Reprint of the above copy

• Promises to bring sense of history back to the neighborhood.

On Sunday, March 30th, Prudential California Realtor, Anthony Riggins, hosted over two hundred neighbors and friends at his home in Crocker Highlands to launch his new career with the Piedmont Office. Having launched many products for the enterprise technology world as a Vice President for a number of software companies over the past 10 years, Riggins has returned to his first career – that of real estate – where often times, there’s more to the "product" than the house being bought or sold. While many buyers and sellers view the home as the "product," indeed, a key aspect to the whole product is the realtor. Riggins – with his commitment to providing every client with caring and knowledgeable personal services – along with the home is key to a successful transaction!

A personal touch
Prior to high tech sales leadership, Riggins served as vice-president of commercial lending for two national banks in northern California and Texas, which followed his initial career as a top Houston real estate producer. With his personal touch which no doubt will become a hallmark of the service he provides to clients, Riggins hand delivered invitations to his neighbors. The high touch approach resulted in a successful turnout of neighbors who came to eat, drink, and celebrate Anthony as their newest neighborhood realtor. The launch party was a way to introduce not only his business background to his neighbors, but also his skills in presentation and selling.

Riggins’ attributes his successful launch party to several factors. First and foremost, notes Riggins, who has lived in Crocker Highlands for the last thirteen years, you have to know a lot of neighbors. "Walking two miniature schnauzers around the block three times a day, hosting many neighborhood dinners, and socializing at other neighbors’ homes, results in knowing a lot of residents."

Special delivery
Second, his partner, Dr. Lee Hambrick, is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist for Summit and Alta Bates hospitals and has delivered at least thirty babies in the neighborhood. "Together we know a lot of our neighbors, and it helps to live in such a friendly community."

In addition to working with existing homeowners in Crocker Highlands and the surrounding neighbors who will be selling their homes, Riggins also will provide real estate services to those neighbors with children who have plans to move to Piedmont to take advantage of enrolling their children in the Piedmont public schools. "One of the reasons I chose the Piedmont office for Prudential California Realty is so I can work with my neighbors who are looking to enroll their children in a school district such as the city of Piedmont’s."

"As much as we hate to lose good neighbors in Crocker Highlands, we do want them to stay nearby so we can keep a social relationship with them." Working in Piedmont adds to Riggins’ overall knowledge base and keeps him best informed as to the current market conditions. This allows him to inform his Oakland Hills clients as quickly as possible when their type of Piedmont home is coming to the market. However, staying focused on bringing buyers and sellers together in Crocker Highlands and neighboring communities is Riggins’ overall priority.

A very special setting
The setting for the launch party was at Anthony’s home at 971 Grosvenor Place. The home is one of Crocker Highland’s premier Spanish Mediterranean homes built in 1929 for day to day comfort and for entertaining large gatherings. Upon entering the home, you encouter a large foyer with options to go into the den, dining room or dramatic living room. The walk down living room is 15’ x 25’ and has 14 foot high, wood-beamed ceilings. The huge picture window showcases one of the largest Christmas trees in the neighborhood during the Holidays.

Many of Crocker Highlands’ residents belong to Lakeshore Home’s Association formed in 1917, which is the second oldest homeowners association West of the Mississippi. Across the Bay in San Francisco, St. Francis Wood is the oldest homeowners association starting its articles of incorporation 5 years earlier, in 1912.

The Lakeshore Homes Association’s primary objective was "to preserve and increase the wonderful natural beauty of the property. Secondly, the purchaser of the lots would be secure in the feeling that his home can never be damaged by any unsightly or undesirable structure upon adjacent property or in any section of the tract." as noted in the original articles of incorporation. Those objectives are still honored and prioritized that way today.

Lakeshore Highlands, as it was called in 1917, was created by Oakland developer Walter H. Leimert. This neighborhood was developed and promoted as "the best example of modern scientific home-park developing. Nothing approaching it in attractiveness or in natural beauty ever has or will be offered to the seeker of ideal home conditions in the Bay Region," stated an advertisement in The San Francisco Chronicle in 1917. To add further credibility to the obvious beauty of Lakeshore Highlands, Leimert hired The Olmsted Brothers from Boston, who were the premier landscape architects of the time. Their father, Frederick Law Olmsted, designed Oakland’s Mountain View Cemetery.

Romance from the start
The original homeowners in 1929 at 971 Grosvenor Place had both a romantic beginning in the home, which, regrettably, was quickly followed with an economically tragic ending. As a Valentine’s gift for his wife in 1929, Harriet, Mr. Norman Bennett took out the deed for the construction of 971 Grosvenor Place. Mr. Bennett spent $8,000 for the construction of their new home which was a lot of money in 1929. It was the most money paid for the construction of a Lakeshore Highlands home in 1929 and 1930. The average cost for the homes in 1929 and 1930 was between $2,000 and $4,000.

Mr. Bennett hired renowned architect W. W. Dixon to construct his Spanish Mediterranean home for his wife. In the 1920’s, Mr. Dixon was a master of the prevalent Period Revival school of design as it was applied to small houses. Dixon advocated the "little features that suggest and give the character and feeling of the larger, more expensive home." Dixon was the architect of over 300 homes in Crocker Highlands, Piedmont, Glenview, Rockridge, and in St. Francis Wood. He shied away from the boxy designs of homes popular in San Francisco. He traveled extensively in Europe and specialized in residential home designs of Spanish, Italian, Norman and Swiss chalet types.

In the end, Mr. Bennett was delivered a home of his dreams. However, Mr. Bennett could not have predicted the disastrous market crash to follow in 1929. Mr. Bennett’s occupation was as a stockbroker. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett spent a couple of years in their new home, but no records exist for them in Alameda County after 1931. One can only imagine what happened to them as a result of having been a stockbroker at the time of the stock market crash, carrying a mortgage on the home.

Riggins relates his life in Crocker Highlands to the life of his home’s architect, W. W. Dixon. "The architect, Mr. Dixon, took special interest in this home to create a romantic feel for the newly married Bennetts, adding special touches throughout. He also lived in this neighborhood and took great care in improving this section of the Oakland Hills.

Riggins and Hambrick have used extreme care so as not to make any architectural changes. Instead the two enhance the home with antique furnishings, updated landscaping, and a few coats of paint. "Mr. Dixon was a great booster of Crocker Highlands, Piedmont, Glenview and Rockridge," notes Riggins. "I have always been a great promoter of this part of the Bay Area – it’s just now I get to do this as a profession."