Sunday, September 20, 2009
The
Del Monte Corporation grew out of the great western migrations
of the 1850s - 1870s. It began in 1916 as California Packing Corporation
(Calpak), the consolidation of four companies, one of which was
Griffin and Skelly. Calpak began marketing its products under
the Del Monte brand name the same year. The name was taken from
the world-renowned Hotel Del Monte in Monterey, built in 1880
by millionaire Charles Crocker and operated by the Southern Pacific
Railroad.
Griffin House, c 1901
Jonathan Baer, president of the Friends of the Griffin House,
will speak on the history of Del Monte Corporation and a founding
father, Willard Griffin. Steve Aced will talk about some of the
unique structural systems in the house. George Espinola will speak
on the architects.
In 1901 architect Frank Delos Wolfe designed a home for Willard
Griffin in Los Altos Hills. The house is now within the boundaries
of Foothill-DeAnza College. The speakers will tell about the campaign
to preserve this historic home, now on the National Register of
Historic Places.
For more information please call (650) 776-9226
Jonathan Baer is a senior executive of The
Threshold Ventures. He brings a unique perspective to
the world of startups. He has been both a venture capitalist and
the founder and CEO of two venture backed companies, eBoomerang,
an enterprise software company, sold in 2006, and Artificial Muscle,
Inc., a spinout of Stanford Research Institute (SRI). As a principal
and founder of Threshold Ventures, Jon works with companies around
the world as an advisor/mentor, working on specific projects and,
when appropriate, taking on interim operating roles. He has worked
with a wide range of software, telephony, hardware, and services
businesses. Earlier in his career Jon was a general partner at
Oscco Ventures, a Sand Hill Road early-stage venture capital firm
and pioneering Silicon Valley firm. He has invested in a range
of companies including Landec, Peerless Systems, and Coinstar.
Is president of The
Remodeling Project, providing a broad range of residential
design and construction related services to the South Bay Area.
Because many of the older materials and building methods are not
standard today, historic design and construction requires someone
dedicated to and familiar with historic preservation.
It is a different process from a standard remodel and requires
close attention and control of all aspects of the design, review,
and construction. It also requires someone with experience in
working with historical commissions, planning departments, and
building inspectors. Preserving and restoring an historic house
requires special and constant attention to every detail of the
design and construction process.
George Espinola, AIA Architect, wrote Cottages, Flats, Buildings
and Bungalows: 102 Designs From Wolfe & McKenzie, 1907
(Bay and Valley Publishers, San Jose, 2004). It documents the
voluminous output of these two prolific architects in the early
part of the 20th century, especially their mammoth influence on
the residential character of downtown San Jose. Besides appealing
just to historians, Espinola, himself a local architect, unearthed
an original version of the book through interlibrary loan 15 years
ago. He updated its contents with stories, background information,
and historical facts to produce this new book.
