Hugh W. Comstock
Hugh and Mayotta Comstock (Photograph courtesy of the Harrison Memorial Library Collection.)
Born
Hugh White Comstock

April 17, 1893 (1893-04-17)
Evanston, Illinois, US
Died1 June 1950(1950-06-01) (aged 57)
Santa Barbara, California, US
OccupationDesigner and builder
SpouseMayotta Browne

Hugh White Comstock (April 17, 1893 – June 1, 1950) was an American designer and master builder who lived in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He and Michael J. Murphy were responsible for giving Carmel its unique architectural character. Comstock developed a "Fairy Tale," storybook architectural style, that has been closely identified with Carmel. Twenty-one of his cottages remain in the area today. Comstock developed a modern use of adobe in the construction of a post-adobe brick called "Bitudobe."[1][2]

Early life

Hugh W. Comstock was born in Evanston, Illinois on April 17, 1893. He was one of the seven children of John Adams Comstock and Nellie Hurd of Evanston. He grew up on his family's farm in Evanston. In 1907, his parents sold the farm and moved to Santa Rosa, California. In 1924, Comstock traveled to Carmel-by-the-Sea, California to visit his sister Catherine and her husband, George J. Seideneck, who were members of the Carmel Art Association.[3] His brother was Judge James Hilliard Comstock of Santa Rosa.[4][1][5]

Comstock had a ranch in Yolo County, California. He met Mayotta Browne (1891-1979) in Carmel. She had a successful business making and selling hand-made “Otsy-Totsy” dolls. They were married on April 14, 1924, in Salinas.[6]

Professional background

The Hansel Cottage.
The Tuck Box by Hugh Comstock

In 1926, Comstock designed and built Tuck Box, located on Dolores Street between Ocean & 7th Avenue. It was built in the Craftsman, Fairy Tale style, and features a steep gabled shingled roof, stucco walls, faux-timber beams, multi-pane glass windows, and used brick for an uneven chimney. In November 1931, Lemos built the Garden Shop Addition, which is between the Tuck Box and the El Paseo Building. When it first opened it sold cut flowers, gift plants, and pottery. Both buildings were recorded with the Department of Parks and Recreation on October 8, 2002.[7]

In 1941, two sisters converted the building into a tea room and named it "Tuck Box" after the trunks British schoolchildren used to carry their books and supplies. Today it is still a tea room that serves sandwiches, salads, hot tea in teapots, and scones with cream, orange marmalade, and other preserves.[8][9]

Comstock was in charge of the reconstruction of the Forest Theater in 1939 as part of a $20,000 Works Progress Administration project. He drew up the plans, wowrking with major Herbert Heron.[10]

Monterey County Trust & Savings Building (now the China Art Center).

He designed and built the two-story Spanish Mission Revival style Monterey County Trust & Savings Building (now the China Art Building) in 1930.[11][1][2]: p110 

His distinctive, Tudor "Fairy Tale" style of architecture became popular, and people started to ask him to build more cottages and stores. Comstock used native materials, using Carmel Valley chalk rock, natural wood, hand-carved planks, terracotta tile, redwood shingles, and hand forged fixtures.[3] The cottages have steep gables, wooden half-timbering with stucco and plaster surfaces, and wood and diamond-paned windows. They often had tall, narrow chimneies covered in battered Carmel stone to create a rustic appearance.[1]

Comstock built his studio in 1927 on the corner of Santa Fe Street & 6th Avenue, as an English county house.[3]

During the Great Depression Comstock used cheaper materials. He made adobe bricks in a plant he built in Carmel Valley. His first adobe house was built in 1936. He made a specialized adobe brick called "Bitudobe." In 1948, he published the book Post-Adobe; Simplified Adobe Construction Combining A Rugged Timber Frame And Modern Stabilized Adobe, which described his method of construction, including how to make "Bitudobe." In 1938, he served as an adviser to the architects Franklin & Kump Associates, who built the Carmel High School, which used his Post-adobe system.[3][4][1][2]

Comstock was a Carmel civil leader, on the board of the Carmel Sanitary District for over ten years and was president of the Carmel Unified School District. He helped to outlaw sidewalks and mail delivery to preserve the "forest ambiance." In 1946, he became a member of the Carmel Planning Commission.[3][4]

Notable work

The following buildings in the Carmel area are attributed to Comstock, most notably the following:

  1. Hansel (1924), the original Doll House[12]
  2. Hugh Comstock House (1925), formerly known as Obers[13]
  3. Gretel (1925)[5]
  4. Guest House (1926)[5]
  5. Tuck Box (1926), became an English tea room[14]
  6. Snow White's Summer Place (1926)[5]
  7. Marchen Haus house (1926)[13]
  8. Nelson-Krough cottage (1926)[13]
  9. Grant Wallace cottage (1927)[13]
  10. Comstock Studio (1927), Comstock's house[5]
  11. Mary Young Hunter House (1927), also known as The Woods[15][13]
  12. Our House (1928), built for Elizabeth Armstrong
  13. Torres Cottage (1928)[5]
  14. Doll's House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 1[16]
  15. Birthday House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 2[5]
  16. Ocean House (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 3
  17. Fables (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 4[5]
  18. Honeymoon Cottage (1928), W. O. Swain Cottage No. 5, aka Yellow Bird[16]
  19. Elizabeth F. Armstrong House (1928)[15]
  20. Yellow Bird (1928)[15]
  21. Elspeth Rose Cottage (1929), also goes by the names, Sunwiseturn House, and the "Twin on Palou"[15][13]
  22. Curtain Call (1929)[12]
  23. San Antonio (1929)[5]
  24. Sylvia Jordan House (1929), Adobe-style house[13][5]
  25. Great Expectations (1929)[5]
  26. Tuck Box Jam Shop (1929)[5]
  27. Wheeler House (1929), in Pebble Beach[5]
  28. Chanticleer motor court[5]
  29. F.A. Watson House (1930)[15]
  30. Monterey County Trust and Savings Bank (1930), now the China Art Building[17][13]
  31. Tudor-style stucco home at 26350 Ocean View for Mrs. Johnston Field (1931)[18]
  32. Garden Shop Addition (1931).[13]
  33. Bertha C. Cole House (1932)[15]
  34. The Unit House (1934)[15]
  35. Maj. Ralph A. Coote House (1934)[13]
  36. Alfred Matthews House (1935)[15]
  37. Edith S. Anderson's House, Cape Cod-style house (1936)[19][20]
  38. Ross & Thelma Miller House (1937)[15]
  39. First Bitudobe home for Major Ralph Coote on 8th Ave. (1937)[21]
  40. Bowman House (1937)[15]
  41. Samuel M. Haskins House (1939)[5]
  42. Fred Wolferman Carmel Valley home (1939)[22]
  43. Florence Lockwood Studio/House (1940)[13]
  44. Village Corner Restaurant (1946)[15]

Death

Comstock died on June 1, 1950, at the age of 57, at the Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, in Santa Barbara, California. His wife, Mayotta Comstock survived him.[4] He was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. His wife died on May 30, 1979, at the age of 87, in Sacramento, California. She was cremated and her remains taken to the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland.[23]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates1994. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  2. 1 2 3 Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 113, 117. ISBN 9780738547053. Retrieved 2022-01-16. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hugh W. Comstock, "Builder of Dreams" by Connie Wright". Stories of old Carmel: A Centennial Tribute From The Carmel Residents Association. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 2014. pp. 14–16. OCLC 940565140. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Comstock's Brother Dead at 57". The Californian. Salinas, California. 3 Jun 1950. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 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. 100. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  6. ↑ "Famed Maker Of Dolls And Rancher Wed". The San Francisco Examiner. San Francisco, California. 16 Apr 1924. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  7. ↑ Richard N. Janick (October 8, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  8. ↑ "About The Tuck Box". www.tuckbox.com. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2022-03-26.
  9. ↑ Kent L. Seavey (October 8, 2002). "Department Of Parks And Recreation" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved March 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Salinas Morning Post". The Californian. Salinas, California. 13 May 1939. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  11. ↑ "County Banking Firm Opens Branch". The Californian. Salinas, California. 6 Sep 1930. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  12. 1 2 "Hugh W. Comstock Builder of Carmel's Fair Tale Houses". carmelbytheseaca.blogspot.com. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. March 17, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "City Of Carmel-By-The-Sea Downtown Conservation District Historic Property Survey" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  14. ↑ "The Tuck Box". www.tuckbox.com. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Carmel Historic Inventory" (PDF). ci.carmel.ca.us. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
  16. 1 2 Dramov, Alissandra; Momboisse, Lynn A. (2016). Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia. pp. 81, 91. ISBN 9781467115971. Retrieved 2022-02-25. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  17. ↑ Dramov, Alissandra (2019). Historic Buildings of Downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia. p. 40. ISBN 9781439666890. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  18. ↑ "New Home Built For Mrs. Field". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel, California. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  19. ↑ "Cottages by the Sea – The Handmade Homes of Carmel". Once upon a time..Tales from Carmel by the Sea. July 20, 2012. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  20. ↑ Paul, Linda Leigh (2000). Cottages by the Sea The Handmade Homes of Carmel, America's First Artist Community. Rizzoli. ISBN 9780789304957. Retrieved 2022-11-05. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  21. ↑ Neal Hotelling (9 Dec 2022). "Dennis the Menace's S.V. Comstock and how it grew" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 23. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  22. ↑ Elaine Hesser (11 Mar 2022). "Carmel Valley Comstock Was Also Home To Dennis The Menance" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 61. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  23. ↑ "Comstock". The Sacramento Bee. Sacramento, California. 23 May 1979. p. 60. Retrieved 2022-02-27.
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