Bernard Maybeck by Mark Wilson

Author:Mark Wilson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Published: 2011-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

Hillside Club, Christmas pageant on stage of original clubhouse, c. 1920 (courtesy of Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley).

Of the three clubhouses and neighborhood buildings Maybeck designed in San Francisco, only the Forest Hill Association Clubhouse remains unaltered. This two-story, half-timbered, Tudor-style building sits well back from the street in the heart of a quiet, secluded residential neighborhood. Designed in 1919, it occupies the rear portion of a spacious lot at 381 Magellan Street, surrounded by a brick patio and a side garden shaded by tall pine and oak trees. This quaint-looking building creates the impression of a bit of Old England transplanted to Northern California. Mr. E. C. Young, for whom Maybeck had designed a house nearby, was listed on the plans as an associate architect.[69]

The exterior of the Forest Hill Clubhouse has brick facing on the ground floor of the north and east walls near the main entrance where the building’s two wings form an “L.” There is a second-story overhang along the east wing, and an outsized gable rises above a large latticed window. A tall, rectangular latticed bay on the end of the north wing lights the assembly room behind it, and the gable above has a scalloped bargeboard. A pair of heavy doors with large hinges on the east side of the north wing forms a second entrance, opening directly into the assembly room.

The interior of the clubhouse has the feeling of a Tudor great hall. The assembly room, used for members’ meetings, has a Gothic, high-peaked ceiling, with open beams and massive trusses. The dark paneled walls have open studs, and there is an off-center fireplace with klinker brick facing set into the west wall. A tall, latticed window in the wall above the fireplace is also off-center, giving the room a casual, less formal feeling than many Tudor Revival buildings. Original, round wrought iron light fixtures designed by Maybeck hang from the ceiling. Across the south end of the room is a gallery that overlooks the hall. The railing is decorated with large wooden dowels at the bottom of each post, painted Maybeck’s favorite Prussian blue color. Beyond the gallery is an open lounge area, which can be used as an extension of the hall for large events. The east wing of the club has a general kitchen and full living quarters for a housekeeper.

Forest Hill Association Clubhouse, 381 Magellan Street, San Francisco, 1919.

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