Have you ever stood in front of an amazing house and wished the owner would appear and invite you inside? That’s exactly what happened to us when we were sketching the historic Albina Street house in Berkeley. The new owner (steward is a better word, and how he describes his role) bought the house just six months ago (only the third owner), and he and his family are clearly in love with the spectacular home and gardens with the huge variety of majestic palms and other trees.
He saw us sketching and invited us in for a full tour and made sure we were on the fourth floor roof deck to see the sunset. There were so many amazing architectural features (I know I keep saying “amazing” but other than “jaw-dropping” it’s the only way to describe the property), fascinating contraptions and attention to detail that I can’t even begin to list them.
You can get a good general view on the Berkeley Architectural Historic site, and for the complete story, there is a 43 page book available for viewing on the web.
You can also see Cathy’s wonderful sketches here and Micaela’s here on our Urban Sketchers blog.
Jana Bouc, Artist 
6 replies on “Berkeley’s Amazing Albina Street Victoria”
thats a pretty awesome piece 🙂
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Sounds like a wonderful sketch day! I had a similar experience in Taos recently, while looking at a beautiful little adobe that was being renovated. I admired his building, and the owner invited me inside to see the ongoing construction. Always a treat.
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What a fabulous experience!! And thanks for the link to the book….I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this architectural masterpiece!
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See now? This is what I was talking about! You have supreme drawing skills and this is absolutely fabulous! I love it, Jana! Hope all is well with you! ❤
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What an incredible experience. I love the sketch!
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What a great man! Lovely drawing Jana.
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