The house at 480-482 Chetwood St. was built in 1908. It is a historically important duplex designed by famous Bay Area architect Edna Deakin (1871-1946), a contemporary of Julia Morgan, and was featured in the book Early Women Architects of the San Francisco Bay Area: the Lives and Work of Fifty Professionals, 1890-1951 by Inge Schaefer Horton (published 2010).
From Edificianado: 1
Edna Deakin is perhaps best known for her collaboration with her cousin Clarence Dakin to restore Maybeck’s Temple of the Wings after the great Berkeley fire of 1923. Not much is known about her other commissions in the East Bay, so it is nice to have a chance to take a look at this Oakland duplex that is attributed to her. Deakin was one of the earliest woman architects in the Bay Area, being born one year before Julia Morgan. She apprenticed with John Galen Howard, and then worked for a number of other reputable firms before beginning to practice on her own.
This particular home is a nicely proportioned over-under duplex with a decidedly First Bay Region flavor. The floor plans of the two flats are very similar and while the lower unit has unfortunately been painted, the upper unit retains much of its original dark wood interiors.
Links and References
- 480/482 Chetwood, Oakland | edificianado, September 17, 2012
- Edna Deakin on Wikipedia