Our friend Lotusgreen (of the Japonisme blog) tells us a bit about Charles "One Nail" MacGregor, a housebuilder in the Berkeley and Albany, CA area who was known for some very special marks he left on the homes he built: amazing chimneys, clinker brick, unique stucco patterns, Batchelder fireplaces, inlaid oak floors and – in the front and back yards – lemon trees and camellia bushes. Even when the realtor doesn’t know or chooses not to bill the house as a MacGregor, they still cost a pretty penny – one modest MacGregor, which had been in Charles’ family since it was built in 1926, recently sold for $639,000.
While MacGregor considered himself "just a builder," he did design many of the houses himself, and all those he built are known for their sturdiness. He also collaborated with noted designer Walter W. Dixon, a master of the storybook style; they worked on a number of properties in the 1930s that remain some of the most interesting residential structures of the east bay.
Even though many of his signature chimneys are long gone – the photo linked in the previous paragraph is one of the few left – and most of his lemons and camellias have been replaced, he lives on in dozens of homes in Albany and Berkeley, as well as in the name of Albany’s "continuation" high school, where several of my miscreant friends were relocated to when they had disagreements with Albany High’s teachers and administrators.
The next time you are in the area, take a look at 1389 – 1391 Solano Avenue, which was MacGregor’s office. Dixon designed the Spanish-style building for MacGregor in the 1930s. Let us know if it’s still there, and if it is, take a picture for Hewn & Hammered!
hey–thanks–and thanks again for more info i didn’t know. i’m having a hard time figuring out what’s at that corner, but it may be where safeway pharmacy is now, a building which still bears its spanish tiles and ornament. i’ll document in the next couple of days. and if that’s not the the one, i’ll document both.
okay so i looked up the pharmacy address and it’s 1395 solano, with a chiropractor at 1391. i can’t picture it but will check it out.
but also i’ve shot a bunch more chimneys! maybe i’ll upload those to that account….
i’ve now loaded the documentation of the macgregor building on solano. it starts here.
actually, you’re better to start here and work “forward.”
did you get a chance to look at the photos? were they helpful to you?
There are a large number of Macgregor houses in Richmond CA as well. Many of them still have their chimneys intact. Travel around Grant Ave between 25th and 30th, this area has many Macgregors.
coming in off the freeway going up 23rd there are a lot too
i just came across this and thought if you hadn’t seen it you might be interested.
nice house, eh?
I still live in the South Richmond neighborhood I grew up in and there are several Macgregors, including my house, on my block. There’s one for sale right now and I was amazed when I mentioned to the realtor that it was a Macgregor he had no idea what I was talking about! The saddest thing is that as new homeowners come in, the first thing they tend to do is tear down the unique characteristics (including one neighbor who painted the chimney) and replace with a low quality product.
I bought a MacGregor in Richmond on South 23rd Street a few months ago and is now my pride and joy. Beautiful camillias in the front lead you past the round fireplace with stone inserts and up to the spanish tiles at the foot of the main entry door. One step inside and one will be standing on the original hardwood inlay foor. This house has been kept fairly original. The kitchen and bath have the original counter and wall tile. The vented kitchen cabinet and the corner cabinet are also still in tact. Records show it was built the same time as the Macgregor next door. There are may Macgregor houses up and down the street. There are also Macgregor triplexes in the area. Two can be seen across from each other on Ohio Street at the corner of S. 23rd. While showing pictures of my Macgegor at work a coworker picked off it being a Macgregor since she lives in one in the North & East section of Richmond.
Seth, feel free to send us some of the photos and we’ll put them up here on the site! I’d love to see your place.
Hi hewn and hammered,
I am wondering how to get in touch with you. I sent an article in early December about my new venture http://www.dreammountainstudio.com and have not heard back from you. So you either didn’t get it or didn’t like it.
I was featured years ago in an article about my chandelier which received an award from Fine Woodworking. I’d love to hear from you!
Alice Suszynski
Hi there,
Is there a way for me to find out if McGregor also built homes in Oakland? If so, is there a list somewhere to see if a particular home is a McGregor home?
Thank you in advance for any info!
Angelo
Hi,
Our MacGregor house in Richmond has been badly damaged in a flood & the insurance company wants to gut the entire place. Most of the house is original (I think)–where can I find more info about the materials used, typical plans, etc? I would like to make one or two improvements but keep them in the proper style.
Thanks for any help.
Marla
Also check out 16th Street, between Post and Sutter. There’s a pair of MacGregors, at the corner of Post and the next parcel south, and another on the next block. I toured the corner house, as a prospective tenant, yesterday. The owner (puts a lot of care into his property, and) hipped me to the house style.
[howdy, lotusgreen, from yr fellow freecycler]
I live in a MacGregor home in El Cerrito and there are also several in my neighborhood. Built in 1926, it still has many original features including all the mouldings, beautiful rounded front windows and original window panes. The home has been expanded and remodeled during the years, and the house has been through many earthquakes, but she stands strong and tall and is a pleasure to live in.
Does anyone know how many homes MacGregor built in Richmond? My daughter lives in one in Richmond and we were curious.