Bertz, Earl B(aldwin)
Entry Author: David
Parry
Architect
 The
attractiveness and uniformity of the Sea Cliff area is due
in no small part to developers Allen & Co. and their primary
architect Earle Baldwin Bertz. In his words, "it has
always been Allen & Company's desire to maintain a high
standard of structural quality and artistic distinction in
the homes it builds." Bertz had the advantage of some
very fine tutors, working as a draftsman for many years in
Albert Farr's office and also briefly for William C. Hays.
Earle Bertz was born on September 7, 1885 and grew up in
Pacific Heights. He was the youngest of five children born
to Jacob Bertz and his wife Caroline Baldwin. The family lived
at 2215 Fillmore and Earle attended Pacific Heights Elementary
School (Jackson at Webster) followed by Lick High School.
At high school he was very athletic, captaining the football
team and winning many track medals. After graduating he apprenticed
with Albert Farr for many years, an architect for whom he
had great admiration. One of the projects he worked on was
the ill-fated Wolf House designed for Jack London in Glen
Ellen, which mysteriously burned down shortly before completion
and was not rebuilt.
Bertz took his State architectural license exam in August
1914 and was awarded license B817. He married his wife Hazel
Congdon in September 1914. He opened his own office in 1918
in the Foxcroft Building at 68 Post Street. Initially he worked
for insurance broker and developer John Brickell, but soon
began a business relationship with Harry B. Allen, who was
to become President of the San Francisco Real Estate Board
in 1923 and 1924 and President of the California Real Estate
Association in 1927. Allen had financed and built 12 homes
on 28th Avenue between Lake and California as early as 1916,
but his operations were interrupted by the war and he ceased
building until 1919. Some of Bertz' first commissions from
Allen were the groups of adjoining houses on 29th Avenue (154,
160 and 166) and on Lake Street (2701, 2715, 2735 and 2745)
all in 1919. Soon after he designed the adjacent homes at
185 28th Avenue, 2700, 2720 and 2740 Lake Street (all in 1920).
From 1920 on, the growth in Sea Cliff was continuous. Between
1920 and 1925, Bertz designed many homes for Allen, including
Allen's own home at 290 Sea Cliff Avenue in 1921; 2801, 2825
and 2845 Lake Street and 2800, 2820, 2840 and 2850 Lake Street
opposite, seven homes covering both sides of the block between
28th and 29th all in 1921; 150, 160, 170 and 180 30th Avenue
in 1922, 10 homes on both sides of 28th Avenue from 152 to
194 in 1922; 9 more homes closer to El Camino del Mar from
110 to 148 28th Avenue in 1923; 111, 119, 125 and 133 30th
Avenue also in 1923; 5, 25 and 45 Sea View Terrace in 1924;
40 McLaren, 15 and 66 Sea Cliff Avenue also in 1924; 45, 55
and 65 25th Avenue, and 2900 and 2910 Lake Street, all in
1925. In 1922 Earle and Hazel moved into 165 28th Avenue,
where they brought up daughters Jacqueline and Sally, and
Earle lived for the rest of his life.
Bertz was adept at designing in many architectural styles,
and according to one reviewer in 1924, "Bertz studied
each precise situation with an artist's perception, drawing
for his effects upon any school or vogue that would produce
the most satisfying result; in some instances the English
Gothic gave a charming effect to the general vista, in others
a Spanish or Italian example was applied with delightful impressiveness
....... the Colonial, the French and other schools were requisitioned
for the best they had and the final outcome was the splendid
assembling of city homes of divers patterns, all forming part
of a most pleasing coup d'oeil, without the least unfitness
discernible anywhere."
In addition to Sea Cliff, Bertz designed a major tract of
homes for Allen & Co. in 1921 at 701 to 767 4th Avenue
and 2800 to 2850 Fulton St. On Russian Hill he
designed 2621 Larkin for the company in 1922. His work may
also be seen in St. Francis Wood with several homes such as
20 and 40 Santa Paula (in 1922), and 140 and 160 San Leandro
(in 1923). But four custom-designed Sea Cliff homes in the
Italian Renaissance style at 270 Sea Cliff Avenue (1924),
540 El Camino del Mar, and 2900 and 2910 Lake Street (all
in 1926) firmly established his reputation.
In 1927 Bertz took two of his draftsmen, Albert H. Winter
and Charles F. Maury, into partnership with him as Bertz,
Winter & Maury, a firm which was to last through to 1935.
Together they designed other prominent Sea Cliff homes such
as 2949 Lake Street and 250 Sea Cliff Avenue (both in 1929).
250 Sea Cliff Avenue was the 1996 San Francisco Decorator
Showcase house.
After the partnership dissolved, Bertz continued to work
on many different projects. Real estate investor Martin Stelling
was a good client and commissioned Bertz in 1935 to significantly
expand the size of 2980 Vallejo Street, a Pacific Heights
home with a sweeping Bay view that Stelling had bought from
architect Edgar Mathews. Bertz doubled its size, while retaining
the charming English cottage appearance of Mathews' original
design. In 1940 Bertz designed a distinctive single-story
commercial building at the north-east corner of Sacramento
Street and Presidio Avenue, also for Stelling.
During World War II Bertz worked on Government projects in
the East Bay, reopening his office in 1945. He became ill
in the fall of 1947 and died on March 7th, 1948.
Entry taken from the website of David Parry at www.classicSFproperties.com
and is used by permission. Unauthorized use of this copyrighted
material is strictly forbidden without permission from the
author.
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Born: San Francisco, September 7, 1885