Cohen-Chrisman-Vecki House
The Howard Brothers, who also built the Grange Hall, Osborn House, and White Gate Farm House. A mirror image of the Osborn House, this home was originally a Italian Gothic style with a steeply pitched roof, wooden board and batts siding, and gingerbread trim. The front center second story window which extends into the gable has a rounded rather than the usual Gothic pointed arch. The home was built using lumber that was brought around the Horn.
It was purchased in 1888 by local businessman John P. Chrisman who passed away in 1906. Dr. Victor and Claire Vecki and family left San Francisco for Danville as refugees after the great earthquake and fire and moved into the house on November 17, 1906. The family lived there until the 1930s while their daughter Isabel and Son Victor attended local schools. Dr. Vecki was the first dentist in Danville and for many years he was the only dentist in the valley, maintaining his dental parlor in the house. The property included a large almond and fruit orchard and garden area to the rear.
Drawing of the original home by Chris Arnott in the Valley Pioneer
Today it is a two-story stucco structure with steep cross gables, and Greek revival style moldings. The original wooden board and batts have been covered by stucco and the gingerbread trim has been removed. Evidently when this work was done to the house, an addition was built to the rear and a foundation placed under the house. It had a small, somewhat awkward parking lot between the house and the street. In 2002, the current owner Kim Williams picked up and moved the structure forward, closer to Front Street and a significant addition was built to the rear of the property.
As the oldest intact building in Old Town, it was recognized by a SRV Historical Society plaque on November 20, 2009. Tours always stop to admire the restored house and remember the families who lived there.
Beverly Lane 2019
Sources: Museum archives, Virgie V. Jones’ Historical Persons & Places in the San Ramon Valley, Be It Ever So Humble