Mom and Dad, Merry Christmas, Love the Kids 1946.” There is also a Martha Washington sewing machine, a fireplace mantel built in 1895 shipped from up state New York and a 1899 sleigh on the coffee table. Mark Roberts’ 12 days of Christmas Fairies are beautifully displayed on the mantel. In the dining room you will notice a 1930’s tea cart and in the corner there sits a high chair dating back to 1850. The Christmas ornaments in the dining area are all antique of unique colors and style that brings the season of Christmas to life in the room. Each room in the house is filled with beautiful furnishings. The holiday season is certainly flowing through the air in this home. You will leave with a sense of warmth and excitement after touring this wonderful home.
Historical Home Tour December 13th 2009 Sponsored by Country Rose Tea Room Kern Child Abuse Prevention Council
Special Thanks goes out to our home owners: Hilda & Sid Castellanos Carolyn & Art Kverline Betty & Patrick Roberts Donald Schuett Lourdes & John Nilon
original chandelier gives light to the gentlemen who would retire to the room after dinner to have a taste of their favorite beverage and a smoke, while the ladies were left chatting in the living room. The present owners have restored an original dresser that was found in one of the upstairs bedrooms. The dresser is now a wonderful addition to the dining room. As you view the backyard from the upstairs bedrooms you will be looking through the original 1927 windows into a spacious gallery of trees. Landscaping of the backyard accents the many trees and open space. Many gatherings have embraced it’s tranquil atmosphere.
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. 2700 Sunset Avenue
Casa de las Bougainvilleas is a riot of color in the spring. Six bougainvilleas bloom in the front yard of the Spanish hacienda at 2700 Sunset Avenue with their colors of fuscia, yellow and orange. This lovely home owned by Sid and Hilda Castellano greets visitors as they pass through the arched doorway and are met by a tile mosaic in the entry. The living and dining rooms are graced with arched windows that carry the Spanish theme into the living quarters. Massive bookcases flank the fireplace. These are the only addition to the house and contribute to the ambiance of the room. The dining room has a unique feature-a wall of display shelves culminating in a built-in planter that drains to the outside of the house. This would be a perfect spot for an herb garden, and presently showcases the owner’s collection of glass, china and pottery chickens. The sunroom boasts a built-in china cabinet. This is what the present homeowner first saw as she entered through the back door and convinced her this was the house for her. The kitchen, though small, has ample storage space. Each of the cabinets and drawers has the original glass knobs. The yellow and black tile is also original to the house. The tile mosaic over the stove is new, however, and was completed by the homeowner.
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Historical Home Tour 2009 . 207 Oleander Avenue
The home you are touring is a 1400 sq. foot Country Tudor that was built in 1925 and registered in 1927. It is a one story home, although it appears to be a two story especially from the back of the house. The attic has about 1200 sq. feet that is not finished and functions only as an attic. The current owners have remodeled parts of the bathrooms and kitchen themselves. You can clearly see the original floor plan of the home from the use of hardwood floors. Although the original builder/owner of the home couldn’t be confirmed in public documents, the property was originally owned by Colonel Thomas Baker who in the mid 1800’s had reclaimed many acres of swamp and overflow area from the state in Kern and Tulare Counties. In 1930, soon after it was built Thomas W. Fraser purchased the house for his family . He is responsible for the intricate hardwood floors that make the house so distinctive. In each room, the floor has a mahogany piece that frames the room. In each corner, the pattern changes and becomes a design. These designs were carefully completed by this craftsman at his work bench, then added to the floor pattern. The Fraser family lived in this home eight years. The intricacy of this work make one wonder if he spent the entire eight years creating the floor. Lewis L. Davis purchased the home in 1938 for $4,000.00. Mr. Davis was a dentist and was very active in the Kern County Dental Society. He was elected twice to the presidency of this organization and was very active in keeping abreast of dental advancement. Documents show that in 1942 the home at 207 Oleander was granted to two women, Ethel Robinson and Grace Van Dyke Bird. Ms. Bird was a highly accomplished woman. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in architecture Ms.
Bird was recruited in Bakersfield to teach French for Kern High School and Bakersfield College. In 1921, she was put in charge of the college and was eventually named dean. She was the first woman in California named as a head of a public community college. In 1950, she was appointed associate director of the Office of Relations with Schools, a position she held until her retirement in 1960. In 1976 her Alma Mater named her a Berkeley Fellow. The library at Bakersfield College bears her name. Ethel Robinson continued to own and live in the home. She was professor at Bakersfield College. She stayed in the home until 1972. The following were also homeowners: Jonathan and Julie Schuetz, Tim and Jan Meidinger, Howard and Kathryn Jeffries, Wayne and Teri Jeffries, Michael Allen Tarelka, and Sterling and Nancy Clements.
moved to its current location on S. Mt. Vernon. Mr. Schuett has kept the house in the original condition with the exception of the kitchen which he remodeled after moving to the house in 1953. He also hand-built a cabinet for the bathroom sink and cupboards in the room off of the kitchen. The house has many interesting architectural features including rounded ceiling corners in many rooms, 7 French doors with original glass doorknobs and an intercom system that was installed before he purchased it. In the dining room there is a rocking chair that is over 100 years old which belonged to Mr. Schuett’s mother and a mantle clock that is the same age. The property has a lovely back yard with a covered patio featuring hanging baskets. There is also a separate garage. Mr. Schuett also owns a small house next door that he purchased from Mr. Hoisington in the late 60”s.
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. 311 Oleander Avenue
The home of Don Scheutt was built in 1924 by Edward A. Kelly, who is the father of Bill Kelly, the chair of the Bakersfield College Agriculture Department. According to Bill Kelly, the builder was a Mr. Nail. Edward Kelly was the owner of Kelly and Son Realty, which was started in 1902 by his father and was one of the largest Real Estate agencies in Bakersfield specializing in oil and farm land. The property was sold in the mid 30’s to Burt Hoisington, a CPA. who moved to Morrow Bay in 1953 at which time he sold the home to the current owner Don Schuett. Mr. Schuett is a retired Agriculture teacher (retired in 1983). He taught at South High for the majority of his career and also taught at Bakersfield High School, and 3 years at Arvin (dairy program). Toward the end of his career Mr. Schuett managed a county student livestock program that was located on a 13 acre property on Truxtun extension. The program had a show area and individual stalls for cattle and sheep. It was closed a few years after he left and the property was sold and the county Agriculture Department was
. 315 Oleander Avenue
This home was built in 1927 for barons Oscar and Libbie Rudnick. The Rudnick’s had the entrepreneurial spirit. Oscar could be seen peddling buttons and thread by horse and cart to his fellow neighbors then turning a profit by being paid in livestock. Oscar would slaughter the animal at night and sell the meat the next day. Immigrating from Russia, the family made their fortune by cattle feeding, ranching and farming. Oscar and Libbie owned and operated the Onyx Store, built in 1851 located 65 miles east of Bakersfield. It is the oldest continuously operating store in the state of California. The home was purchased by Keith and Vivienne Mc Cormac in 1952. The home stayed in the Mc Cormac family for 48 years until its purchase in 2000 by the current owners John and Lourdes Nilon. This stately home has a grand presence about it. When looking at the home up close you will see the original stucco on both the main and service quarters of the property. The two story home has a large oversized door opening into the warm inviting living room with its hardwood floors and its original molding. The living room is adjacent to the once so called smoking room. The
A Jack and Jill bath connects two bedrooms. The main bathroom has all its original features—built in cabinetry, glass knobs, pedestal sink and giant cast iron tub that is big enough for all four of the homeowner’s grandchildren. The warm and inviting master bedroom with its four-poster bed completes the home. In the spring and summer the original grape arbor outside the bedroom window provides sweet grapes and welcome shade. The home was believed to be built in 1931 by James and Mayme Blunt. Mr. Blunt was an agent for the New York Life Insurance Company. However, an earlier city directory lists George and Mabel Hamilton as the owners in 1927. Mr. Hamilton was a mechanic. Most of the homes in the Sunset Park development were built in the 1920’s, so this earlier date could be true. The houses on this street were built to reflect a variety of architectural styles. These included English Tudor, California bungalow, French Mediterranean, English cottage and Southern plantation. Developer Henry J. Brandt originally opened Sunset Park in 1926, offering homes for $5,000.00 and $500.00 down with the balance carried in a mortgage for 7% interest.
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. 163 H Street Country Rose Tea Room.
. 2914 20th Street
This quaint cottage home was built in 1936. Although small, this two bedroom comes with rich character and the warm feel of home. The Curran family of Sandstone Brick Company were owners of the home for more than 40 years. Homeowners exchanged two more times to the current resident of Patrick and Betty Roberts in 2006. Betty Roberts has a passion for exquisite, historical furniture. This home is filled with a multitude of antiques. As you enter her living room area you will come upon a buffet table from 1946. On the back side of the table there is an inscription, “To