For 83 years, the Spanish Revival house at 520 J Ave. was owned by one family. Capt. Ivan Miller and his wife, Eleanor, had the home built in 1938 for $5,800 and it stayed in the Miller family until 2021, remaining unaltered except for repairs.
With its window grilles, courtyard design, red-tiled roof and decorative wood entry door, the house at 870 H Ave. has all the elements of a Spanish hacienda-style home designed by Cliff May. But research shows no evidence that the popular architect, who became the “father of the ranch house,” designed the house. It was built by Walter Vestal in 1939 for $6,850, and most likely Vestal, a local contractor who had worked with May, designed the house based on May’s vision of an early California house.
The door knocker shaped in an American eagle at 275 J Ave. is a fitting adornment for the home where two vice admirals have lived. The house was built in 1936 for Matthias B. Gardner and his wife, Helen. The Gardeners commissioned Cliff May to build their home in an early California ranch style for $9,500.
The two-story house on 1026 Flora Ave. with its centered front entry porch supported by columns is an excellent example of the Colonial Revival style. The house was designed and built in 1935 for $9,000 by Paul Hathaway, a prolific local builder in the first half of the 20th century.
