Pacific Grove, City of Homes, #61: Wallace Brown 1907

825 Pine Avenue

From Cedar Street to Locust Street
4 beds, 5 baths, 3,903 SF on a 10,800 SF lot
Built, 1906
Last sold, 2004

This Dutch Colonial Revival villa occupies the full block of Pine Avenue between Cedar and Locust, with connected buildings extending across grounds containing a large lawn, mature trees and a densely planted front garden. A tall tree rises beside the low left wing, while branching canopies frame the garage on the right. The main house, garage, and lower wing spread across the property at different heights, with ample garden space between the buildings and the street, connected by a broad roof.

Repeated gambrels give those roof ends their five-sided shape. Shallow upper slopes meet steep lower slopes, enclosing substantial volume beneath the roofs, while broad white trim follows each change in pitch. Another gambrel rises above the projecting bay to the left, and a lower version frames paired upper windows over the garage. Farther left, the low wing spreads beneath a hipped roof and a raised glazed cap.

A low gray retaining wall frames the front garden above the sidewalk, filled with clipped shrubs, flowering beds, and small ornamental trees. Farther inside, porch stairs rise between white rails to the sheltered doorway. Square supports and low side walls enclose the porch, and a triangular pediment spans its opening.

The early-2000s rehabilitation added nearly 1,000 additional square feet and two additional full bathrooms, substantially increased the scale and value of the home.

Three Things I Love About the Home

1. The Gambrel Roofs
One distinctive roof shape across the building group.

2. The Glazed Roof Cap
A small crown above the low wing.

3. The Stone-Faced Chimney
Rounded stone against blue-gray shingles.