(with Gary Katz)
Not long ago, Gary Katz and I visited the William Thorsen House in Berkeley, CA. Built in 1909—one year after the Gamble House—the Thorsen House represents the “last of the large and elaborate wooden houses designed by Greene and Greene,” (Edward Bosley), for which Randall Makinson, in his book Greene & Greene: Architecture as a Fine Art, coined the term, “Ultimate Bungalows.”
At the turn of the 20th century, bungalow homes were so common throughout the country that companies like Sears sold bungalow kit homes with everything included—from the tapered columns to the leaded glass cabinet doors. But Henry and Charles Greene took the form to a new height, building several expansive homes for wealthy industrialist clients, including: the Blacker House (1907-1909), the Gamble House (1907-1909), the Pratt House (1908-1911) and the Thorsen House (1908-1910).
As Gary mentioned in his earlier article about Frank Lloyd Wright and Falling Water, architects of the period had recognized the value of horizontal lines in architectural composition as opposed to the vertical lines popular during the heyday of the Victorian period. Architects after the turn of the 20th century focused on designs for comfortable, natural homes that fit—rather than fought—with the environment.
Charles Robert Ashbee, a central figure in the British Arts & Crafts movement, toured America in 1908-1909 and noted that Charles Greene’s work was: “beautiful; among the best there is in this country. Like Lloyd Wright the spell of Japan is upon him, like Lloyd Wright he feels the beauty and makes magic out of the horizontal line, but there is in his work more tenderness, more subtlety, more self-effacement than in Wright’s work, and it is more refined and has more repose” (Bosley, Greene & Greene, p. 140).
And no single word better describes the Thorsen house than “repose.”
Ironically, the Thorsen house has stronger vertical lines than any of the Greene’s other Ultimate Bungalows, and that’s because it was designed and built in Berkeley, CA, on a hill, unlike the Greene & Green homes in Pasadena, which were placed on mostly level ground with a horizontal plan. But the Thorsen’s multi-level home sits on a unique corner property, and has an L -shaped plan that climbs up the hill gently, masking it’s size—over 9,000 sq. ft.
Timbered rafter tails with long overhangs and strongly cantilevered porches are distinctive features, but instead of sleeping porches—which the Greenes included on Southern California homes—this colder-climate house was designed with uncovered balconies, though the balconies have since been covered and turned into sleeping areas by the current owners and residents: since 1942, the home has been owned and cared for by the Sigma Phi Society of California.
We were early for our appointment the morning we visited, so Gary and I took our time exploring the front of the house. There are many features that are common to Greene and Greene homes, like the cloud lift design in the window muntins (you’ll see more of that when we go inside for the videos).
|A similar pattern is repeated in the basement windows.|
|The milk delivery door repeats a theme common to the Greenes and to Frank Lloyd Wright—long horizontal head casings.|
|A small pathway provides access to the back yard. The fraternity has plans for a new garden wall, which will protect their privacy more, but I’m sure they’ll be saving this gate.|
I caught Gary on his hands and knees taking a picture of the full-sailed ship in this panel (see photo, left). John Thorsen, William’s father, was born in Norway; although he earned his fortune in the Michigan lumber industry, he always had a close connection to the sea. William shared the same interest; in fact, as we later learned from our tour guide, features in the dining room and living room repeat the same nautical schemes.
Approaching the front steps, we first passed through an inspired iron archway.
|Deep steps with low risers lead to the entry door.|
|The door is decorated with a gnarled grapevine pattern. Vines also form the primary imagery common throughout the Thorsen home. I’ll show you more of that once we get inside the house.|
Before we go inside, I thought all the carpenters reading this article would appreciate seeing the shape the house is in today, and learning a bit about the type of work required to maintain the home. These folks welcome the help of experienced volunteers!
The Greene brothers used Peter Hall as the contractor on this home, just as they had on all of their other Ultimate Bungalows. Hall hired William Isaac Ott to supervise the job, and the workmanship is impeccable. Most of the maintenance issues Gary and I saw could have been avoided if the original carpenters had used different techniques, or if they had some of the great materials we have today—which is a good lesson: we all have something to learn!
|I liked this trellis, a lot. In fact, I might make one for my house. If only the wood had been maintained—a coat of oil every few years might have killed the plants, but it would have saved the trellis.|
|Here’s what remains of the side yard fence—at least the bottom rail. Notice how the fencing was mortised into the rail! What a job of joinery. And built to last.|
Too bad it rains so much up here—moisture got trapped in the mortises, rotting out the tongues. Even though the carpenters tried to avoid that problem by drilling drainage holes in the bottom of each mortise, that wasn’t enough to save the fencing. Maybe a few more holes would have done the trick. I bet if they had had a Domino….
Entry & Living Room
Greene and Greene homes always contain a symbolic thread or device that ties one room to the next: lotuses are a symbolic device in the Blacker house; the “tree of life” is a primary device in the Gamble house, from the front doors to the living room inglenook; and rose and grapevines serve a similar purpose in the Thorsen home. They decorate the frieze in the living room and the frieze in the dining room.
The frieze is broken by intriguing U-shaped brackets, which are secured to the top rail of the paneling with multi-stepped pins. The pins in the corners rest on both walls, while the rose vine continues all the way around the room.
If I were forced to compare them all, I’d say the living room probably contains the most interesting design features in the home. Watch this video, and you’ll see what I mean:
Like the main stair in the Gamble house, the Thorsen stair is an eye-catcher, but it is also much different than any other stairway I’ve seen in a Greene and Greene home.
|The Thorsen newel posts are the real focal point of this stair; the railing, though it’s massive, and reflects the lift design, is almost secondary.|
If any of you have visited the Gamble House, you probably remember the exaggerated finger joints in the risers. The Greenes repeated the same detail in the Thorsen stair.
• • •
There are several features in the dining room that are worth noting. I’ll start with the fireplace. Mahogany pilasters—cut with reversed pillows or steps—flank the tile surround and support a simple mantelshelf with finger joints at the corners. The wall paneling is also deceptively simple: single panels—which are both tall and wide—frame the fireplace and are divided only above the mantelpiece, in a plumb line with the pilasters below. Small pillowed keys are mortised into the joint between the stiles and rails. A small square molding captures each of the panels; additional interior “stiles,” cut with a lift design, also flank the low panel above the mantelshelf.
The tiles in the fireplace surround are decorated with a periwinkle motif. If the original furniture were still in the house, we’d be able to see that same design repeated through delicate inlays in the chair backs and the dining table. If you want to see want I mean, check out Edward Bosley’s book: Greene & Greene.
Like the living room, the dining room carries the same nautical theme, and is meant to resemble the bow of a ship. In fact, the bay window is bowed over the front of the house. The crown molding—it must be called that even though it’s a simple build-up of flat moldings with eased edges—is broken at every corner by a multi-stepped “figurehead” pendent, which also resembles the bow of a ship.
|But the real glory-piece in the dining room is the china cabinet!|
|Supported by a thick two-knuckled finger-joint, and stepped brackets that extend back into the wall, this piece is a real keeper.|
To get a really good look at this cabinet, watch the video!
Nowhere is deferred maintenance more obvious than in the back yard, where the lower sun deck is supported by temporary shoring (see photo, right). The job of rebuilding the bridge and deck will be a costly one. But the art and craft of the home is still alive, even among the recently installed posts and pads. The Greene brothers’ palette of materials included wood, stone, brick, concrete, brass, copper, and hand-forged steel. Rusted collar straps, tightened with driven wedges, accentuate the strength and repose of the Thorsen home.