Pacific Grove, City of Homes, #62: E.P. Wilbur 1888

543 Spruce Avenue

Corner of Spruce Avenue and Fountain Avenue
4 beds, 3 baths, 1,946 SF on a 3,800 SF lot
Built, 1893
Last sold, 2025

Spruce changes character west of Robert H. Down Elementary. Beyond Fountain, the school campus interrupts the street grid, leaving this stretch apart from the more continuous residential blocks nearby. The house sits near that break, on a block whose spaced-out setting gives it a quieter, slightly removed feel.

At the sidewalk, a low brick wall topped with iron fencing showcases the front garden. Trees, shrubs, and flowering plants fill the space inside, with the mature canopy rising above the fence.

The garden is dense with color, filling the lot and giving the porch a living landscape to overlook.

The house rises behind the garden from its low porch roof to a projecting bay window and the tall gable above it. The bay carries its own small roof cap with two small windows.

Decorative wood trim finishes the porch and gable edges, giving each part of the façade a clearly defined outline.

Three Things I Love About the Home

1. The Fence
Ironwork above brick makes the boundary an attraction of its own

2. The Garden
Flowers, shrubs, and trees fill the front yard with color and texture

3. The Bay Roof
Its projecting cap breaks up the roofline with an unexpected flourish