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| Rengstorff house at sundown |
We are continuing to explore the endless suburbs of Silicon Valley. This past weekend we went in search of water views, specifically the San Francisco Bay, and happened upon a tour of the Rensgtorff house. Henry Rengstorff was a German immigrant to San Francisco who realized he could make more money farming and shipping goods than panning for gold. After building up his fortune, he built a grand house for his wife and six children around 1867 in Mountain View. After being abandoned (and vandalized) for many years, it was finally restored to its original Italianate Victorian splendor. Now it's primarily used as a wedding venue. And upstairs, there are offices for park and recreation employees (lucky them).
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| Our sprightly nonagenerian in the Rengstorff game room. |
I was too shy to ask our docent how old he was, but I guesstimated him to be a spry 90 year old. (He let drop that he was in a skiing competition about 8 years ago, for those in their 80s.) A retired accountant, he whisked us through the house in period costume, telling us about the first Rengstorff, and then his musical descendants, including jazz legend Dave Brubeck. In the music room we heard music played on one of the first phonographs, an original Edison.
Tours occur several times a week and are free.
