Carmel Development Company

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Carmel Development Company
IndustryReal estate development company
Founded1902
Founder James Franklin Devendorf, Frank Hubbard Powers
Fate1965
HeadquartersOcean Avenue and San Carlos Street, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Key people
James F. Devendorf, Frank H. Powers
Products real estate

The Carmel Development Company was a real-estate development company that operated in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California from 1902 to 1965. It was developed by James Franklin Devendorf and Frank Hubbard Powers in 1902. Powers provided the capital and did the legal work of the corporation. Devendorf was the general manager and oversaw subdividing and developing the land. Between 1900 and 1910 the Carmel Development Company purchased parcels of land. [1] [2]

Contents

History

Carmel Development Company Building on Ocean Avenue and San Carlos Street (1903) Carmel Development Company.jpg
Carmel Development Company Building on Ocean Avenue and San Carlos Street (1903)
Carmel's Ocean Avenue, with row of pine trees down the middle of Ocean Avenue CarmelOceanAve1908.jpg
Carmel's Ocean Avenue, with row of pine trees down the middle of Ocean Avenue

In 1902, James Franklin Devendorf (1856–1934) purchased all the unsold land in Carmel from developer and real estate agent Santiago J. Duckworth, who, in 1889, wanted to build a Catholic summer resort. [3] [4]

On November 25, 1902, Devendorf became partners with Frank Hubbard Powers and formed the Carmel Development Company to operate in the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Powers provided the capital and did the legal work of the corporation. Devendorf was general manager and oversaw subdividing and developing the land. [5] [3] [1]

Devendorf hired engineer Henry Fisher to layout the village of Carmel. The first subdivision map of the town was filed with the Monterey County Recorder in 1902. In November 1903, there were thirty families living in Carmel. That same year, the Company bought the Hotel Carmelo and later renamed it the Pine Inn and built the Carmel Development Company Building. It was the first modern "fireproof" commercial building in Carmel. It is still standing on the northwest corner of San Carlos Street and Ocean Avenue. [3] [5]

By 1904, Davendorf hired Michael J. Murphy as the master builder for the Carmel Development Company. He built over 300 buildings in Carmel during his career. The Company bought their finished lumber to be used in building in San Francisco and costal steamers brought it down to the Monterey Wharf. [5]

The Company also ran stagecoach to pick up visitors and prospective buyers from Monterey and the Del Monte Lodge in Pebble Beach. In 1905, the Company installed its own water system. It pumped water from the Carmel River to a large tank at Ocean Avenue and Mountain View Avenue. [3]

The first property sold by the Carmel Development Company was to E. A. Foster, an African American woman from Monroe, Michigan. She purchased two lots on Dolores Street and ten lots on the south side of Ocean Avenue between San Carlos and Mission Streets. [3] The prices of the property were $500 (equivalent to $16,956in 2023), secured by a five or ten dollar deposit. [1]

By 1905, Devendorf used the Carmel Development Company provided a cottage for the first school and donated two lots on Lincoln Street near Ocean Avenue for the construction of the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Carmel, known as the community Church of the Wayfarer. [6]

In 1906, the Carmel Development Company provided the Carmel Arts and Crafts Club with their first building on Ocean Avenue. Their first art exhibit was held in this temporary building. [7] Devendorf was one of the founders of the Club to support artistic works. [2] The Company donated the site that would become the Carmel Forest Theater. In 1919, the Forest Theater Society bought the Forest Theater and its grounds from the Company for $2,000 (equivalent to $35,148in 2023). [6]

In 1906, the Carmel Development Company purchased land from local ranchers five miles south of Carmel, south of Point Lobos, where it developed the Carmel Highlands. [3] [2] In 1915, the Company developed the Highlands Inn in the Carmel Highlands, which was a resort hotel. His friend, marine artist William Frederic Ritschel helped Devendorf design the Highlands Inn. [6] [3]

The Company dissolved in 1965. [8]

Carmel Development Company Building

The Carmel Development Company Building included the Holman's Carmel Hardware Store Carmel Development Building and Holman's Carmel Store.jpg
The Carmel Development Company Building included the Holman's Carmel Hardware Store
The building also included the Carmel Drug Store Carmel Development Building Drug Store.jpg
The building also included the Carmel Drug Store

The Carmel Development Company Building is a one-story concrete block commercial building in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.The building is occupied by the Carmel Drug Store, which is the oldest remaining business in the block. The building originally housed the Carmel Development Company, a hardware store, and a grocery store around 1906 (on the right). [9]

Later, the Carmel Drug Store moved in, the oldest drug store in Carmel which has operated since 1908 and still exits today with its historic interior. [10] [11]

The Carmel Development Company Building was the first "modern" commercial building in Carmel built in 1902–1903 on the northwest corner of San Carlos Street and Ocean Avenue. It has a flat roof and its exterior wall covering is made up of hollow core "fireproof" concrete blocks. The concrete wall cladding for the building was made by the Wizard Face Down Concrete Block Machine made by the Sears and Roebuck Company. T. A. Work was responsible for the construction. Artie Bowen was the carpenter and the work was supervised by George Quentel. [10] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael J. Murphy (builder)</span> American builder

Michael James Murphy was an American master builder in the Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He had a significant influence on the character and architecture of the Village of Carmel. From 1902 to 1940, he built most of the early houses in Carmel, nearly 350 buildings. He erected the first house in Pebble Beach and also in the Carmel Highlands. He founded M. J. Murphy, Inc., which continues to supply building material for the Monterey Peninsula.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Albert Work</span> American businessman and banker

Thomas Albert Work was an American businessman and banker of Pacific Grove, California, known around Monterey as T. A. Work. He was owner of the T. A. Work company that made him the single largest business property owner on the Monterey Peninsula. He owned several banks, including the First National Bank of Monterey, Bank of Pacific Grove, Salinas, and the Bank of Carmel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outlands in the Eighty Acres</span> Historic building in California

Outlands in the Eighty Acres, also known as Flanders Mansion is an 8,000-square-foot Tudor Revival house. It is significant as a work of architect Henry Higby Gutterson and for its innovative construction with light grey interlocking Precast concrete blocks. The mansion is preserved within the Mission Trail Nature Preserve in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 23, 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devendorf Park</span> Park in Monterey County, California, United States of America

Devendorf Park is a city park that occupies the block of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Street, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Monterey County, California, United States. The park is Carmel's central gathering place for outdoor events. The nearest larger town is Pebble Beach, California. The park is close to downtown shopping, the Carmel beach, and California State Route 1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Franklin Devendorf</span> American builder

James Franklin Devendorf, was a pioneer real estate developer and philanthropist. Devendorf and attorney Frank Hubbard Powers (1864-1921), founded the Carmel Development Company in 1902. He became the "Father" of an artists and writers' colony that became Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, which included the Carmel Highlands, California. Devendorf spent the next 30 years of his life developing Carmel and the Carmel Highlands into a community of painters, writers, and musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Hubbard Powers</span> American politician and lawyer

Frank Hubbard Powers, served in the California State Assembly for the 41st district from 1895 to 1897. He was a San Francisco attorney for Heller & Powers. He and real estate developer James Franklin Devendorf (1856-1934), founded the Carmel Development Company in 1902. They established an art colony that became Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, which included the Carmel Highlands, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santiago J. Duckworth</span> American builder

Santiago Jacob Duckworth, known locally as S. J. Duckworth, served in the California State Assembly for the 61st district from 1893 to 1895. He was as an early Monterey pioneer businessman, real estate developer, and visionary of the short-lived Carmel City. In 1889, he wanted to build a Catholic summer resort, bought the rights to develop the area, filed a subdivision map, and started selling lots. After an unsuccessful undertaking, he sold the property to James Franklin Devendorf in 1902, who went on to found the Carmel Development Company and Carmel-by-the-Sea, and the Carmel Highlands in California, United States. Duckworth helped shape the early development of Carmel, bringing the first major developers and builders, and attracting some of the first residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honoré Escolle</span> French businessman

Honoré Escolle, was as a French businessman from Monterey, California. He was an early pioneer who became a significant landholder in Monterey County. In 1878, he purchased 1,400 unsettled acres (570 ha) acres of the Sanchez's ranch near Gonzales, California. In the late 1880s, he sold 324 barren acres (131 ha) to Santiago J. Duckworth to build a Catholic Summer resort. This land later became Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmel Weavers Studio</span> Historic building in California, U.S.

The Carmel Weavers Studio, also known as Cottage of Sweets, is a historic Tudor-style English cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It was designed by Edward G. Kuster and constructed by Lee Gottfried in 1922 for Kuster's wife as a weaving shop. Since 1959, it has operated a candy store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Arts Shop</span> Historic building in California, U.S.

The Seven Arts Shop, is a one-story, wood-frame Tudor Storybook retail shop in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It has been designated as a significant commercial building in the city's Downtown Historic District Property Survey, and was recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation on January 23, 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seven Arts Building</span> Historic building in California, U.S.

The Seven Arts Building, is a one-and-one-half-story, Tudor Revival-style commercial building in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmel City Hall</span> Historic building in California, U.S.

Carmel City Hall, is the seat of the municipal government of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It is a historic commercial building in the Carmel downtown district, located on Monte Verde Street and 7th Avenue. It is a good example of Shingle and American Craftsman architectural that was built in the 1910s. The building qualified as an important building in the city's downtown historic district property survey and was recorded with the California Register of Historical Resources on November 22, 2002.

The following is a timeline of the history of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Louis S. Slevin</span> American photographer (1878-1945)

Louis Stanislaus Slevin, was an American photographer, known for his black-and-white images of the Monterey Peninsula. He was a pioneer in the early days of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, the first to open a general merchandise store in 1905, the first postmaster, first express agent, and first city treasurer. His photographs of Carmel from 1903 to 1835 are recognized as a record of Carmel's past. His photo collection is housed at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbie Jane Hunter</span> American real estate developer

Abigail Jane Hunter, (1855–???) was as an early pioneer businesswoman, real estate developer, and visionary of Carmel-by-the-Sea. She is best known as Carmel's first woman real estate developer and important contributor in Carmel's early years. In 1889, she worked with Santiago James Duckworth to help build a Catholic summer resort called Carmel City. Hunter is credited with coining the name Carmel-by-the-Sea and utilizing it in promoting Carmel City through newspaper advertisements and postcard mailers. After an unsuccessful undertaking, she sold her Carmel holdings in 1900.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carmel Point</span> Unincorporated area south of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Carmel Point also known as the Point and formerly called Point Loeb and Reamer's Point, is an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California, United States. It is a cape located at the southern city limits of Carmel-by-the-Sea and offers views of Carmel Bay, the mouth of Carmel River, and Point Lobos. Carmel Point was one of three major land developments adjacent to the Carmel city limits between 1922 and 1925. The other two were Hatton Fields, 233 acres (94 ha) between the eastern town limit and Highway 1, and Carmel Woods, 125 acres (51 ha) tract on the north side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murphy's Barn</span> Historic building in California, U.S.

Murphy's Barn, also known as the Murphy Barn/Powers Studio, is a historic building that was built in 1846, by Matthew M. Murphey in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. The structure is recognized as an important American period farm building and the oldest remaining artist's studio in Carmel. It was nominated by the Carmel City Council as a historical building and an application was submitted to the California Register of Historical Resources on July 1, 2002.

Percy Parkes was an American master builder in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Parkes was one of the main progressive builders in Monterey County through the 1920s and 1930s, and the first contractor to build homes on Scenic Drive. His best known commercial buildings are the Seven Arts Building (1928), the Dummage Building (1924), and the Percy Parkes Building (1926). His American Craftsman-style, influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, is evident in the buildings he constructed during that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highlands Inn, Carmel Highlands</span> Historic hotel in California, U.S.

Highlands Inn is a historic resort hotel located in Carmel Highlands, California. Constructed in 1917 by Frank Devendorf, one of the early co-founders of Carmel-by-the-Sea and a real estate developer, the inn was built on land acquired in 1906 from local ranchers, south of Point Lobos. This establishment is part of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 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. 20. ISBN   9780913548738 . Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 White, James Terry (1893). "Devendorf, James Franklin". The National Cyclopedia of American biography: Being the History of the United States as Illustrated in the Lives of the Founders, Builders, and Defenders of the Republic, and of the men and women who are doing the work and moulding the thought of the present time. New York: J. T. White & Company. p. 154. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates1994. p. 16. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Carmel City. Great Enterprise of a Montereyan". Monterey Cypress. Monterey, California. December 14, 1889. p. 7. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Pub. pp. 7, 34–39, 45. ISBN   9780738547053 . Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 Gilliam, Harold; Gilliam, Ann (1992). Creating Carmel: The Enduring Vision. Salt Lake City: Peregrine Smith Books. pp. 14, 80, 137. ISBN   9780879053970 . Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  7. ↑ "When the Carmel 'Boheminas' met The Ladies of the Arts & Crafts Club". he Californian. Salinas, California. December 24, 2005. p. 51. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Carmel Development Company Collection". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ Dramov, Alissandra (2022). Past & Present Carmel-By-The-Sea. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. p. 46. ISBN   9781467108980 . Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California: Arcadia Pub. pp. 43–44. ISBN   9780738547053 . Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  11. ↑ Hudson, Monica (2006). Carmel-by-the-sea. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia Pub. pp. 35–36. ISBN   9780738531229 . Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  12. ↑ Kent L. Seavey (February 17, 2003). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved March 24, 2022.
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