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Brentwood’s Very Own Painted Ladies
Nestled in the heart of Brentwood lies three Victorian-style homes with histories as rich and vibrant as their exteriors.
The first home is at 8330 Brentwood Blvd. and housed the Wallace family. The now-deep turquoise estate with rhubarb red trim was built in 1887 and was owned by one of the most successful businessmen of his time, Robert Wallace Jr.
Wallace was both a justice of the peace and the vice president of Brentwood Bank. After the Wallace family, the home was occupied by the Fox family, which restored the property. The building possesses a colorful past, being used for everything from yoga to dentistry, and it survived the 1906 earthquake.
The second of the three houses is at 8336 Brentwood Blvd., and was built in 1893. The “middle child,” so to speak, belonged to a successful doctor of the early 1890s and now sports a charcoal gray and white exterior. The building has two apartments attached at the rear, one of which was once a barber shop. While the house is unoccupied, it is on the market going for $1.5 million with Intero commercial real estate.
Last in the row is the rustic beige Victorian on the corner at 8340 Brentwood Blvd. Built in 1898, this home belonged to a wealthy landowner at the time. It is now operated by Marple and Associates Realty group, and various parts of the building are rented out.
According to the East Contra Costa Historical Society, the three buildings were actually constructed in Black Diamond area and occupied by local residents. The houses were purchased after the mines were “played out” and moved to Brentwood by a house mover where they were occupied by the Brentwood postmaster, a banker and a local doctor. The concept of building homes, and then later possibly relocating them, was a common practice at the time.
Recognizing these three estates’ symbols of status and their abundant narratives allows locals to reflect on just how much the community has grown over the last 75 years.
Stories like these provide a blueprint as the city continues to prosper into the 21st century.