08 ATTACHMENTS - Laserfiche WebLink

State of California-The Resources Agency Primary# DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI# CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial Page 6 of 12 'Resource Name or ff(Assigned by recorder) Hall House and Rental 'Recorded by Franklin Maggi 'Date 6/8/2011 ®Continuallon ['Update (Continued from previous page, DPRS23b, B10 Significance) At the time of incorporation, Pleasanton had about 500 residents and a thriving agricultural economy that included hops growing and horse ranching related to a race track that is now the oldest in the nation. During its early development, the small residential neighborhoods grew within the two 1869 subdivisions and a subsequent one platted by J. H. Nevis. Houses in these subdivisions contain a full range of styles and periods. There has been sporadic development occurring within these neighborhoods for over a century - and it continues today. Following World War II, increased population pressures caused the beginning of suburbanization surrounding the original City of Pleasanton, and the development of Hacienda Business Park and related commercial/industrial growth northwest of the city near the intersection of I-580/I-680. The property presently addressed as 205 and 215 Neal Street has seen various configurations since the creation of the 1869 subdivision. The earliest record available for this recording was in 1893 just prior to incorporation, when the Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows what appears to be the core building of 215 Neal St. in its current location, but with an addition to the southeast of a size almost as large as the core building. Prior to 1893 the Sanborn maps do not show this part of Pleasanton. In 1893, the rear of the house had not yet been built, and the porch that was lined up along the side northwest elevation did not wrap around the front of the building. At that time a tank house was located to the rear of the house. By 1896 Norma Ramos (also sometimes listed as Remos or Ramos Serpa) was owner of the property. Norma Ramos appears to have been the widow of Joseph Serpa (or Serpes) . She was originally from New York and came to California with her husband and children around 1887. By 1887 her son Cyrus had been born in California, and a Joseph Serpes is listed in local directories although no occupation is listed. By 1900 she appears to be living on the subject property as a widow with five of her children. An older daughter Stella later married Tony Bernal. It is possible that Serpa had the house relocated to the site in the late-1880s, as a Hall family informant indicates that the house sits on house jacks, indicative of a relocation. This was not verified, but a review the 1888 Sanborn maps of Pleasanton does not show a residential building that had moved off its site by 1893, so if it had been moved, it came from other parts of the valley. As of 1893, no other structures existed on Neal Street from 2"a to 3rd Streets. By 1907, a large structure had been constructed at the corner of the property at Neal and 3rd Streets, and a smaller rectangular structure was located adjacent to it on 3rd. By this time, the Queen Anne house at the opposite corner at 2nd Street had been constructed (as of the late-1890s) . This corner property was owned by R. Davilla, a shoemaker, and would later be owned by W. H. Donahue, an attorney and judge. The prior recording for the subject property by Architectural Resources Group indicates that Donahue purchased the subject property from Norma Ramos Serpa in the 1890s and built the house, but property ownership records indicate that Ramos had owned the property as early as the mid- 1890s and continued to own it until at least 1902. It is possible that Donahue bought both properties during the first decade of the twentieth century, and then sold the subject property to Fred J. and Emma Hall. A family informant indicates that the Hall family moved into the subject property about 1912, and the ARG recording indicates a 1909 transaction date. As of 1907, a slightly different building configuration exists for 215 Neal St. , and it is possible the earlier house was replaced by a moved-on house, but this doesn't seem likely given the general configuration of the property at this time. Norma Ramos cannot be located in later census enumerations, but some of her children remained in Pleasanton. The 1910 census enumerates Fred and Emma Hall, with their six children Marguerite, Lebra, Fannie, Ernest, Bueford, and Mable as living on Neal Street. Fred was born in Maine in about 1863, and was a merchant in Pleasanton who owned and operated a hay and feed store. Fred and Emma came to California around 1905. Members of the Hall family continued to own the subject site as late as 2004. Beuford Hall moved into the house at 215 Neal St. following his marriage in 1943. (Continued on next page) DPR 523L "Required information