William Wheeler was an Australian architect who spent most of his very successful career in San Diego, but there was a brief period before the 1906 earthquake when he was practicing here in San Francisco, and it was during that time that he designed this early and imposing mission revival. It was the very first home built in the Claremont subdivision and it remains as impressive today as it did when it was alone on the hill. Mission revival is one of the rarest of the period revival styles and Wheeler handles it here with great aplomb. His graceful colonnade and stacked baroque gables create quite an impression from the street. It is a beautiful example of a rare form executed by a talented architect whose work is not regularly encountered in Northern California.
- Edificionado is an Oakland-based real estate brokerage specializing in architecturally and historically significant homes. The listings we feature here are those that have recently caught our eye due to their provenance or exceptional state of preservation. We select them without regard to size, price, or location and in general we are not the listing broker, so we have no stake in their being posted here. As we are based in Oakland, most of the homes will be in the East Bay, though we may throw one in from elsewhere in the Bay Area from time to time. If you would like to visit any of these homes, or receive a personalized list of properties more tailored to your specific requirements and tastes please contact Christian Olson at colson@edificionado.com or at 510 686 3343.
-
-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
April Bolduc on 19 Hillcrest, Berkeley doug wittnebel on 1091 Creston, Berkeley doug wittnebel on 264 Saint James, Piedmont doug wittnebel on 3360 Dwight, Berkeley Cynthia Wheeler Badi… on 19 Hillcrest, Berkeley Categories
Twitter Updates
Tweets by edificionado
William H. Wheeler was my grandfather, and as I never met him, I enjoyed learning a little bit more about him from this post. I had no idea he built this home.
Cynthia – My name is Bill Carey – Admin Assist @ La Jolla Historical Society – am interested in where if you might know, where your grandfather’s architectural drawings may be? He designed the Granada Theater in La Jolla.
Bill, I don’t know where those drawings might be, or whether they still exist anywhere (I hope so), but I’ll check with my mom and brothers, who live in San Diego! And will search next time I’m there.
Hi Cynthia, I live in La Mesa, CA, and am submitting to get my home historically designated. I learned yesterday that your grandfather, William Henry Wheeler, was the architect. We found him listed as such in the archives of the local newspaper. I’d love to talk to you, or invite you to stop by if you are ever visiting the San Diego area!
April, that would be amazing! How would I find you? You might also want to get in touch with my brother, James Wheeler, who is an architect (as was my father, Richard George Wheeler). Here’s his info:
James H. Wheeler
President s JAMES H. WHEELER, ARCHITECT, INC
(phone: 858.571.6190 |(fax: 858.565.1508 | *Email: jim@activcareliving.com
9619 Chesapeake Drive, Suite 103 s San Diego, CA 92123
Hi Cynthia, Thank you! You can reach me at ABolduc@SCurveStrategies.com. I’ll reach out to your brother as well.