Palo Alto Stanford Heritage |
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| Inventory photo | Photo taken April 17, 2011 |
The following is from the Historic Buildings Inventory as revised in 1985:
This 1-1/2 story gambrel-roofed house is an odd variant of the Colonial Revival. It seems to abound in unusual and unlikely details: the squatly proportioned porch, the incised decoration and the unexpectedly placed bay window.
This house was designed by Professor A. B. Clark for Charles Benjamin Wing, a structural engineer, who was professor of civil engineering at Stanford from 1892 to 1945, as well as Professor Emeritus. The tall tank house, now attached, one stood over the cooperative well shared by the "big Four" Professors Angell, C. D. Marx, Murray, and Wing as well as W. W. Thoburn.
Along with Marx, Wing helped develop Palo Alto's first public water and electric systems and helped restore the university buildings after the 1906 earthquake. In addition, Professor Wing served as city councilman for 25 years and as mayor from 1901 to 1909, during which time he introduced President Theodore Roosevelt at a Palo Alto Plaza rally.
Two vital Wing memorials are the uniquely constructed Stanford Stadium, designed and built by him (influenced by the Pompeii theatre) and Big Basin State Park, first of the park system, which, as an ardent conservationist, he fathered and nurtured for 25 years.
The following is from the Centennial Buildings Tour, prepared by The City of Palo Alto Historic Resources Board for the Centennial Building Celebration, April 16, 1994. The houses included on the tour were all identified as at least 100 years old:
This was designed by A.B. Clark and built by George Mosher for Charles Benjamin Wing, professor of civil engineering at Stanford from 1892–1945. Wing helped restore Stanford after the 1906 quake, designed and built Stanford's Stadium, and was influential in the development of Big Basin State Park. He served as city councilman for 25 years and as mayor from 1901 to 1909.
Note: Harlan and Jeanette Remmel acquired the property in 1954. It was part of the 1991 and 2001 Holiday House Tours and received a Spirit of Place award in 2002. The owners were Harlan and Jeanette Remmel.
In 2007 Carolyn Foss bought the home and spent four years restoring it. Restoration was completed in 2011. It was honored with a PAST Preservation Award for Historic Renovation in 2017.
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| Location map |
This house was built in 1893 and is a Category 2 on the Historic Buildings Inventory. The architect was A. B. Clark and the builder was George Mosher. The property measures 105 by 200 feet. It was on the 1991 and 2001 Holiday House Tours.
Sources: Palo Alto City Directories; Palo Alto Times 7/7/93, 8/25/93, 9/1/93, 1/5/94, 5/2/06 (photo in ad "boosting" Palo Alto), 3/23/45; Palo Alto Live Oak, (photos) 10/20/97, 1/1/00; AAUW, ... Gone Tomorrow?
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