Mark Your Calendar: Eichler-O-Rama

Looks like a big weekend in the Bay Area for fans of Eichlers -- those quintessential "California Modern" homes of the Fifties and Sixties.

On Sunday, September 16, the Oakland Heritage Alliance hosts "The Eichlers of Oakland: Modernism at Home in the Hills." The docent-led walking tour will feature an enclave of mid-Sixties Eichler homes in the Oakland Hills. Tickets are $15. (Update: Unfortunately, this tour is sold out; hopefully the OHA will offer it again next year.)

Over in Marin County, don't miss the Open Hearts, Open Homes Tour, a benefit for Hospice by the Bay. On Saturday and Sunday, September 15 and 16, the docent-guided tour will feature more than two dozen Eichler homes in San Rafael, plus an "Eichler Expo" with Eichler-centric vendors and service pros. Tickets are $50 for one day, or $80 for both days.

If you're not familiar with Joseph Eichler (in glasses at left), he was a visionary builder who erected thousands of affordable modern homes in the Bay Area and Southern California from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Though not an architect himself, his groundbreaking vision is apparent in every home he built, and he hired some of the most influential California architects of his time, including A. Quincy Jones and Claude Oakland (also pictured at left).

Eichler's post-and-beam homes defined "California living" after WWII, and his firm pioneered the notion of open floorplans and indoor-outdoor design, with walls of glass making the distinction between interior and exterior practically melt away. Many Eichler homes feature vaulted ceilings, atriums, in-floor radiant heating (revolutionary at the time), and prolific use of natural materials like teak and redwood.

Eichler was also dedicated to building truly modern homes for families of modest means and all races, and the neighborhoods he developed were among the first integrated ones in many of the communities in which he worked.

Today, of course, Eichlers are in high demand among fans of midcentury modern architecture, and can fetch upwards of a million dollars (or more) apiece. Two iconic Eichler neighborhoods in Palo Alto were recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Here's a look at a few Eichler homes both then and now, courtesy of Eichler for Sale, the Eichler Network, Eichler SoCal, Family Circle magazine, Marin Modern, and the San Francisco Chronicle:

Click here for more info on the "Eichlers of Oakland" tour, and here for info on the Marin Eichler tour.

To learn more about Joseph Eichler and his homes, pick up one of these beautiful coffee table books on the man and his work:

* Eichler Homes: Design for Living, by Jerry Ditto and Lanning Stern, with photographs by Marvin Wax (Chronicle Books, $30)

* Eichler: Modernism Rebuilds the American Dream, by Paul Adamson and Marty Arbunich (compiler), with photographs by Ernie Braun (Gibbs Smith Publisher, $50)

* Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes, by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, with photographs by Jim Brown (Gibbs Smith Publisher, $40)

Mark Your Calendar: Oakland Heritage Alliance Summer Walking Tours

The Oakland Heritage Alliance just released the schedule for this year’s summer walking tours. (I’ve been on a couple of these walks in the past, and found them fun and informative -- but then I’m sort of a geek that way.)

Among the highlights:

Saturday, July 7: F.M. “Borax” Smith Estate
“Visit the remnants of Arbor Villa, Francis Marion 'Borax' Smith’s palatial estate. See the 9th Ave. palm trees, Mary R. Smith cottages, and historic houses, including examples by Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan.”

Sunday, July 8: Mountain View Cemetery
“Take a walk into the past in California’s most historic cemetery to meet some of our state’s early movers and shakers.”

Saturday, July 21: Picardy Drive: A Step Back in Time
“Visit Picardy Drive, famous for holiday lighting displays. The neighborhood retains late 1920s bungalow and period revival styles as well as community-oriented design.”

Sunday, July 22: Lake Merritt Modern
“A look at apartment houses and dwellings along the east side of the lake. Several periods and styles will be covered, but a special focus will be post-World War II architecture.”

Sunday, July 29: Eichlers of Oakland: Modernism at Home in the Hills
“Oakland has its own residential district of modern houses (1964–65) by Joseph Eichler that match the modernist buildings of downtown. The tour will reveal the wonders of modernism as applied to the family home.”

Saturday, August 4: Preservation Park to Pardee Mansion
“This historic district preserves Oakland’s 19th century character. Learn about Preservation Park. Visit the Pardee House with special guides highlighting unique aspects of its history. Bring a picnic and play croquet on the lawn.”

Saturday, August 11: Temescal
“Explore the commercial district that developed around the Oakland Street Railway car barn, built in 1870. Visit the sites of pioneering enterprises. See Victorian and early 20th century stores. Discover residential streets with period homes.”

Sunday, August 12: Laurel Neighborhood
“The Laurel district began life in 1909 when local streetcars extended service to 38th Ave. This tour highlights Laurel’s history and architectural heritage -- with its fine examples of ’20s brick and tile commercial buildings.”

Saturday, September 8: Montclair Village
“Explore the history and architecture of Montclair Village, a vibrant hill community. Montclair’s distinctive buildings -- the fire station, women’s club, recreation center, library, and more will be featured.”

Sunday, September 16: Eichlers of Oakland: Modernism at Home in the Hills
See Sunday, July 29.

Tours are $15 each, or $10 for OHA members. For the complete schedule and info, click here.

(Photos by Robert Giles, Myrtice Wong, Alan Templeton, Jerry Schmitz, Valerie Garry, and Dennis Evanosky.)