El Cerrito Mid Century Modern - Falconer Residence - Architect Roger Lee, Builder Willis Foster

The Builder's House 1948 - The April, 1949 edition of Architectural Digest in which are featured homes designed by Roger Lee and built by Willis Foster. These homes were built in El Cerrito and are the same in most details to my home in El Cerrito.<br /><br />The Lees were close family friends. My dad knew Roger starting in the 2nd grade and they both graduated from UC Berkeley. Our south facing windows are glass only for the top portion, the lower panels being opaque. Our home is a mirror image of the one at the top of the page, with the carport on the uphill side of the lot. The lower picture here is almost identical to our living room but it is "flipped" from our layout. The beam and fireplace detail is almost identical and it even features the same hanging lamp we have. Another family friend, Hans Shaper, designed all the lighting for our home. These next six shots are of the landscape architecute plan prepared by Osmundson, Staley, & Gibson, a well regarded Bay Area landscape architecture firm. I sure wish we had the model, but I'm guessing it was used in a regional show and then ??? My dad, mostly single-handedly, executed the entire landscaping plan, including the masonry, the fence building, and the garden house (although he modified it to provide much more light than the plans called for. It is fun to have these "bofore the additions" images. Subsequent to the intial construction, three additions were made to the home, all designed by Roger Lee and executed by Willis Foster. In 1955 a separate suite, consisting of a bedroom and bath, with its own exterior entrance and sliding glass door to a patio, was added. It filled in the space which appears as a "cutout" to a rectangular roofline. This became my (John Falconer) room. In 1959, the home was again added to, this time by pushing the rear of the main structure further east, enlarging the living room and kitchen while adding space for formal dining and breakfast dining. This makes the rear of the house now extend to be much closer to the small kidney-shaped pool (which still is in place). The final additon was made in 1967. This was a big one, a second story was added to the home, with a stairway leading up from the dining/living intersection to a master suite/office/bath done in a Japanese motif, with a large sunken tub and tatami mats for the flooring in the master bedroom. From this suite a door leads directly onto the roof and I have the plans for an as-of-yet-not-executed sundeck to be built on the west side of the 2nd story addition. This is our lot before grading. My mom and I are making a survey. Showing the in-the-foundation copper pipes that provide five circuits of radiant heating - still works perfectly, 65 years later. Further inspection of construction progress. Baring the guts of the house - post and beam construction is evident. I had a great time playing during the construction of the house. Roger Lee, architect, on one of his many visits. Sometimes his wife Rena and his sone Roger Alyn would also visit. The carport is shown in its original configuration here. When we got two cars, the posts supporting its roof were moved farther from the house to accomodate parking both cars. My mom and an unknown friend. The Willis Foster building sign is clear in this picture. The house is done - we've moved in, but the landscaping has only just started. The entryway and carport - showing our '49 Ford, nicknamed "Betsy." Dad is at work on the retaining wall and the patio where our clothes line was locaed. Much of this area was covered over by my bedroom when it was added in 1955. This shows the configuration of the kitchen prior to the expansion of 1959. Dad and I at work on the front fence and garden. The fence he was working on still stands - redwood is wonderful wood! The south side of the house, before expansion and before the south walks and hedge were in place. Framing in the front fence. More work on the fence - it is coming along nicely. More fence work being done. Roger Lee - Architect and family friend of longstanding. Rena and Roger Lee on an outing to the beach at Santa Cruz.