Kindler House

The Kindler home was the residence of Paul Kindler, a German immigrant who arrived in Fresno in 1907. He had previously lived in Toledo, Ohio, where he worked for the Speasler Construction Company as a mason. Kindler built the home himself in 1928 and lived there for the next three years before selling it. Kindler's skills as a mason are seen in a number of Fresno's buildings, including the Bank of Italy and the Hotel Californian. The Borrelli family, who owned a local macaroni manufacturing business, were the next owners and long-term occupants of the house. The Kindler House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been nicknamed "The Castle" for its French-Norman Picturesque architectural style. The property is currently used as an office building.

Paul Kindler (1876-1943), an immigrant from his native Germany, arrived in Fresno in the fall of 1907, a time of remarkable growth for the city. Before coming to Fresno, he had lived in Toledo for a year, where he worked for one of the city’s leading construction companies and learned the trade. His arrival in Fresno came at a fortuitous time; the city was growing rapidly and Kindler soon became one of the city’s leading masons. Kindler was known for his brick and terra cotta work, and several of his buildings remain among the most historic and visually striking in the city, including the Bank of Italy, the Hotel Californian, and the Pantages Theater. He often worked with architect Richard Felchlin, who designed many of the buildings that Kindler built. Felchlin also designed the Kindler home, which Kindler constructed from 1928 to 1929 on four lots between E. Olive St. and a ditch.

The Kindler house was a two-and-a-half-story, asymmetrical building with a complex roofline and main entryway of curved mahogany in a round turret. The decorative terra cotta ornamentation above the main entrance to the house matched ones used in the Fidelity Building (later Pacific Southwest/ Security Bank), which Kindler constructed in the early 1920s. The second floor of the turret was part of the master bedroom. The exterior walls were covered in stucco except for the brick-faced foundation, with some half-timbering on the upper stories. The interior walls were brick, covered in plaster. The living room fireplace had a mahogany mantel and carved tile insets with nature motifs. The full basement featured a wine cellar. A multi-car garage featured a similar stucco and half-timbered exterior.

In April 1929, Kindler moved into his new home with his wife, Meta and stepson, Clarence Steding. Meta Rehberg (1896-1952) also was a German native who emigrated to the U.S. in 1902. By 1919, the Kindler family lived in Fresno at 145 N. Van Ness Ave.; they are listed at that address until 1929 in local directories. Clarence, who had been born in Oregon, was age 17 in 1930; he attended school and worked as a bricklayer for his stepfather. The Kindler home was valued at $12,000 in 1930.

Three years after moving in, Kindler sold the house to Alfonso Borrelli. Borrelli and his wife, Theresa lived in the house for the next thirty-three years. Alfonso (1891-1974) and Theresa (1899-1976) were born in Italy. In 1940, Alfonso (age 49) and Theresa (40) shared their home with a niece and nephew, Helen Salvi (19) and Robert Germino (11). Helen was born in Colorado and worked as an assistant bookkeeper in her uncle's wholesale food manufacturing business; Robert was born in California and attended school. The house was valued at $9,500 in 1940. Borrelli founded a local company, Perfection Macaroni, which was purchased in 1971 by the American Beauty Macaroni Company. In 1953, Borrelli patented a device for handling elongated, U-shaped looped strands of spaghetti dough.

Paul Kindler passed away in Fresno in 1943; the cemetery where he was laid to rest, Belmont Memorial Park, was decorated and bordered by Kindler's brickwork. The Kindler home, nicknamed "The Castle," is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architecture. The white lion statues flanking the front entry sidewalk are not part of the original design. A raised patio in the backyard also was a later addition.

Borrelli, Alfonso. Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office: Handling Apparatus for Spaghetti and the Like, U.S. Patent No. 2,649,055, Application August 13, 1951. Edition Aug. 18, 1953, p. 702. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1953.

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R. L. Polk & Co. Polk's Fresno (California) City Directory Including Fresno County 1929. San Francisco, CA. R. L. Polk & Co. of California, 1929.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of Paul Kindler at 1520 Olive Ave., Fresno district 41, Fresno County, California, dwelling 296, family 306. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1930.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of Alfonso Borrelli at 1520 Olive Ave., Fresno district 10-25, Fresno County, California, dwelling 436. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1940.

Vandor, Paul E. History of Fresno County, California, with Biographical Sketches.... Volume 2. Los Angeles, CA. Historic Record Company, 1919.