Pfrang Brothers - Oakland

The Pfrang Brothers were prolific home builders in Oakland in the first half of the 1900s. Christopher John ("C.J.") Pfrang (February 14, 1873 – May 31, 1951) and Herbert Charles ("H.C.") Pfrang (September 6, 1887 – February 19, 1977) were especially active in Upper Rockridge including Claremont Pines, and Havenscourt, as well as building homes in the area of the former Idora Park.

Family

The Pfrangs were born in Wisconsin. There were 6 siblings, Ida Pfrang (De Munck), C.J. Pfrang, Edward Wilhem Pfrang, Louis Pfrang, H.C. Pfrang, and Milton Pfrang, born to Edward Pfrang and Josephine Griese (Pfrang).

C.J. married Annie Smith (Pfrang) in Wisconsin in 1898. They were in the East Bay by 1903, when they bought a lot in Berkeley. Sadly, Annie died in 1909. Later that year, C.J. remarried, to Margaret MacDonald (Pfrang). They don't seem to have had any children. In the 1930s and 1940s they lived at 6300 Claremont at the corner of Mystic.

By 1908, H.C. had joined his older brother in Oakland. He married Lillian Maud Warner (Pfrang) in 1909, and they had 3 children: Marcelle Pfrang (Hill)(Green), Josephine Lucy Pfrang (Brown), and Herbert Charles Pfrang, Jr. From at least 1920, they lived at 5659 Ocean View Drive.

Lewis George Pfrang and his wife Meta Marie Stier (Pfrang) lived in Oakland from 1909, and Lewis also worked as a carpenter and builder. However, his name doesn't appear on new home listings and sales, so he may have worked with one of his brothers. Lewis and Meta had one son, Cyril Isaac Pfrang, who died in 1922. Meta died in 1932.

Homes

C.J.'s name appears in a 1912 advertorial for Havenscourt, noting that he had purchased 46 lots for $50,000. ¹ Over the years, a large number of homes by C.J. or H.C. are listed in classified ads, mostly in Oakland, but a few in Berkeley and Piedmont. Some homes made the real estate section with short articles and photos.

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