April 01, 2005

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Publication Date: Friday, April 01, 2005

Prairie Perfect

Christina Hernan always liked Second Street. As a young girl growing up in the north end of town, she always noticed the wide avenue and attractive homes when she went to appointments at her dentist nearby.

When she and Joseph Hernan were married, they began to casually look for a home, thinking they might enjoy something with older charm. In October 1998 Christina was once again on her way to the dentist, driving down Second Street, when she spotted the home at the corner of East Angela. It was a one-story stucco home built around 1916.

"It was unoccupied but I envisioned what I would do with it if it were mine," she recalled. "We came that weekend and took a look. It was in rough shape but still seemed so charming."

The location was ideal - close to downtown, one block from farmers market, and close enough to hear Concerts in the Park. They decided that weekend to make an offer.

"The house was very small - 1,200 square feet, two tiny bedrooms and only one bath," said Joseph. "One of the things that attracted us to the house was that it was in fairly original, unaltered condition. Many times old houses get 'modernized' or remodeled over the years, resulting in much of their original character being lost.

"The walls are still lathe and plaster, the wood floors are original, the original furnace was still in the basement and the built-ins, doors and windows had never been replaced."

Joseph and Christina began to study architecture from that era, knowing they needed to renovate and also exploring the best way to add more square footage.

"You have to live in a house to figure out what you want," said Christina.

They knew they wanted to enlarge it in keeping with the Prairie School of Architecture. This was one of several styles in the early 1900s that emphasized simplicity in reaction to the Victorian period. Frank Lloyd Wright is known as the master of the Prairie Style, which features include low-pitched roofs, widely overhanging eaves, square masonry to support porch roofs, and flowing interiors.

"We did a lot of homework," said Joseph. "We looked at older houses, watched a lot of 'This Old House.' We also knew that we wanted to do the addition without altering the character of the house."

Since their son Nicholas was born three years ago, they knew they needed more room. The back half of the spacious lot had been sold in the 1960s, so the Hernans realized they could not build an addition in that direction.

"We had to go up - or move out," said Christina.

The couple hired historian architect Charles Huff to design the addition and contractor Rick Spenser of RAS Construction.

"The challenge was to give it a look of prominence but at the same time not to overpower the site," said Huff. "Joseph did intensive research on details that he wanted to incorporate inside."

"It was challenging - and fun," he added.

They ended up doubling the size of the home, giving it the Prairie Style look inside and out, plus keeping the original layout of the downstairs.

The addition took 11 months to complete. They lived somewhere else during the construction and luckily, Christina said, Joseph was able to be around for the construction. "It's a matter of paying attention to detail," she said.

"The first story is pretty much the same as the day it was built," noted Joseph. "The architect and contractor both understood what we were trying to accomplish, and we are very happy with the job they did making the entire house, both the old and new parts, feel like one."

The contractor suggested enlarging the kitchen, said Christina, but respected their desire to keep separate the adjoining small kitchen, back porch/laundry room, and breakfast nook.

The tiny tiles on the sink and the black and white linoleum reflect the early 1900's period as do the white cupboards extending to the ceiling with metal latches.

"They are the original cupboards," said Christina. They switched the placement for the refrigerator and the stove, fitting in a 24-inch Viking range next to the counter for a greater expanse of working area. She said that she enjoys looking out at East Angela Street as she works in the kitchen, and they all enjoy that view from the breakfast nook.

The formal dining room has a built-in buffet, and French doors, which they found stored in the rafters, lead to the living room. The Hernans uncovered the original hardwood floor, finding it had an intricate pattern in darker wood forming a pattern in the corners.

The fireplace, in the living room, is surrounded by built-ins also.

"We had to replace the chimney," said Joseph, "Which meant that the bricks surrounding the fireplace in the living room had to be removed. Rather than demolishing the bricks and using new ones, we dismantled the original bricks and had a brick mason re-install them so the fireplace would look just like it did the day the house was built."

Heavy heater grates on the floors and glass doorknobs all attest to the age of the house, and they continued the use of push-button light switches.

"We hid the heater and air conditioning thermostats in linen closets rather than mounting them on the wall where they would be visible," Joseph noted.

The small bedroom in the front of the house now serves as a playroom; the other original bedroom is an open area with a side door leading to a breezeway and the detached garage. This is also where the staircase was added, with wood on the newel posts continuing the pattern of the hardwood floor corners.

Upstairs the master suite runs along the front of the house. The spacious tiled bathroom includes a large old-fashioned bathtub for Christina and a huge shower room for Joseph as well as his-and-her sinks.

"Growing up with four brothers, I always dreamed about having a big bathroom with plenty of room to move around in," said Christina. "I also wanted a soaking tub."

The bedroom is to the south side of the suite and Christina pointed out a large maple tree that shades it in the summer.

An open area between the master bedroom and bath has wonderful views looking out over Second Street to the west. Christina pointed out the large eaves shielding the windows. "The eaves go so far out you can leave the windows open when it rains," she noted.

French doors open into the hallway. "It makes a perfect office," said Joseph. "I worked from my house for many years, so I liked having this."

Nicholas has the bedroom on the south side, and a middle bedroom is planned for a nursery when their new baby is born in October. There is also a bathroom on the north side.

The Hernan's home was on the Historic Homes Stroll offered by Friends of Pleasanton Heritage last May, and Christina said she was there for part of the time and enjoyed hearing visitors' comments.

"The best compliment during the tour was a woman who asked, 'When did you renovate the upstairs?'" she said.

The inviting front porch is Joseph's favorite spot, with a bamboo bar and tiki torches. They sometimes have friends over to their "tiki bar" in the summertime to listen to Friday night concerts.

"We eat dinner out here in the summer," said Christina. She pointed to a bird's nest in the corner near the string of lights and explained they cannot turn on their tiki lights until after its eggs hatch.

The work continues, both Christina and Joseph pointed out.

"The hardest part still to come is the window coverings," said Christina. They also are planning landscaping for their back yard, perhaps a brick patio with a fountain, she said.

Joseph agreed they wanted to do more landscaping but said there will be no more additions, they have all the room they need.

"We are enjoying the process of collecting furniture, one piece at a time, since we prefer antiques from the Arts and Crafts period," he said.

"Overall the thing we probably both like the best is that it has the same feeling it did before the addition," said Joseph. "It still feels like the same house it always was, and maintaining this feeling was very important to us."

This is the feeling of Second Street, the place that was always special for Christina.

A place in history

The first owners were John and Anna (Bettencourt) Silva. They were also the owners of two saloons on Main Street. One of them, the A.B. Silva Pool Hall, may have occupied the building adjacent to the gas station on Main.

The second owners were Manuel and Emma Oliveira, who owned Oliveira's Creamery as well as a barbershop. After their divorce, Emma married Charles Hall and they lived together in the house until Emma's death. After she died, Charles married Estelle Andrade and they lived in the home.

In December 1998, the home was purchased by Christina and Joseph Hernan. The renovation and second-floor addition were completed in September 2003.

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