Hugh W. Comstock

Hugh W. Comstock
Hugh and Mayotta Comstock (Photograph courtesy of the Harrison Memorial Library Collection.)
Born
Hugh White Comstock

April 17, 1893 (1893-04-17)
Evanston, Illinois, US
Died1 June 1950(1950-06-01) (aged 57)
Santa Barbara, California, US
OccupationDesigner and builder
SpouseMayotta Browne

Hugh W. Comstock (April 17, 1893 – June 1, 1950)[1][2] was an American designer and master builder who lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He and Michael J. Murphy were responsible for giving Carmel its architectural character.[3] Comstock developed a fairy tale or storybook architectural-style that has been closely identified with Carmel. Twenty-one of his cottages remain in the area today. Comstock also created a modern use of adobe in the construction known as "Bitudobe," a type of post-adobe brick.[4]

Early life

Comstock was born in Evanston, Illinois on April 17, 1893.[1] He moved to Santa Rosa with his family in 1907.[3] Comstock had a ranch in Yolo County, California.[5] As a rancher, he had no formal architectural training and had only basic carpentry skills.[4]: p80 

In 1924, Comstock traveled to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California to visit his sister Catherine and her husband, George Seideneck.[6] She introduced him to Mayotta Browne, a nearby doll maker, known for making and selling popular hand-made "Otsy-Totsy" felt dolls. They were married on April 14, 1924, in Salinas.[5][4]

Career

The Hansel Cottage.
The Tuck Box by Hugh Comstock

Comstock embarked on his career as a designer-builder when his wife requested him to construct a cottage for her dolls.[3] In 1924, he built a cottage for her to house the dolls, resembling a fairy house in the woods. The space became a showcase where potential buyers could come to see her dolls. Many residents that saw the cottage requested similar houses, which lead to Comstock's building career.[6]: p100  This first cottage was called Hansel after the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.[7]

The Hansel house became the first of many fairy tale Storybook-style cottages that Comstock would go on to design and build.[3]

The cottages have steep gables, wooden half-timbering with stucco and plaster surfaces, and wood and diamond-paned windows. They often had tall, narrow chimneys covered in battered Carmel stone to create a rustic appearance.[3]

In 1926, Comstock designed and built Tuck Box, located on Dolores Street. It was built in the Craftsman, Fairy Tale style, and features a steep gabled shingled roof, stucco walls, faux-timber beams, multi-pane glass windows, and used brick for an uneven chimney. In November 1931, Comstock built the Garden Shop Addition, which is between the Tuck Box and the El Paseo Building. Both buildings were recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation on October 8, 2002.[8]

Comstock was in charge of the reconstruction of the Forest Theater in 1939 as part of a $20,000 Works Progress Administration project. He drew up the plans, working with major Herbert Heron.[9]

Monterey County Trust & Savings Building (now the China Art Center)

He designed and built the two-story Spanish Mission Revival style Monterey County Trust & Savings Building (now the China Art Building) in 1930.[10][3][4]: p110 

During the Great Depression Comstock used cheaper materials. He made adobe bricks in a plant he built in Carmel Valley. His first adobe house was built in 1936. He made a specialized adobe brick called "Bitudobe." In 1948, he published the book Post-Adobe; Simplified Adobe Construction Combining A Rugged Timber Frame And Modern Stabilized Adobe, which described his method of construction, including how to make "Bitudobe." In 1938, he served as an adviser to the architects Franklin & Kump Associates, who built the Carmel High School, which used his Post-adobe system.[11][3][4]

Comstock was a Carmel civil leader, serving as the president of the board for the Carmel Unified School District and chariman of the board for the Carmel Sanitary District.[6]

Selected works

  1. Hansel (1924), the original Doll House[7]
  2. Hugh Comstock House (1925), formerly known as Obers[12]
  3. Gretel (1925)[6]
  4. Guest House (1926)[6]
  5. Tuck Box (1926), became an English tea room
  6. Snow White's Summer Place (1926)[6]
  7. Marchen Haus house (1926)[12]
  8. Nelson-Krough cottage (1926)[12]
  9. Grant Wallace cottage (1927)[12]
  10. Comstock Studio (1927), Comstock's house[6]
  11. Mary Young Hunter House (1927), also known as The Woods[13][12]
  12. Our House (1928), built for Elizabeth Armstrong
  13. Torres Cottage (1928)[6]
  14. Doll's House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 1[14]
  15. Birthday House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 2[6]
  16. Ocean House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 3
  17. Fables (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 4[6]
  18. Honeymoon Cottage (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 5, aka Yellow Bird[14]
  19. Elizabeth F. Armstrong House (1928)[13]
  20. Yellow Bird (1928)[13]
  21. Elspeth Rose Cottage (1929), also goes by the names, Sunwiseturn House, and the "Twin on Palou"[13][12]
  22. San Antonio (1929)[6]
  23. Sylvia Jordan House (1929), Adobe-style house[12][6]
  24. Great Expectations (1929)[6]
  25. Tuck Box Jam Shop (1929)[6]
  26. Wheeler House (1929), in Pebble Beach[6]
  27. Chanticleer motor court[6]
  28. F.A. Watson House (1930)[13]
  29. Monterey County Trust and Savings Bank (1930), now the China Art Building[15][12]
  30. Tudor-style stucco home at 26350 Ocean View for Mrs. Johnston Field (1931)[16]
  31. Garden Shop Addition (1931).[12]
  32. Bertha C. Cole House (1932)[13]
  33. The Unit House (1934)[13]
  34. Maj. Ralph A. Coote House (1934)[12]
  35. Alfred Matthews House (1935)[13]
  36. Edith S. Anderson's House, Cape Cod-style house (1936)'[7]
  37. Ross & Thelma Miller House (1937)[13]
  38. First Bitudobe home for Major Ralph Coote on 8th Ave. (1937)[17]
  39. Bowman House (1937)[13]
  40. Samuel M. Haskins House (1939)[6]
  41. Fred Wolferman Carmel Valley home (1939)[18]
  42. Florence Lockwood Studio/House (1940)[12]
  43. Village Corner Restaurant (1946)[13]

Death

Comstock died on June 1, 1950, at the age of 57, at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, in Santa Barbara, California.[1] His wife, Mayotta Comstock survived him.[11] He was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. His wife died on May 30, 1979, at the age of 87, in Sacramento, California. She was cremated and her remains taken to the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Comstock, Hugh White (June 1, 1950). "California U.S. Death Index 1940-1997" (Database). Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.
  2. ^ Comstock, Hugh White (April 17, 1893). "U.S. Word War II Draft Registration Card" (Database). Selective Service System.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates1994. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  4. ^ a b c d e Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Publications. pp. 113, 117. ISBN 9780738547053. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  5. ^ a b "Famed Maker Of Dolls And Rancher Wed". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 16 Apr 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q 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. p. 100. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  7. ^ a b c Paul, Linda Leigh (2000). Cottages by the Sea The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America's First Artist Community. New York, NY. pp. 88–89. ISBN 9780789304957. Retrieved 2022-11-03.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  8. ^ Kent L. Seavey (October 8, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Salinas Morning Post". The Californian. Salinas, California. 13 May 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  10. ^ "County Banking Firm Opens Branch". The Californian. Salinas, California. 6 Sep 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  11. ^ a b "Comstock's Brother Dead at 57". The Californian. Salinas, California. 3 Jun 1950. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "City Of Carmel-By-The-Sea Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Carmel Historic Inventory" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  14. ^ a b Dramov, Alissandra; Momboisse, Lynn A. (2016). Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia. pp. 81, 91. ISBN 9781467115971. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  15. ^ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia. p. 40. ISBN 9781439666890. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  16. ^ "New Home Built For Mrs. Field". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  17. ^ Neal Hotelling (9 Dec 2022). "Dennis the Menace's S.V. Comstock and how it grew" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 23. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  18. ^ Elaine Hesser (11 Mar 2022). "Carmel Valley Comstock Was Also Home To Dennis The Menance" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 61. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  19. ^ "Comstock". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 23 May 1979. p. 60. Retrieved 2022-02-27.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hugh W. Comstock.
  • Carmel Heritage Society
  • The Fairy Tale Houses of Carmel by Joanne Mathewson
  • Cottages By The Sea by Linda Leigh Paul (2000)
  • Post-adobe; Simplified Adobe Construction Combining a Rugged Timber Frame and Modern Stabilized Adobe, Hugh W Comstock, 1948
  • Carmel Fairy Tale Cottages by Mike Barton (2011)
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