Pacific Grove, City of Homes, #45: Merle F. Harper 1926

402 4th Street

Corner of 4th Street and Pine Avenue
4 beds, 3 baths, 2,395 SF on a 8,036 SF lot
Built, 1926
Last sold, 2023

Pine Avenue is a broad boulevard lined with massive palms and mature Monterey pines, stretching east-to-west across downtown and past Washington Park.

This corridor includes several of the town’s grandest lots, including the walled corner parcel of this Tudor Revival Storybook cottage.

Inside the wall, the property opens to a planted courtyard organized around the house, with trees, shrubs, and flowering beds extending across the interior of the lot.

Taller trees mark the perimeter, and the open center leaves the home visible within a sequence of wall, planting, and court space.

The facade rises to one tall central peak, with lower roof planes on both sides and a brick chimney standing off-center.

Below that, the wall surface is divided between pale stucco and darker grey trim, and the windows are set in a close row beneath the peak.

The front combines steep roof forms, irregular rooflines, textured surfaces, and a slightly fanciful handling of the exterior, giving the house a distinct fairytale quality even from behind the wall.

Three Loves I Love About the Home

1. The Perimeter: The wall and tree canopy ensure privacy and seclusion, even on a corner lot.

2. The Courtyard: a defined front court creating the property’s central outdoor space.

3. The Fairy-Tale Quality: charmingly whimsical and playful.