| 1891 - |
Ernest Coxhead designs and builds his summer home on the
Peninsula. |
| 1898 - |
Coxhead marries Helen Brown Hawes, a belle of the artistic
community. |
| 1905 - |
Helen Coxhead dies giving birth to their third child. |
| 1906 - |
The S.F. earthquake shook the Penninsula. |
| 1924 - |
Arthur Pope & Phyllis Ackerman, friends of Ernest, bought
the house and nicknamed it “Scholar’s Cottage”. They
founded the Asia Arts Foundation and designed the
interior of the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite. |
| 1943 - |
Laughlin Family moved in and modernized the kitchen. |
| 1951 - |
Marian and James Hemingway, founders of the San Mateo
Unitarian Church which met in the living room, purchased
the house. She became San Mateo’s first female city
council member and later mayor. |
| 1991 - |
Pat Osborn & Steven Cabrera purchased the house. |
| 1994 - |
San Mateo centennial house catalogued as eligible for the
National Register. |
| 1996 - |
San Mateo City declared Coxhead House a local historical landmark. |
| 1997 - |
Coxhead House Bed & Breakfast Inn opened its doors. |
| 1998 - |
Coxhead House was honored with the “Most Improved Small
Business - Rehabilitation” award by the City of San Mateo.
Pat and Steve recieved the “Entrepreneur of the Year”
award from the San Mateo Chamber of Commerce. |
| 2000 - |
The Coxhead House was designated a “National Historic
Landmark”. This status is the highest level of recognition given by the
United States government and is reserved for places that “possess exceptional
value or quality in illustrating and interpreting the heritage of the United
States”. Coxhead House is also now a “California State Historic Landmark”. |
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During the gold rush of 1891, San Francisco was in
great turmoil and rapidly changing. While money
poured into the city, Ernest A. Coxhead, a noted
English architect, decided to build his family’s
country retreat in San Mateo. Coxhead used
the English rural vernacular, with a double bowed roof and delicate leaded windows, to add
charm to his English cottage. Along with his
colleagues Julia Morgan and Bernard Maybeck, he
influenced the new Arts & Crafts techniques and innovations used
in English country homes. The idea of the “rustic suburb” quickly
gained popularity. This Tudor Revival home has survived, almost
untouched, for over a century.
Pat Osborn & Steve Cabrera purchased the home in 1991 and began
to update it, starting with the kitchen and electrical system. While
sharing its’ rich history with friends, the idea for the Bed & Breakfast
was born. In 1996, Martin Dreiling, a historically sensitive architect,
and Stanley Acton, a dedicated contractor, began the transformation.
Being careful to stay true to the original designs, they sustained most
of the house as is. The brick from a crumbling fireplace was used to
pave the courtyard floor. The copper shower pans were converted by
Steve into the Olde English Coxhead sign that hangs out front. Many
of the artifacts found within the walls during the renovation can be
viewed on display in the entry.
The first three bedrooms, Ernest Coxhead Room, Julia Morgan
Room, and Bernard Maybeck Room were named in honor of all three
architects. The Wyntoon illustration and angel frieze were hand-painted
as tributes to Morgan. The Palace of Fine Arts mural honors Maybeck.
Later, the Angel Porch Room with its sculpture, and the Sixpence
were named.
Architect Biographies Page
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