One of the most enjoyable aspects of writing about the historic homes of Alameda is getting to meet the homeowners who are acting as caretakers and guardians of these storied properties. They recognize the architectural and historic significance of their homes, and have usually dedicated countless hours of work and as much money as they can afford into restoring and preserving these three-dimensional works of art. In many cases, it’s more a labor of love than of economics, since the sheer amount of sweat-equity and cash invested can never be quite matched by a home’s selling price. But often, that’s not the point. The reward comes from knowing you are living in a piece of history, in a home designed by an important architect, and lived in by countless generations over the years—and from knowing that your home is a significant contributor to the beauty of the neighborhood, to be enjoyed by all who pass by each day.
From irredeemable to irresistible
In Part 2 of this series, we got to know Mimi and Charlie Stuart, owners of 899 Union Street from 1988 to 2021, who did so much to turn a home that a local contractor once called “irredeemable” into the beauty that we see today. In my telephone conversation with Mimi Stuart, who now lives with her husband Charlie in Sun Valley, Idaho, her love and enthusiasm for Alameda and her old home on Union Street still shined through loud and clear, 36 years after she and Charlie first bought the fixer-upper. In numerous follow-up emails, Mimi shared many photos and stories of the house and its restoration, some of which made their way into this series. It’s homeowners like these, who are so willing and able to share a home’s history, that really help tell the story of our Alameda Treasures.
The Reilly/Riley house
An interesting coincidence is that when Mimi and Charlie Stuart first moved into 899 Union Street in 1988, they had purchased the house from the Reillys (Robert and Lois Reilly) and when they sold it in 2021, they sold it to the Rileys (Kasimira and Harrison Riley). And so the Reilly/Riley legacy at 899 Union Street continues, with a 33-year break in between for the Stuarts to work their magic on the place.
Meet the Rileys
I had long admired 899 Union Street from the outside, so it was a real thrill to be finally invited inside this 133-year-old grand Queen Anne-style home, designed by the renowned Joseph A. Leonard. I was greeted at the door by Kasi Riley, and soon met her husband Harrison Riley in the grand entry foyer. After a look around the front rooms, we sat down in the middle parlor, in comfortable chairs arranged in a circle at the center of the room. The Rileys described this conversation circle as a place for adults to gather during social events, with the pocket doors closed and the kids running around playing in the other rooms. It was here in this comfortable and gracious space that I learned more about this young couple and how they came to own 899 Union Street.
Kasi and Harrison Riley’s story is rooted in their shared love of history, architecture, and community. Kasi grew up in Palo Alto and Harrison in Fort Bragg—two California cities rich with Victorian-era homes. Both of them were lucky enough to grow up in these kinds of homes themselves, which sparked their lifelong appreciation for the craftsmanship, history, and unique character the houses hold.
When they first met and began their life together, they lived in an apartment in the Nob Hill area of San Francisco, before moving into a flat in an old Victorian home in Potrero Hill. It wasn’t long before they realized they wanted more space, a sense of community, and a home where they could grow their family. That search brought them across the Bay to Alameda, where they purchased their first Victorian-era home in 2017, on the corner of Cedar Street and Clinton Avenue.
Just a few years later, while living happily in their home with their growing family, Harrison learned that 899 Union Street, a grand, beautifully restored Queen Anne-style home just down the street, was quietly being put up for sale off-market. Kasi had just given birth to their daughter a month earlier, and the idea of a move seemed overwhelming. Harrison initially toured the house alone, thinking it was a “maybe,” but after walking through the property, he came home excited, convinced that this house could be their forever home.
That excitement kicked off a whirlwind of decision-making. Over the course of three more tours, Kasi and Harrison fell in love with the home’s grand details, beautifully preserved charm, and special history. But before making an offer, Kasi made one thing very clear—if they were going to move with two kids, including a newborn, this would be their forever home. Harrison fully agreed, and soon after, they made the leap.
Once they moved in, Kasi and Harrison spent their first year simply living in the home, getting to know it, and imagining the changes that would make it the perfect fit for their family. After that first year, they embarked on a thoughtful, year-long renovation with a focus on function, flow, and longevity. They collaborated with a designer and a local architect who specializes in Victorian-era homes, ensuring that every change honored the home’s historic charm while improving the space for modern family living.
One of the biggest changes they made was relocating and expanding the kitchen to make it the true heart of the home, perfect for family meals and entertaining. They also moved the laundry room upstairs for practicality and worked hard to restore woodwork throughout the house, including staining the fireplaces to match the original details. They added playful, era-inspired wallpaper as a nod to the home’s Victorian past, blending history with a modern, family-friendly touch.
During the renovation process, they made another special discovery—artwork painted by Mimi, the home’s previous owner, along with a few framed pieces she had left behind. Honoring the home’s legacy, Kasi and Harrison decided to keep these pieces, displaying them throughout the house as a beautiful connection between the past and present.
Beyond the interior renovations, Kasi and Harrison also transformed the yard to create a space that reflects their love of hosting and spending time outdoors. They designed a fluid outdoor space perfect for entertaining friends and family while also being a place where their kids can play and explore.
Living in Alameda has been a joy for the Riley family. They love spending time in their neighborhood—walking to the beach, exploring local parks, or simply enjoying their home together. They also cherish their connection to Mimi and Charlie, the previous owners of 899 Union Street, inviting them back to see how the home continues to evolve while staying true to its past.
For Kasi and Harrison, 899 Union Street is more than just a house. It’s a place where their family’s history is growing, woven into the fabric of Alameda’s rich Victorian-era architectural legacy. They feel honored to call this special home their own and to be part of a community that celebrates its history, charm, and connection.
Sleepless in Alameda
While the Rileys are currently enjoying their peaceful life on this block of Union Street, there was a time when the noise created by a nearby windmill produced such a racket that police were called to the scene to address the complaints of sleepless residents.
I’ve long been charmed by historic photos showing numerous tankhouses dotting the landscape of Alameda in the 19th century and into the early 20th. These tall wooden structures, featuring a redwood water tank and windmill-driven pump at the top, pre-date municipal water systems, and were one of the only ways homes had to deliver piped water to their residents. A number of these tankhouses still exist around town, and have been turned into living spaces, studios, and storage units. While many of these historic structures are well-preserved, very few (actually only one that I know of) still have their redwood water tank intact, and none have the metal windmill blades still intact. It was the spinning of those blades that finally drove 899 Union Street resident F. S. Porter to the breaking point on a night in May of 1910.
A slumber-murdering racket
According to a May 9, 1910 article in the Alameda Times Star, “F. S. Porter, of 899 Union street, after tossing about on his bed last night for hours like a patient in a high fever, trying to close his eyes and ears to the wailings of a wicked windmill, telephoned to the police station at five minutes after 2 o’clock this morning for help. He asserted that night was being made hideous by the creaking of a windmill on the premises of his neighbor George W. Emmons.”
Developer George W. Emmons had purchased Joseph A. Leonard’s grand mansion at 891 Union Street in 1900, just four years after Leonard had moved into the lavish home that had cost an astounding $20,000 to build. The completion of his house, however, coincided with a downturn in the economy and the end of the Joseph A. Leonard Company in Alameda. Leonard sold his home to Emmons, and then spent time in Alaska on an ill-fated gold-seeking adventure on his sloop El Sueño.
Though owned by George Emmons at the time of the 1910 complaint, it was the Leonard-constructed tankhouse and windmill that was causing such strife on the block. As befitting such a large home, the tankhouse was also large, and had a large windmill structure to drive the pump that kept the tank full.
The article continued, “So numerous have become the complaints – from law abiding residents who want to enjoy the peace and rejuvenation that comes with sweet and undisturbed repose – about hilarious windmills that create a slumber-murdering racket after curfew, that municipal legislators believe that something will have to be done to afford relief to the deserving.”
Windmill immunity
While the offending windmill was described as emitting “groans and screeches like some graveyard wraith locked up in a revolving vault,” patrolman Theodore Anderson said that “if it was a person that was making that noise he would run the disturber in, but that the windmill was immune to arrest.”
Whether or not the City of Alameda ever passed an ordinance requiring a nighttime curfew on windmills, it probably became a moot point before too long anyway. With the development of municipal water supplies in the early 20th century, the old tank-houses and their windmills fell into disuse, with most of them being dismantled over time. Those that remain are unique and treasured survivors from another time, but thankfully no longer have their “sleep-racking” windmills attached.
Captain’s Corner: A journey into the past
This look into 899 Union Street started with its origins as a creation of the Joseph A. Leonard Company, a developer so prolific that this whole neighborhood appears on maps to this day as Leonardville. Its first owner, publisher George H. Morrison, had a relatively short stay in the home as bankruptcy caused him to sell the home after just a few years.
According to historian Woody Minor, Morrison’s foreclosed property was then maintained by its creditors as a rental for about 14 years until it was purchased by traveling salesman Frank Warner in 1909. The Warner family lived in the home through the early 1930s, and then during World War II it was divided into multiple rooms for military housing. By the 1960s it was converted into three units and was covered with aluminum siding. Robert and Lois Reilly, both Alameda school teachers, owned the house for about 20 years between 1968 and 1988 and maintained it as multiple units, until the next owners, Charlie and Mimi Stuart began the long process of restoring it once again into a single family residence. Kasi and Harrison Riley have continued that process, and have lovingly maintained the home’s classic 1890s heritage while making it a comfortable place to raise a family in the 21st century.
Captain’s Corner, a home named for the heritage of sea captains on this block, is among our finest Alameda Treasures, commanding the corner of a historic block that once faced San Francisco Bay, and where Joseph A. Leonard saw fit to build his own home. 899 Union Street is in remarkable condition after 133 years, thanks to the efforts of dedicated homeowners like the Stuarts and the Rileys, and since Kasi Riley has declared it her “forever home”, it should be in good hands for a long time to come.
Special thanks to Mimi and Charles Stuart, and Kasi and Harrison Riley for their help with information and photographs for this series.
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.
