Forging Friendships - Page 4

"I think the thing we like the most is being close to the market," says Sandra Robles. "When we moved here nine years ago, it had not opened yet. All the other stores had not opened. So we've seen that evolve, and that's been really nice."

Her husband, Matt, adds, "Our kids all go there as an event. If they're just sitting around, they'll just say, 'Hey, let's go to the market.' And they have fun." Sandra adds, "They go buy bagels. There's a Starbucks." There's also a fitness center that some find convenient.

Because of the Edgewood Shopping Center and other nearby amenities, Roxanna says, "We don't even really need a car very often, on a regular day-to-day basis. We can work out, go to the market."

Another amenity for many are the Eichlers themselves. Most people buy because of the school district and proximity to schools, neighbors say. And folks rarely stand around discussing their architecture, as happens in some Eichler tracts.

But even though these homes are old—some more than 70 years old—there are originals left, and several retain original redwood interior paneling. (Eichler adopted mahogany paneling a bit later.) These homes also have wooden frames for their window walls, as aluminum sliders were not yet readily available in 1950.

One of the most original Eichlers is a rental in which artist Alan Sonneman has lived and worked for 25 years. Living with him is his son, Lorenz, also an artist, who's turned their garage door into a lively mural with the goal, Alan says, "just to see if it could get a stir from people around here."

Alan, who has worked as a designer for Dreamworks, paints grand, almost photorealist canvases of mountains that suggest the sublime, inspired by much camping in the Sierras.

Alan's living room—with original redwood walls, translucent glass panels, and other original detailing—is also his studio.

"It's amazing living in a real masterpiece. It is a masterpiece of architecture," Alan says. He stands in the hallway, which offers views into the living room and towards bedrooms, to appreciate the visual structure.

"It's like every plane works well against the other," he says. "That's why I painted the doors different colors. So you have these colored planes."

Over the decades, though, not everyone has appreciated the original architecture as much as Alan. Many homes have lost original paneling and other details.