Delos Goldsmith

Delos Edward Goldsmith (September 3, 1828–July 3, 1921), was a prominent figure in the early development of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He was the town's first master builder and one of the earliest settlers. His niece was Abbie Jane Hunter, an early pioneer businesswoman, real estate developer, and visionary of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Delos Goldsmith built many of the early homes in Carmel. Some of his most notable projects were the construction of the first hotel (Pine Inn) and the Carmel Bathhouse, which quickly became a popular attractions for locals and tourists alike.[1]

Delos Goldsmith
Born
Delos Edward Goldsmith

(1828-09-03)September 3, 1828
Painesville, Ohio, US
Died3 July 1921(1921-07-03) (aged 92)
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
OccupationMaster builder
SpouseAnna Barbara Stenner
Children3

Early life

Delos Goldsmith was born Delos Edward Goldsmith in Painesville, Ohio, on September 3, 1828. He was the son of architect Jonathan Gillett Goldsmith (1784-1847) of Milford, Connecticut, who is considered one of the leading architects of the Connecticut Western Reserve. His mother, Abigail Jones (1787-1887), was born of English parents in Massachusetts in 1787.[2][3] His son, Delos E. Goldsmith, Jr. (1871-1900), a reporter, died early in life on August 2, 1900 in Painesville at the age of 29.[4]

Career

In 1846, Goldsmith left Ohio at the age of nineteen for New Orleans. He then moved to San Francisco in 1850 when he was twenty-two and was a witness to the San Francisco Fire of 1851. He was a carpenter for two years in San Francisco and worked for the first Presidio of San Francisco.[2] He moved back to Ohio and in 1858, at the age of 30, Goldsmith was listed as a carpenter in Painesville, Ohio.[5]

He left for Marysville, and later went to Yuma, Arizona. He worked in the oil business until the outbreak of the American Civil War, when he was appointed citizen wagon master of the Twenty-ninth Ohio Volunteer Infantry in the Union Army.[6] Goldsmith was taken prisoner at Harper's Ferry by the Confederates and endured hardships until he escaped. He went south on a lumber expedition.[2]

Goldsmith married Anna Barbara Stenner (b. 1852) in Ohio on February 14, 1870, at age 42, and had three children, all born in Ohio.[3] By 1872, at age 44, was selling real estate in Ohio. On January 27, 1872, he sold his aunt Francis J. Goldsmith 20 acres (8.1 ha) acres for $800 (equivalent to $18,096 in 2021).[7] In 1879, he became an agent for Dr. Stockton, who was involved in oil.[2]

Goldsmith left Ohio and moved back to San Francisco in late 1886. His niece, Abbie Jane Hunter, was already living in San Francisco.[8] She was a real estate agent for the Women's Investment Company in San Francisco, that would became Carmel's first real estate development group.[9][10] Goldsmith completed his voter registration on October 16, 1888 in at 355 First Street in San Francisco.[11]

Carmel City
Carmel City Map by W. C. Little in 1888.
Carmel City Catholic Summer Resort advertisement.

In early 1888, Santiago J. Duckworth wanted to establish a Catholic retreat near the Carmel Mission, on homestead property, which then belonged to the US federal government. Duckworth would call it "Carmel City."[2][12] Duckworth hired Abbie Hunter as a sales agent for Carmel City.[13]: p27 [14] In July 1888, Duckworth began selling lots.[15][16]: p15 

Goldsmith, Hunter, and her son Wesley R. Hunter (1876-1966), came to Carmel City in late 1888, where they started buying lots and building their first homes.[10] Goldsmith became the first builder in Carmel.[8]

Early Carmel City homes

In 1888, Goldsmith built a one-story vernacular side-gabled redwood residence for Duckworth, now known as the Santiago Duckworth House. The house is located on Carpenter Street SW of Second Avenue. Surveyor Davenport Bromfield built one of the oldest houses in Carmel City near this house. Bromfield also helped map out the streets of Carmel City.[13][1] In 1888, Goldsmith and Hunter carried water from the Carmel River until a well was made.[16]

In December 1889, Abbie Hunter bought seven lots in Carmel City from Duckworth.[17] Goldsmith purchased five lots in March 1890. Over time, they each acquired more property.[8]

Hotel Carmelo
The intersection of Ocean Avenue and Junipero Street looking east with the outline marked, and trees removed. On the left is the Hotel Carmelo.

In 1889, Duckworth set aside 5 lots on Broadway Avenue (now Junipero), between 6th Avenue and Ocean Avenue, for Carmel City's first two-story Craftsman-style 18-room Hotel Carmelo (now the present Pine Inn). Goldsmith built the hotel with the help of Hunter and her son, Wesley Hunter. The hotel had 8 bedrooms, a front and back parlor with an open fireplace, a dining room, and a front porch.[2]: p11 

In 1890, trees were removed and an outline marked for the construction of Ocean Avenue heading up the hill.[18] Visitors would take a horse-drawn carriage called the "Carmel Bus," from the Monterey train station to the town.[19] They came to buy lots and stayed at the hotel. On July 4, 1891, a dance party was the first community event held at the hotel. In 1890, Duckworth printed a subdivision map, showing the hotel, cottages, and lots for sale.[16][1][17]

Carmel bathhouse
Carmel Bathhouse built by Delos Goldsmith in 1889.
George Sterling, Mary Austin, Jack London and Jimmie Hooper on Carmel Beach with Carmel Bathhouse.

In 1888-1889, Hunter and Goldsmith built the first community bathhouse at the end of Ocean Avenue at the Carmel beach, with the help of her son, Wesley Hunter. There was a boardwalk running from the main door to the beach. The bathhouse was built to attracts tourists and had a boardwalk running from the main door to the beach with a cupola and windows across the front to view the Carmel Bay coastline.[20][21]

The bathhouse was also used for wedding receptions, club meetings, and church events. A water tank on the roof was heated by the sun, which could be used for showers. Dressing room, bathing suits, and towels rented for 25 cents (equivalent to $8 in 2021). The bathhouse sold sandwiches, lemonade, popcorn, and candy.[19]

The building lasted for forty years before being sold to the City of Carmel in 1921. The cost of upkeep and the potential for lawsuits led the city to sell it in 1929 to Mrs. W. C. Mann, who dismantled it and used the lumber for her own home.[16][2]: p11 

In 1890, Goldsmith did the design for the Farm Center building at the entrance of Robinson Canyon in Carmel Valley. It was the scene of get togethers for Carmel Valley residents. There was dancing with a fiddle, good food, and poker. By 1926, the center was called the Valley Social Club.[12][2]: p119 

Carmel-by-the-Sea

In July 1892, Hunter's Women's Real Investment Company became the active developer and acquired 164 acres of the Carmel City tract through its investors. In 1892, Hunter sent out a bulk mailing post card promoting Carmel-by-the-Sea instead of a Catholic retreat.[13][12][22]

Queen Anne style homes built by Delos Goldsmith. Augusta Robertson lived in the house on the left and Abbie Jane Hunter lived in the house on the right.

Between 1892 and 1894, Goldsmith worked with Hunter to build two identical historic Queen Anne-style cottages, designed by contractor Douglas Knox Fraiser, that still exist today.[13] The first house was on the northeast corner of Guadalupe Street and 4th Avenue, on lots 16, 18, and 20 of block 41.[2] It was the home for Hunter and her son, now known as the Abbie Jane Hunter House. The house is a small, rustic cottage that is characteristic of the early cottages that were built in Carmel.[23] William Askew became the owners of the home.[2]

The second home, on the northwest corner, became the Goldsmith's home. Goldsmith built a home for his wife's sister's daughter, Mrs. Augusta Robertson, where he lived while he constructed other homes for early residents.[2]: p6  Robertson was the Vice-Principal of the Pacific Heights School and a stockholder and director of the Women’s Real Estate Investment Co. Today this is the home of the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts.[24] They were the first houses in the area next to what was known as the Paradise Park.[2][1]: p88 

On August 16, 1891, Hunter and Goldsmith managed to sell 300 lots, mainly to teachers, professors, and writers.[16][22]

The real estate boom ended during the Panic of 1893 when the United States went into a five-year depression that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. Sales were stagnant and the Carmel project was losing money.[2]: p5  On November 25, 1902, real estate developer James Franklin Devendorf and Frank Hubbard Powers established the Carmel Development Company, which laid the foundation to establish an artists and writers' colony that became Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1903.[22] In the summer of 1902, Devendorf had Goldsmith place four portable houses at specific locations in town.[2]: p18 

Goldsmith built a shed for his carpenter shop on the southwest corner of Ocean Avenue and San Carlos Street, behind the Carmel Development Company Building. It was one of Carmel City's first businesses.[2]: p6  In 1904, Devendorf opened the first public school in the Goldsmith carpenter shop. The school had seven students and a teacher, Mary Westphal from San Jose.[19]: p111 [16][19]: p93 [2]: p26 

In 1905, Goldsmith built a vernacular cabin on Monte Verde Street NW of 9th Avenue, now called the Sinclair Lewis House. Writer and playwright Sinclair Lewis and William Benet rented the home in 1909.[1]

In September 1908, Goldsmith was given a surprise party on his 80th birthday. His nickname was announced at the party as "Goldie."[25] In 1910, at age 81, Goldsmith, widowed, rented a house in Oakland, California with Hunter and two other boarders.[26]

Death

Goldsmith died at the Carmel Peninsula hospital on July 3, 1921, at the age of 92. Funeral services were held on July 5, 1921.[6] After his death, several Carmel lots were left to his surviving son, Wallace H. Goldsmith.[27]

See also

References
  1. Dramov, Alissandra; Momboisse, Lynn A. (2016). Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Arcadia Publishing. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. p. 38. ISBN 9781439656747. Retrieved 2022-08-21.
  2. Hale, Sharron Lee (1980). A tribute to yesterday: The history of Carmel, Carmel Valley, Big Sur, Point Lobos, Carmelite Monastery, and Los Burros. Valley Publishers. Santa Cruz, California. p. 6. ISBN 9780913548738. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  3. "Historical Information for Delos E. Goldsmith". FamilySearch. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  4. "An Eventful Career Closed". Crestline Advocate. Crestline, Ohio. 9 Aug 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  5. "1860 United States Federal Census". Painesville, Lake, Ohio. 1860. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  6. "Pioneer Of Carmel Dead. Delos Goldsmith Passes At 92 Years". Monterey Daily Cypress and Monterey American. Monterey, California. July 5, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  7. "Real Estate Transfers". Northern Ohio Journal. Painesville, Ohio. January 27, 1872. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
  8. Neal Hotelling (12 Jul 2019). "The early days of developing the town and the mysterious Abbie Jane Hunter" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  9. "Old Bath House". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1945-07-06. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-07-12.
  10. "Wesley Hunter". Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. 1966-06-23. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  11. California Great Registers, 1850-1920, San Francisco, California, 16 Oct 1888
  12. Fink, Augusta (2000). Monterey County: The Dramatic Story of its Past. Valley Publishers. p. 202. ISBN 9780913548622. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  13. Seavey, Kent (2007). Carmel, A History in Architecture. Arcadia Pub. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 30–31. ISBN 9780738547053. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  14. "Carmel City. The Beautiful Spot Decided Upon For a Catholic Summer Resort". Monterey Cypress. Monterey, California. 20 Apr 1889. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  15. "Carmel City. Great Enterprise of a Montereyan. S. J. Duckworth's Plan to Build Up a Catholic Summer Resort". Monterey Cypress. Monterey, California. 14 Dec 1889. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  16. Grimes, Teresa; Heumann, Leslie. "Historic Context Statement Carmel-by-the-Sea" (PDF). Leslie Heumann and Associates1994. pp. 15–16. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
  17. Larry Scriviani (April 26, 2004). "Santiago Duckworth and the Catholic Resort". Harrison Memorial Library. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  18. Dramov, Alissandra (2022). Past & Present Carmel-By-The-Sea. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina. p. 64. ISBN 9781467108980. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
  19. Dramov, Alissandra (2013). Carmel-by-the-Sea, the Early Years (1903-1913). Bloomington, IN. pp. 93–95. ISBN 9781491824146. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  20. Gilliam, Harold; Gilliam, Ann (1992). Creating Carmel: the Enduring Vision. Peregrine Smith Books. Salt Lake City. p. 62. ISBN 9780879053970. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
  21. Barratt, Elizabeth (2010). Images of America Carmel Valley. Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, S.C. p. 15. ISBN 9780738571621. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  22. Neal Hotelling (19 Jul 2019). "What if trains had come to carmel and Pebble Beach? We'll never know" (PDF). Carmel Pine Cone. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. pp. 27–28. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
  23. "Carmel Inventory Of Historic Resources Database" (PDF). City Of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  24. "Abbie Jane Hunter". Adventures Of A Home Town Tourist. Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. October 30, 2014. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  25. "News Of Carmel, Surprise Party Given to Octogenarian". Monterey Daily Cypress and Monterey American. Monterey, California. September 13, 1908. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  26. "1910 United States Federal Census". Ancestry.com. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  27. "Real Estate Transfers". The Californian. Salinas, California. August 24, 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 2023-02-23.
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