One of my favorite pastimes is exploring the Monterey peninsula on foot or bike and appreciating the many architectural home styles. We have a couple of signature styles worth highlighting:
The Hugh Comstock homes in Carmel-By-the-Sea have whimsical storybook cottage characteristics with steeply pitched roofs, asymmetrical facades (some with crooked chimneys), and intricate woodwork. Hugh Comstock's homes inspired the unique aesthetic we know today as Carmel-By-the-Sea. You can do a walking tour to see Hugh Comstock's homes, many of which reside east of Junipero Street between Ocean & 5th Avenues.
The Monterey-style homes got their name from no other than our city of Monterey. The Monterey style is a two-story adobe structure with a second-story cantilevered balcony with long windows and usually with a low-pitch hip roof. There are many in downtown Monterey, including the Custom House. My favorite Monterey style is home to Stoke's Adobe restaurant. Stoke's Adobe has excellent food and ambiance. It's also known to be haunted!
If you're fond of Monterey-style homes, I recommend the annual Christmas in the Adobes event in December, which showcases many of them in downtown Monterey.
Many other architectural styles are prominently featured on the peninsula: Victorian (Pacific Grove for the win!), midcentury modern, Mediterranean, contemporary, ranch, Adobe, and more. We are fortunate to have such diversity in architecture to admire.
Over the years, my favorite home style has varied. Lately, my favorite style is Craftsman-style homes. You can find these all over the US, especially in California and my native Midwest, which gives them a special place in my heart. Craftsman-style homes are part of the noble Arts & Crafts Movement, a cultural and artistic movement from 1880-1920 that reacted against mass production that had taken over Western society. (I will write a future blog post on this fascinating movement!)
Craftsman-style homes exude beauty from natural building materials and feature large covered front porches, fireplaces, and interior
woodwork such as built-in cabinets and window benches. Like Victorian homes, many Craftsman homes have stained glass windows. As an amateur stained glass artist, this sparks all the joy! You can find Craftsman homes spread about the Monterey area, but I commonly associate them with Pacific Grove and Monterey neighborhoods near downtown.
Speaking of notable homes, I'm reminiscing about my evening tour of Hearst Castle several years ago at this time of year. Talk about detail and craftsmanship! Famed female California architect Julia Morgan designed it, which took 28 years to complete. (Julia Morgan also designed our local Asilomar Conference Grounds!) I recommend touring the Hearst Castle in San Simeon if you haven't yet!
Thanks for reading!
-Ashley
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