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Clarmon Castle Apartments is a large, elegant apartment building at 2501 Ivy Drive. It is down the hill from where Borax Smith's Oak Hall mansion stood. It was designed by B. Reed Hardman, and built and owned by R.J. Blanco in 1928. 1
When constructed, the building featured Spark Stoves, Rip Van Winkle wall beds, and hardware from Maxwell Hardware. It is built with reinforced concrete. 1
NB: Some classified ads in 1930 list it as Claremont Castle, but that was probably a mishearing of Clarmon. The origin of the name hasn't yet been found, but Clarmon is the name of an area in France.
1928 1
Links and References
- Clarmon Apts. Are Completed by R.J. Blanco Oakland Tribune September 16, 1928
