When you look at a beautiful old home, it can almost seem as though it’s always been that way, and that all the owners had to do was paint it once in a while. The reality is that many of Alameda’s Victorian-era homes have not just been preserved but restored. Such is the case for the circa 1891 Joseph A. Leonard-designed Queen Anne-style home at 899 Union Street.

A project house
When Mimi and Charlie Stuart purchased 899 Union Street in 1988, it had been divided into three apartments (and many more during World War II), had drop-ceilings installed, and featured aluminum siding on the lower levels. In addition, there were fluorescent lights on the ceilings, green paneling on the walls, and mud-brown linoleum on the floors. According to Mimi Stuart, “All of the fireplaces but one had so many layers of paint that one couldn’t even see the carved details. The back parlor mantel, painted in thick, gloppy paint, eventually revealed delicate carvings in what we’ve been told is a rare rosewood. Each mantel was designed with a different type of wood, and it was really exciting to strip away the layers and discover what was underneath.”

‘Irredeemable’
When Mimi and Charlie first called a contractor over to get some advice and a bid on the work they couldn’t do themselves, he took one look at the house and asked, “Is it too late for you to back out of buying this house?” His opinion was that the house was in rough shape and wasn’t worth the money and time it would take to restore it. He called the house “irredeemable” before getting in his truck and driving away. Luckily, the Stuarts weren’t put off by his advice and dedicated themselves to restoring the grand old home that they’d fallen in love with. Some things don’t make sense economically, but the heart wants what it wants.
Although the Stuarts had some experience fixing up a house in Los Angeles and had some confidence in their abilities, 899 Union Street turned out to be a much bigger job than they had bargained for. The Alameda Architectural Preservation Society (AAPS), the Alameda Museum, and George Gunn, all proved invaluable for advice on how to restore a vintage 1891 home.

Where to start?
When facing such a large restoration project, it can be hard to decide where to start. Since the front doors are the portals to the home, the Stuarts decided to start with that project, stripping the dark color off of the original 1891 double-doors to reveal the lustrous golden oak and brass knocker underneath the years of paint and grime. The Stuarts did most of the work themselves and even took on the massive job of stripping 900 pounds of aluminum siding from the lower levels, along with its associated nails, breather foil, and tar paper. Windowsills and trim had been cut away in the past, but the Stuarts were able to recreate them using clues from the shadows left behind on the wood.

The ’89 quake strikes
After over a year at 899 Union Street, Mimi and Charlie Stuart were making good progress on renovations when the magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. on October 17, 1989. Mimi was downstairs painting walls when she thought she heard and felt a group of Hell’s Angels rumbling down the street. It turned out not to be loud motorcycles, though. Meanwhile, Charlie had been driving over the doomed Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland, and then over the Bay Bridge to get to Candlestick Park for Game 3 of the World Series, just before the quake hit. Both the Cypress Structure and the Bay Bridge would soon experience collapses and losses of life.

Even though Mimi and Charlie’s home still had its original brick foundation, it survived the earthquake just fine, as it had the 1906 quake 83 years before. Other than some cracked plaster and paintings that fell off the walls, the historic house held up well. Nevertheless, plans were made to replace that old foundation, and in November of 1990 a new concrete foundation was installed at a cost of $15,000, a very tidy sum for these new homeowners trying to make ends meet. But the house should be well-prepared to weather the next earthquake, whenever that may be. One thing old houses have going for them is that they were often built from old-growth redwood, in larger-sized lumber than what is typically used now. For example, 2×4 boards were actually 2 inches by 4 inches at that time, rather than the 1.5-inch x 3.5-inch equivalent size today. My own 1939 bungalow in Alameda also features full 2×4 lumber.
Coming out party
By December of 1989, the old house had shaken off the earthquake and the Stuarts were ready to welcome guests into their home for the annual Alameda Family Services League Holiday Home Tour. This community fundraiser had its start in 1973, and benefited individual and family counseling, school-based health centers, Head Start, Early Head Start, and other programs in need.
While most homes on the tour were completely restored, the Stuarts’ home was unique in that some of the rooms were set up as “works in progress,” showing the tools and materials being used in the restoration. This turned out to be an interesting and popular display, as tour attendees who were interested in home restoration got a glimpse of what was involved in such a project.
Captain’s Corner
I’d long wondered why the words “Captain’s Corner” were painted above the porch of 899 Union Street. The words appeared during the tenure of Mimi Stuart, who is a professional art painter. Mimi remembers the end of Union Street historically being referred to as “Captain’s Row,” so she decided to name her house, with its commanding corner location, as “Captain’s Corner.” Looking into the records, I don’t see any history of a sea captain living at 899 Union Street, but the house next door was the home of Captain Albion H. Morse. In 1891, Captain A. H. Morse retired to Alameda and moved into his new Joseph Leonard-built home at 893 Union Street, right next to George Morrison’s new home at 899 Union Street, built that very same year.
Adding to Captain’s Row lore, the mansion at the end of the block—891 Union Street— was the home of Joseph A. Leonard, himself a seafaring man. Though mainly known as an architect and builder, Leonard also served as Commodore of the Encinal Yacht Club, located just offshore from his mansion, and which he designed as well. After his run of success in Alameda, Leonard’s company closed its doors in the late 1890s, and he found himself seeking his fortune in Alaska, on his 44-foot yacht, El Sueño. That gold-seeking adventure ended in a bust after a couple of years, after which Leonard reinvented himself in San Francisco, where he had further success as a builder.
There may have been other captains or seafaring homeowners living on this block at different times in the past, but the legacies of Captain A. H. Morse, who was described in his 1896 obituary as “a man of sterling qualities and a most genial disposition,” and of Commodore Joseph A. Leonard are sufficient to warrant the title “Captain’s Corner” on the house anchoring this illustrious section of Union Street.

The Sixth Sense
While Mimi Stuart is a professional painter and Charles Stuart is an advertising executive, they also have connections to people working in the television and film industries. This led to a number of productions being filmed at 899 Union Street, including commercials for such brands as Budweiser beer and Glassex glass cleaner, and television shows such as Totally Hidden Videos. The home also played a part in the 1999 psychological thriller film The Sixth Sense, directed by M. Night Shyamalan. According to Mimi, crews brought in some very elaborate and sophisticated sound recording equipment, and spent time recording the sounds of the old Victorian-era house, such as creaking floors, opening doors, and turning doorknobs. Those sounds made it into the final production, which connects the award-winning movie to Alameda in a way that most viewers never knew.
Next up
As our look into this 133-year-old house continues, we’ll learn about a 1910 incident in which police were called to 899 Union Street to address complaints of the “slumber-murdering racket” being created by the water tank house windmill behind Joseph A. Leonard’s mansion at 891 Union Street. While I’d long been charmed by the idea of numerous tank houses and metal windmills dotting the 19th century landscape of Alameda, I’d not imagined the potential racket they could make. And we’ll finally get to meet the current owners of the house, Kasi and Harrison Riley, who are taking it into the future with tasteful upgrades that complement its original Victorian-era roots. Plus, there are many more photos to share of the spectacular interior of this Alameda Treasure. All of that, and more, when our story continues.
Contributing writer Steve Gorman has been a resident of Alameda since 2000, when he fell in love with the history and architecture of this unique town. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/Steve-Gorman.