Pacific Grove, City of Homes, #18: Catherine Brown, 1903

by Matthew Tanzer

410 Lighthouse Avenue, Pacific Grove

Corner of Lighthouse Avenue and 11th Street
3 beds, 3 baths, 2,220 SF on a 6,873 SF lot
Built, 1915
Last sold, 1991

During PG’s “Comes of Age” era (1903-1926), the town’s population nearly tripled, fueled by the Cannery boom in Monterey. As a result, the town extended and filled in its street grid. Meanwhile, builders constructed more permanent homes along the Lighthouse corridor to Monterey, including this corner Craftsman bungalow:

The bungalow’s simple, functional elements sustain year-round living and protect the home from fog, wind, and salt exposure: eaves for weather protection, horizontal lines for stability.

For downtown, this is a large, deep lot, offering a huge back yard with space for multiple stations: a patio with deck chairs, paved walkways, shrubs, planters, all enclosed by a white picket fence and framed by shrubs over a low stone wall.

3 Things I Love About the Home

1. The Lighthouse corridor: the location is walkable to downtown PG and immediate access to Monterey via David Avenue, while still being just a few blocks back from the coast.

2. The large corner lot: Enough space for a big house and a great yard and a two-car garage (plus street parking on Lighthouse or 11th):

3. The entryway: features a distinctive brick staircase leading to a covered porch and a wall-spanning bow window, flooding the entry with light.