Sunbonnet for sale Sunbonnet for sale (March 21, 2003)

Historic Bernard Maybeck home hits market today

by Grace Rauh

One of Palo Alto's earliest homes, architect Bernard Maybeck's famed Kellog House, is up for sale. The asking price is $2,495,000.

Located at 1061 Bryant St., the home was designed by the celebrated Bay Area architect in 1899 and gained its nickname, the "Sunbonnet" house, from the cantilevered porch roof, reminiscent of a hat. Maybeck, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed houses throughout the Bay Area, although most of his work is found in the East Bay, where he taught at the University of California at Berkeley. He and architect Julia Morgan helped define a distinct Bay Area style -- a regional manifestation of the burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement.

The Sunbonnet House is located in Professorville, the historic district bordered by Addison Avenue, Cowper Street, Embarcadero Road and Emerson Street. The district is listed on the National Register, and was home to some of Stanford University's first professors.

Many of the early homes in the neighborhood, including the Sunbonnet House, incorporate elements of the Shingle Style -- transplanted from New England around the turn of the century. Covered in wooden shingles, the homes combined Queen Anne, Romanesque and Colonial Revival elements into a rambling, free-form aesthetic. Locally, the homes made use of interior and exterior spaces alike, adapting to the temperate climate of Northern California.

Maybeck's fusion of form and function is reflected in the design of the Sunbonnet House. The interior invokes a natural feel with its warm redwood paneling, wood floors and bold projecting beams. Other characteristic Maybeck features include a plate rail for stacking dishes in the dining room, and Japanese-style sliding doors between the living room and dining room, according to Coldwell Banker agent Gail Salem.

According to "Gone Tomorrow?" a pamphlet published in 1971 by the Palo Alto branch of the American Association of University Women, Maybeck designed the Sunbonnet House for resident Emma Kellogg, who lost an earlier home designed by the architect to fire.

Kellogg's original Maybeck home attracted some local attention, and was written up in the Palo Alto Times as the "oddest, neatest, tastiest house in Palo Alto," as cited in the Historic Resources Inventory for the State of California.

The Sunbonnet House is one of a small handful of historic homes that come on the market each year. "This house has been very famous in Palo Alto," Salem said. "Everyone recognizes the sunbonnet and its uniqueness." The house sits on a 15,000-square-foot lot. According to Salem, the five-bedroom home includes two wood burning fireplaces, a brick patio on either side of the kitchen and a large garden. On the third story of the house is a roomy, finished attic.

Grace Rauh can be e-mailed at grauh@paweekly.com