huge brochure with us recently.

I think my favorite part is the page with the signature - because on the back of it Mrs. Michaels scribbled some notes to herself about babysitters and replacement glass. As a mom I can appreciate this.

See the other pages in that Flickr set for the rest of the letter, which speaks to the level of pride and concern Joseph Eichler had in his product. The letter accompanied other materials and manuals that helped Eichler Home owners care for their investment. These items came in a vinyl trifold case -- see another example here, from a previous post.

Happy weekend everyone!

The Big Daddy of all Eichler Home brochures

I just about flipped my wig when friends and Eichler Home owners Michael and Clyde called to tell me they were given the original marketing and homeowner materials from an original Sacramento Eichler Home owners' family. Due to the family's kindness and generosity, we can share and enjoy this piece of history. To date, from all of my research over the last two years, I have yet to see this elsewhere.

The original family owned two Sacramento Eichler Homes! When a home across the street from them became available, they moved in. The materials I've scanned and posted were from their original purchase.

First up -- a 66 page brochure which appears to have been developed for the Bay Area. It describes at length the design principles behind the making of Eichler Homes, as well as the details regarding the building of the homes from the ground up. It also includes what goes on in the planning of an Eichler Home neighborhood, the specific materials used, the companies involved, and available services and resources.

What a gem! Many thanks again to Michael and Clyde for passing this on to me for sharing -- and to the Michaels family for preserving and giving the materials to Michael and Clyde.

Stay tuned for additional posts regarding the rest of the materials.

1955 Newspaper Article: Eichler Homes Opening in Sacramento

Still doing research for the upcoming Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour.  I've found some great articles and advertisements from when our Eichler Homes neighborhood here in Sacramento was new!

These always help provide context and insight to what was happening at the time. For instance, some homes overlook a nature area -- part of Reichmuth Park (formerly Mungers Lake). I pondered whether or not Eichler Homes took this into consideration when they chose this part of Sacramento. It would appear they did.

"LIVING ROOM of one of the Eichler Home units in South Land Park Hills.

All-purpose room in central background. Ceilings are of redwood. Beams of Douglas Fir."

Sacramento Union, May 15, 1955, page 21:

"Eichler Home Units Are Opened to Public

The first units in the Eichler Homes $3,000,000 South Land Park Hills development were opened to the public yesterday, and remain open today, according to Robert Kress, the builder's representative in Sacramento.

The development will consist of 143 three-and-four bedroom, two-bath houses.

Most will also have the extra all-purpose room which has become an Eichler Homes feature. Lot sizes are 80 feet by 125 feet and larger. Prices will start at $17,750 with a top of $21,500, Robert Kress, Eichler representative in Sacramento, said.

The South Land Park Hills property is being developed by Moss & Moss of Sacramento. It is situated about two miles south of William Land Park and golf course and overlooking Munger's Lake.

Eichler Homes has previous built around 2500 homes, primarily in the vicinity of Palo Alto on the San Francisco Peninsula.

The builder has won many awards for design, quality of construction, and neighborhood planning, recently winning both national awards of the National Association of Home Builders convention in Chicago. The awards were made for house design and neighborhood planning in a Palo Alto subdivision.

Plans for Sacramento were developed for the gently rolling location by architects Quincy Jones and Frederick Emmons and feature floor-to-ceiling glass walls with sliding glass doors on the protected garden side of the house, beamed ceilings of Douglas fir and 2x8 redwood, cork floors, Philippine mahogany wall paneling throughout, radiant heat and an air-cooling system.

Prices include a built-in Thermador electric range and oven, Waste King garbage disposer and a General Electric combination washer-dryer.

Sacramento was selected as a location after extensive study by the builder, Kress said."

The stability of the Sacramento economy, its high retail sales, the increasing population of civil servants and military personnel, and the reputation of the south Sacramento suburbs as a desirable residential area were the principal factors in the decision to acquire the sizable site, Kress said.

Eichler Homes also owns land and is building in San Rafael, Walnut Creek, San Mateo, and Palo Alto.

Blast from the past -- 1958 + 1961 Eichler Ads: Cabot's Ranch House Hues

Last night I was talking with other Sacramento Eichler Home owners and the subject regarding original exterior and interior stain colors was discussed. That reminded me there is an interest among Eichler Home owners in knowing more about the products that were originally used on their homes. In this spirit, I'd like to share the following vintage ads I found:

From House + Home, March 1958, Page 7.

Cabot's Stains were a semi-solid, oil-based product used on Eichler Home exteriors. They are still manufactured today in many colors.

 From House + Home, March 1958, Page 7.

"Cabot's Ranch House Hues - endorsements from leading builders such as Mr. Eichler are your assurance that with any Cabot product you get the finest quality, greatest economy, and longest life.

Cabot's Ranch House Hues
* cost only 1/2 as  much as paint
* won't crack, peel or blister
* are easy to apply and maintain
* give years of protection
* can be used on all types of wood -- siding, shingles and trim
* need no thinning -- no priming
* need no sanding -- no scraping

Choose from 18 modern colors -- many exclusive with Cabot including Alcazar Brown, Mariposa Redwood, Mimosa Yellow, Spruce Blue."

From House + Home, February 1961, Page 151

The Eichler Home in the advertisement above is a rare custom home in San Mateo and was designed by Pietro Belluschi, AIA. For more information regarding this home, please visit a great article written by Meredith L. Clausen for CA-Modern by the Eichler Network.

For more information regarding paint colors for your Eichler Home, including reconstructed color palette charts, please read Tanja Kern's well-researched article for for CA-Modern by the Eichler Network.

My inner librarian wishes to share this Foster City Eichler Homes brochure with you

Plan FC-13 by Claude Oakland

From my library to your eyeballs -- the brochure for Eichler Homes of Foster City. This stuff is too good to hoard for myself.

The brochure can be seen in its entirety here on my Flickr photostream. It has some cool pix; for example:

Exterior to interior view

Interior to atrium view

Raise your hand if you have heard of Claude Oakland. OK; now:

Plan FB-4 by John Brooks Boyd

How many of you have heard of John Brooks Boyd? If you haven't, let me introduce you.

Per the Spring 2004 Eichler Network Newsletter:

".... 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.

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...."

More on John Brooks Boyd, including pictures can be found in the newsletter, available directly from the Eichler Network.

If anyone has any Eichler Homes (or related) ephemera they'd like to share that hasn't been posted online, feel free to drop me a note and I'd be happy to post here!

Blast from the past -- 1955 Arcadia Sliding Glass Doors/Eichler Homes Ad

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.

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!"

I can attest our original Arcadia doors are still operating beautifully in our 1955 Eichler Home here in Sacramento!

How to Party Like It's 1955

Today we have two 1955 vintage newspaper advertisements highlighting the Eichler Home way of life in Sacramento (and San Mateo, Walnut Creek, and San Rafael).

 Here's what this ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the room everyone wants —

How many times you've longed for in extra room in your home — enough space for the whole family to spread out and enjoy living. You've seen It in your mind's eye again and again — a room at once beautiful and practical — ready to serve as family TV theater, children's rainy-day playroom, sewing center, family office, game room, library or guest room, as the occasion demands.

In this, as in every other family need, Eichler Homes has anticipated you — with a big, handsome all-purpose room like the one pictured below. A family-fun room which gets a feeling of light and spaciousness from high clerestory windows and big glass wall opening on the patio — and an air of quiet elegance from rich Philippine-mahogany-paneled walls and beamed ceiling.

Everything in the Eichler Home bespeaks beauty and quality. The plans were created with a lavish hand by architects Jones & Emmons, acknowledged leaders in contemporary design. And the skilled builders have spared no effort to translate those plans into beautiful homes. The result is a house which looks better, works better and holds its value better than any other house on today's market.

Eichler Homes range in price from $15,960 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

What is really interesting to me about this ad is how the table (still have mine!) was originally attached in the kitchen area. My friend and fellow Sacramento Eichler Home owner Dane Henas told me about the original (and awkward) placement of the table -- wow!

Here's what the ad says:

"Hallmarks of the Eichler Home — the most important room in the house . . .

The kitchen of the Eichler Home is a miracle of well-planned convenience— carefully designed for the easy, casual, servantless lives most modern families prefer to live. And its utility is more than matched by its beauty . . . housework becomes less trouble, more fun in this cheerful, light, airy room with views of both the private enclosed garden and the entry garden.

The big, built-in Formica table is the focal point for informal family meals and snacks-and doubles as buffet or service bar to the adjoining dining area. Roomy built-in kitchen cabinets, above and below, give more storage space than you ever dreamed possible. They give the kitchen a smart contemporary look, too, finished in charcoal Zolatone with contrasting grey sliding panels. Handsome Eichler-designed lighting fixtures diffuse light evenly throughout the room.

The work surfaces—range, oven, sink, chopping block, Formica counters—are laid out to save steps and motion. And all surfaces—including the Philippine mahogany walls and the cabinets—can be cleaned quickly and easily with detergent and water.

Standard in an Eichler Homes kitchen are the built-in stainless steel Thermador range and oven, overhead exhaust fan, and garbage disposer. Many have built-in dishwasher as well.

As with the kitchen, so with the rest of the Eichler Home—the same combination of beauty, utility and quality is apparent in every detail. For the Eichler Home is designed to make life easier, more pleasant, more beautiful for the modern California family. Eichler Homes range in price from $17,250 to $21,500. Eichler Homes — designed for better living."

-- Well.... hahaha that housework becomes less trouble! Clearly that ad guy didn't help out around the house!

Original Eichler Home Owner's Policy, circa 1955

I recently acquired an original "Eichler Home Owner's Service Policy" in the original vinyl case and wanted to share. The policy is dated November 19, 1955 -- same year our Eichler home was built!

The Eichler Home Owner's Policy states:

1. During the course of its construction, your Eichler Home has been given a number of very rigid inspections -- three by either the Veterans Administration or the Federal Housing Administration, five by local city building inspectors, continuous inspection and one final inspection by our own construction department. From the breaking of the ground to completion, every care has been taken to assure you top quality construction.

2. Minor defects or omissions may show up after you are in the house. Where the work is that of a subcontractor you will receive faster service by calling him directly. A list of the subcontractors is included in this kit. For other work write or call this office directly.

3. If you feel that there are any defects in your home due to improper workmanship or improper materials, please call us. If your requests are reasonable we will make the necessary corrections immediately.

4. A manual of suggestions on the care and maintenance of your home is given you with this Service Policy. It will help you to understand the minor adjustments to most newly constructed homes necessary in the first few months. It will aid you in the proper care of your home so that its value may be preserved for a long time.

5. This Home Owner's Service Policy is non-transferable. Any obligation under it terminates if the property is resold or shall cease to be occupied by the Home Owner to whom it is originally issued.

Another cool leaflet came with the Policy regarding the Eichler Homes Building Supply Company, located in Mountain View, CA. Apparently this was a "do-it-yourself headquarters" for Eichler Home owners.

The leaflet includes some of the products that were sold at Eichler Homes Building Supply Company.


For a closer look of the Policy and the Building Supply flyer, see my Eichler Homes Ephemera Flickr set.

Blast from the past -- Grand Opening of Eichlers in Sacramento!

Special thanks to pinetree on Flickr for posting two May 13, 1955 newspaper ads in the Sacramento Bee for the grand opening of Eichler Homes for sale in Sacramento.

For direct scans from microfilm, go here and here.

"Now, the news you've been waiting for... Eichler Homes comes to Sacramento... in lovely South Land Park Hills. Grand Opening this weekend!

3 and 4 bedrooms plus large all-purpose room. 2 baths. 2 car garage. $17,750 to $21,000. As low as $500 down to Vets. From $2650 down on FHA terms.

America's most honored builder proudly invites you to visit the newest Eichler Homes. . . this weekend in South Land Park Hills. See the latest designs of the famous architect team of A. Quincy Jones and Frederick E. Emmons. See the famous "custom" extras that are standard in Eichler Homes: air cooling, cork tile floors, Philippine mahogany wood paneling, engineered radiant heating, built-in G.E. clothes washer/dryer, Waste King garbage disposer, built-in Thermador oven with range, oversized 2 car garage, extra room, closets with built in chests..."

"Smartest looking home we've ever lived in. . .and our new Eichler Home is so easy to take care of, too! -- says Mrs. Russell Illig, Eichler Home owner in Palo Alto, California.

We never realized what a difference good design can make in your living 'till we moved into an Eichler home. Its clean, simple lines not only set off our furniture and decorations beautifully -- they make housekeeping so much easier than in conventional homes.

The modern way to live! Like Mrs. Illig discovered, Eichler Homes are truly years ahead of other homes -- in design, in durability, in luxury features. They have an exciting, glamorous, contemporary look -- inside and out. And every detail has been carefully planned to contribute to your convenience, your comfort, and your pride in ownership.

Eichler homes -- the growth of an idea...

Ten years ago an architect-designed contemporary home was beyond the reach of most families. Eichler Homes believed that by using modern production methods -- large scale purchasing of materials and volume construction -- it could produce the latest and finest in homes, designed by America's leading architects, at a price within the reach of the discriminating buyer.

Today, Eichler Homes are regarded as the leaders in the home building field. Eichler Homes have been featured in articles and stories in America's leading magazines and newspapers time and time again. They have won more awards and citations of merit than any other homes in America.

More important, they have brought a new and better way of life to more than 2500 families in Northern California. Knock on the door of any Eichler Home. Ask the owner how he and his family feel about their home. We feel sure his answer will make you want to join the hundreds of successful young businessmen, professional men, artists, writers, and their families in experiencing a new, rewarding way of life in Eichler Homes. See you this weekend!"

Some interesting + cool Eichler ephemera

Via Nicholls.net (link now defunct), found some interesting and useful copies of old paperwork for Eichler homes.

My favorite among the posts is the "Eichler Checklist" (pdf) -- a sales brochure for various Bay Area neighborhoods. It lists "special features" and the various brand name materials used in Eichler homes.

This site also includes a terrific schematic of Racon radiant heat systems which were installed by Arro Company.


You can find several sales brochures, such as this one: "Enter the Wonderful World of Eichler" (created for the Fairglen Tract). Love the graphics!


Also on this website, there are also copies of old magazine articles regarding Eichler homes from the late 50's.

Another awesome find: a charming 1956 Thermador oven and range brochure -- with specifications!

Brochure!

What a treat to have a copy of an original Eichler brochure designed specifically for Sacramento!

This awesome circa ~1956 find comes to us via Dane Henas, who received the scanned version from Marty Arbunich (co-author of "Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream" and Eichler Network Director and CA-Modern Magazine Publisher). Thanks for sharing, Dane (+ Marty)!