Father Pitt

There are two apartment buildings called King Edward in Oakland (plus a small “annex” on Melwood Avenue). The more visible one, the King Edward Apartments on Craig Street at Bayard, was built in 1929.⁽¹⁾ The original King Edward, built in 1914, is behind on Melwood Avenue at Bayard Street. It seems much more staid than its larger neighbor, until we look closer and discover that it is festooned with these grotesque faces.

Addendum: The architect was H. G. Hodgkins, who also designed Hampton Hall, another Merrie England fantasy.

Footnotes

1. According to this National Register application for the Fairfax; this city architectural inventory gives a date of “C1925,” but 1929 seems slightly more likely. (↩)