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The construction of Chapman Point House was started in 1963 by Harry & Jean Crotty. Harry, who was a Professor of Architecture at the College of Marin, died before the house was completed, but his wife, Jean, completed the house shortly thereafter. Their vision for the house was to build it using recycled material as much as possible and that vision is apparent everywhere in the house. The structural framing was done using old beams taken from the Caspar Lumber Company mill, mid-way between Mendocino and Fort Bragg. The mill stopped operating in 1955 and the buildings were dismantled shortly after. The old beams were used “as-is” and show the adze marks (shaped by hand as the mill was constructed in the 1860’s). Pins, bolt-holes, steel plates, and cut-out joints are evident in most of the beams.
The floor to ceiling windows in the living room were also recycled – solid, plate-glass windows from a storefront, again in San Francisco.
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| The unique floor through most of the house came from a bowling alley in San Francisco (on Broadway) that was being torn down. Jeanne, passing by one day, saw the sections of flooring out on the sidewalk and asked the contractor what he was going to do with it. When he said he was going to take it to the dump, she offered to take it off his hands. She then hired a flat-bed truck to bring it to Mendocino. |
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The house was originally a one-bedroom, one-bath home, with an attached garage. Remodeling by a later owner changed the garage area into the master bedroom, adding a raised floor, fireplace, and the master bath. Then a new garage was added to the front of the building.
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Now for a bit of trivia...
Know who this is? No, of course you don’t, unless you’re a film nut.
This lady was one of the first people to stay at Chapman Point House, way back in 1965. Her name – Andrea Dromm – an actress who was in the film, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming! That comedy film was shot on location in the Mendocino and Fort Bragg areas in 1965 (released in 1966).
The film company rented the house for cast lodging and Andrea stayed at the house during location shooting. She played the 18-year-old neighbor girl who falls in love with one of the young seamen from the Russian sub that had run aground. In case you’re still with me – and you really want to know – the film starred Carl Reiner, Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin… and a bunch more. Yes, time flies... Andrea is now 68 or 69 years old. So now you know.
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