As my close friends know, real estate (especially on line real estate) is my porn! After years of house hunting in San Francisco, Piedmont, Belvedere, Tiburon, Ross, Atherton, Woodside, Palo Alto and pretty much every other town I could drag my poor husband to, one thing stood out: Albert Farr! Consistently I fell in love with his homes.
So when I first saw Maison de Noise, I was happy to learn that Mr. Farr was the architect. Serendipity! So here is a little information, pulled from the website of San Francisco interior designer extrordinaire Cecilie Starin Starr, about the late great Albert Farr:
Albert Farr, the architect who designed the house chosen for the 2010 San Francisco Decorator Showcase, was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1871 and was raised in Japan where his father worked to establish the postal system. He came to SF in 1890 at the age of 18.
His career began just as the First Bay Tradition began to upstage Victorian Architects, until the
time Modernism began to emerge. Farr’s most famous project is Wolf house, built for Jack and Charmian London in Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. Begun in 1910, the 15,000 square foot house, two years into construction, tragically burned down in 1912, most likely due to the spontaneous combustion of linseed rags left in the house. Under-insured, London could not afford to rebuild. The ruins can be visited at the Jack London Historic State Park.
An Emerging Style: First Bay Tradition
Farr was an important architect in his own time, emerging in the early 20th century as a key part of the development of the “First Bay Tradition,” which included such greats as architects Ernest Coxhead, Willis Polk and Bernard Maybeck.
In the 1890’s and 1900’s, the First Bay Tradition, which combined styles with historical references, began to emerge. It specialized in combining vernacular in informal suburban homes and less formal city homes. Architects celebrated the awkward and rustic nature of this genre.
This combining of styles in varying periods into a look that was centered on the West Coast is what intrigued these architects. The style was not specific to a period as much as it was a study of the relationship between classic period and national styles. The juxtapositions of scale and materials would create a new paradigm that was deliberately slightly out of the norm. This odd mix of traditions was used in an unorthodox manner purposefully to convey a regionally specific look.
Farr incorporated many architectural styles into his own work that evolved over time during his 50 year career. The use of historical reference in architecture prevailed at the time and few were as adept as Farr in creating structures using such a wide variety of styles.
Albert Farr had a unique approach to his own view of this rustic Bay movement. Many examples of his works can be seen in 
Belvedere, Piedmont, Claremont, and Oakland, as well as San Francisco. His details include numerous gables, overhanging medieval half-timbered shingle designs with influences from Coxhead and Polk. This became a popular look that continued for many years. In fact, based on an erroneous building permit entry, the Showcase house was incorrectly attributed to Polk.
Mixing Styles and Influence
Throughout his career Albert Farr worked with Latin influences, both Spanish and Italian, using a Mediterranean vernacular years
preceding the popularity of Spanish Colonial revival in the 1920’s. Mission motifs can be seen in some of his earliest works. His interpretation is subtle, inventive and unexpected.
Farr’s work is incorrectly termed “period revival.” He was interested in combining styles rather than recreating exact period works. He created styles that combined Italian baroque, French, Moorish, Gothic, Medieval, English Georgian, Tudor and more.
Farr’s importance has gone relatively unnoticed by historians. Knowledgeable clients have always been aware of his talents. Farr retired at the beginning of WWII and his work was upstaged by the onset of Modernism. Albert Farr passed away July 12, 1947 in Piedmont after a distinctive 50-year career.
His career began just as the First Bay Tradition began to upstage Victorian Architects, until the
time Modernism began to emerge. Farr’s most famous project is Wolf house, built for Jack and Charmian London in Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. Begun in 1910, the 15,000 square foot house, two years into construction, tragically burned down in 1912, most likely due to the spontaneous combustion of linseed rags left in the house. Under-insured, London could not afford to rebuild. The ruins can be visited at the Jack London Historic State Park.An Emerging Style: First Bay Tradition
Farr was an important architect in his own time, emerging in the early 20th century as a key part of the development of the “First Bay Tradition,” which included such greats as architects Ernest Coxhead, Willis Polk and Bernard Maybeck.
In the 1890’s and 1900’s, the First Bay Tradition, which combined styles with historical references, began to emerge. It specialized in combining vernacular in informal suburban homes and less formal city homes. Architects celebrated the awkward and rustic nature of this genre.
This combining of styles in varying periods into a look that was centered on the West Coast is what intrigued these architects. The style was not specific to a period as much as it was a study of the relationship between classic period and national styles. The juxtapositions of scale and materials would create a new paradigm that was deliberately slightly out of the norm. This odd mix of traditions was used in an unorthodox manner purposefully to convey a regionally specific look.
Farr incorporated many architectural styles into his own work that evolved over time during his 50 year career. The use of historical reference in architecture prevailed at the time and few were as adept as Farr in creating structures using such a wide variety of styles.
Albert Farr had a unique approach to his own view of this rustic Bay movement. Many examples of his works can be seen in 
Belvedere, Piedmont, Claremont, and Oakland, as well as San Francisco. His details include numerous gables, overhanging medieval half-timbered shingle designs with influences from Coxhead and Polk. This became a popular look that continued for many years. In fact, based on an erroneous building permit entry, the Showcase house was incorrectly attributed to Polk.
Mixing Styles and InfluenceThroughout his career Albert Farr worked with Latin influences, both Spanish and Italian, using a Mediterranean vernacular years
preceding the popularity of Spanish Colonial revival in the 1920’s. Mission motifs can be seen in some of his earliest works. His interpretation is subtle, inventive and unexpected.Farr’s work is incorrectly termed “period revival.” He was interested in combining styles rather than recreating exact period works. He created styles that combined Italian baroque, French, Moorish, Gothic, Medieval, English Georgian, Tudor and more.
Farr’s importance has gone relatively unnoticed by historians. Knowledgeable clients have always been aware of his talents. Farr retired at the beginning of WWII and his work was upstaged by the onset of Modernism. Albert Farr passed away July 12, 1947 in Piedmont after a distinctive 50-year career.CECILIE STARIN
- SAN FRANCISCO, CA
- Cecilie is owner of Cecilie Starin Design Inc., a high-end residential full-service interior design firm that works with clients in San Francisco, Marin County, Napa and the Peninsula. She has participated in four San Francisco Decorator Showcases, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010. She brings a painter’s eye to all of her projects. For her, every room is a still life. Her studies in fine arts and years of travel and design in the fashion industry come together in her global eclectic mix that is refined yet fresh; the studied timelessness of comfortable classicism.
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