little houses of westlake.
yesterday i took a drive over to the post-World War II suburban neighborhood of westlake, just south of san francisco in daly city. the homes are so quaint and kitschy, i couldn’t help but to stop and take some shots of these little row houses. they’re all painted in pastel tones, with sculpted shrubbery and spotless streets. Developed by builder Henry Doelger, Westlake is notable for its monostylistic architecture, created by designers to encompass nearly every building in the development. For this reason, Westlake has become an icon for architectural blandness, exemplified by its endless rows of boxy houses, which were the inspiration for Malvina Reynolds’ folk song Little Boxes (made popular in weeds), an anti-conformity anthem in the 1960s. have a look, and have a very happy weekend!
• all photos © victoria smith, sfgirlbybay.
so cute
http://spaceandtimeonline.com
What I wouldn’t give to refurb one of those little beauties!
When I was a little kid in the 1960s and early 1970s, when we found ourselves in this area inevitably one of my parents would starting singing Little Boxes. They would be disappointed in knowing that nowadays, I find those little boxes to be kinda cute!
I grew up in Millbrae and my mother would also sing Little Boxes as we drove through Daly City to go on some weekend adventure in. Thinking back our Millbrae house was the same style just a little bigger. You better believe that most have glitter popcorn ceilings.
I used to live in the Westlake Village Apartments when I moved to the Bay Area, I recognized that first house as my old ‘hood before I even started reading the post!
It’s my neighborhood! Lucky enough to drive by these beauties every day!!
adorable!
My grandparents were the original owners of 67 Eastgate Drive and I grew up not too far away in an even more generic neighborhood off of Skyline Boulivard.
Love them!
My husband grew up at #1 Fieldcrest. He has great memories of that neighborhood.
These houses are beautiful! We certainly don’t have them in our part of the world. I love their colours — they look very happy and optimistic :)
These little boxes would be perfect with the appropriate landscaping. I do not understand why grass is still the standard for landscaping, especially in California. Not only does grass require so much water the amount of toxins that we use to maintain our manicured lawns is so unhealthy. How adorable would these boxes look with a zen garden or even some fruit or veggies growing.
I love these photos and the information about the neighborhood.
Did you the pictures on your phone?
SO very cute, I loved your little pictures and the information on the homes. Thank you.
Oh, I love this post! We bought our first Bay Area house in Westlake. We sold it a few years later to move to the Outer Richmond in San Francisco, but I will always and forever love that house, which made me feel as though I was living in a drive-thru Krispy Kreme. The houses, all built by Henry Doelger, are incredibly well designed. Though the footprint tends to be small (ours was less than 1500 square feet), the design allows for very high living room ceilings, beautiful downstairs flow, and plenty of light and open space. The homes are also constructed of California redwood–a sturdy and beautiful material (not sustainable, but that’s wasn’t at the top of builders’ lists of priorities back then). Our bathroom was maroon and pink tile–awesomeness. It breaks my heart when people move in and gut the original details.
I wrote about our Westlake Doelger for SFGate (with photos) here: http://blog.sfgate.com/richmond/2009/04/18/not-so-ticky-tacky-westlakes-unassuming-architectural-gems/
what gorgeous, playful, lovely homes!
xx
Love your pictures! I hope the homes stay intact for a long time.
These are absolutely gorgeous! I’m not familiar with the area, but i’m going to go ahead and guess that this area is on the pricey side. Am I right?
No, it’s Daly City. By Bay Area single family home standards, they’re reasonable (probably no more than $650K). I’m kind of surprised SF Girl By the Bay would feature something relatively unyuppified actually.
never thought of this as a ‘yuppie’ blog, but okay.
well, they’re aren’t cheap compared to other areas of the country, but for the bay area they are less expensive – i think because the weather can often be quite foggy by the coastline.
These are so cute! I love the first one. Makes you feel like you stepped back in time!
Cheers
Carly
http://www.carlytati.com
I love that neighborhood! Always sort of reminded me of the neighborhood in Edward Scissorhands.
My childhood, 70 Larkspur. Never saw the sun. Fun houses to look at, but don’t recommend moving there if you want to ever see blue sky.
I grew up at 138 Westdale Avenue in “Westlake #1″. Never thought about the style being space age or iconic then, but looking back, I guess it was. All I know is for a family of five, it was comfortable! But, oh the fog!