Let’s take a look at one of the most popular architectural styles found in the East Bay, our darling grandmother of turn-of-the-century homes…The Craftsman!
Craftsman homes are an American architectural tradition that emerged at the turn of the 20th century. This style was inspired by the British Arts and Crafts movement, which resulted as a backlash to Europe’s Industrial Revolution and the mass-produced Victorian architecture boom that prized ornament and decoration made more accessible by new technologies.
Craftsman architecture was particularly popular in California and the Midwest (think Frank Lloyd Wright), but it spread across the country in part thanks to American furniture designer Gustav Stickley, an Arts and Crafts movement booster who helped popularize the style (and coin the name) with his early 20th-century monthly magazine "The Craftsman."
There are four different kinds of craftsman-style homes: Prairie, Mission, Four-Square, and Bungalow. A Craftsman home is solidly made with natural materials (redwood is a mainstay in California Craftsmans) and nature-inspired colors and motifs, with a focus on the beauty of artisanal craftsmanship. This includes thick wood-framed windows and doors, built-in bookshelves, window seats and other custom millwork, beamed ceilings, and hardwood floors. Unlike today’s typical open-plan spaces, Craftsman homes feature distinct living and dining spaces.
The East Bay has a particularly special connection to Craftsmans, as local legend Julia Morgan was an iconic architect of many of these homes and buildings. Morgan was one of the first female engineering majors at UC Berkeley and the first licensed woman architect in California - no small feat in an industry that is male-dominated to this day. Over the course of her 46-year career, she designed over 700 buildings, primarily in California, and is best known for her work on historic landmark Hearst Castle in San Simeon. She is also known for the Berkeley City Club, Berkeley Playhouse, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland, Fairmont Hotel restoration in San Francisco, Mills College in Oakland, and hundreds of East Bay homes and buildings. Her design style has recognizably influenced the landscape of the East Bay.
