Driftwood Cottage
| Driftwood Cottage | |
|---|---|
| Driftwood | |
 Driftwood Cottage in 2022 | |
| Location | 26398 Ocean View Avenue and the corner of Scenic Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California |
| Coordinates | 36°32′24″N 121°55′54″W / 36.54000°N 121.93167°W |
| Built | 1908 |
| Built by | George W. Reamer |
| Built for | Florence E. Wells |
| Current use | Residence |
| Architectural style(s) | Japanese architecture |
  Driftwood Cottage Location on Carmel Point | |
Driftwood Cottage, often simply called Driftwood, is a historic home located on Carmel Point at the southern city limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It has views of Carmel Bay, Carmel River, and Point Lobos. It was the first house built on Carmel Point and became the home of actress Jean Arthur. Architect George W. Reamer built the house in 1908 for Florence E. Wells.[1][2]
History[edit]
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the Driftwood Cottage was the first house to go up on Carmel Point at the southwest corner of Scenic Drive and Ocean View Avenue. The property fronted the Carmel River lagoon at a time when the Point was without trees and any other homes.[3][2][4]
The 3,000 square feet (280 m2) home is set on five lots and has two single-story buildings made of redwood and stone. The main house and guest cottage are connected by a 20 ft (6.1 m) hallway.[5] There are four rooms in the main house, which open onto an atrium with a glass dome. The floor is covered with blue Japanese slate. A 6 ft (1.8 m) redwood fence borders the grounds for privacy. Reamer built the home with his signature lava rock fireplace.[4][2]
Driftwood Cottage was once home of actress Jean Arthur (1900–1991) and her mother Johanna Greene.[6] She first rented the house from Wells in 1937,[7][5] and then bought it after World War II.[8] Arthur remodeled the house and created a large outdoor garden, with landscape artist George Hoy, in a Japanese architecture style, including a Japanese bronze dragon gate latch.[8]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Florence Wells". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 5 May 1966. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-10-01.
- ^ a b c Fink, Augusta (2000). Monterey County: The Dramatic Story of its Past. Valley Publishers. p. 243. ISBN 9780913548622. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
- ^ Rense, Paige, ed. (1977). Celebrity Homes: Architectural digest presents the private worlds of thirty international personalities. New York: The Viking Press. p. 210. ISBN 9780670209644. OCLC 1029290581.
- ^ a b Hudson, Monica (2006). Carmel-By-The-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publishing. pp. 73–74, 78. ISBN 9780738531229. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ a b Oller, John (1999). Jean Arthur The Actress Nobody Knew. Limelight Editions. ISBN 9780879102784. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
- ^ Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A Tribute to Yesterday: The History of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Santa Cruz, California: Valley Publishers. pp. 54, 120. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
- ^ "Movie Actress Here". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1937-09-03. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ a b Russell Mac Masters (1976). "Architectural Digest: Jean Arthur". archive.architecturaldigest.com. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
External links[edit]
