Locke House

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Locke House, built in 1911, was designed by John Hudson Thomas under the influence of the Viennese Secessionists, a form of European Art Nouveau architecture. The home was commissioned by William Lovering Locke, a prominent Oakland secretary. On April 3, 1979 the Locke House was designated as an Oakland Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 7, 1989.

Images

A shot of the house as it stands today.

A shot of the house from 1913.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

William Locke was born in Vermont on September 21, 1852, and was the secretary of the board of directors of the Pacific Borax Company. Little is known about his life, but it is known that he and his wife, Belle Augusta Fisher, commissioned this house as their family home. They had two children, Florence and John.

Before Locke House was built, the family lived at 26 Moss Avenue, along with their servant, Clara Carlson. Locke died in 1915, and is buried in plot 24 in the Fisher family lot along with Belle, Florence, and John.Belle's parents, Charles Anson Fisher and Mary Patterson Ryer Fisher, Belle's sister, Emma Fisher Andrews, and her husband, Jesse Swett Andrews, are also buried there.

Sources

Locke House. Local Wiki. Accessed June 25, 2017. https://localwiki.org/oakland/Locke_House.

William Lovering Locke. Local Wiki. Accessed June 25, 2017. https://localwiki.org/oakland/William_Lovering_Locke.