The Clubhouse

 

Text Box: The beautiful “Daytripping Clubhouse” was purchase by Buzz & Carolyn Williams in 1995.  At the time, the building was a run down, 4-unit apartment complex.  The property was so overgrown; we did not even know the last 50 feet of the property existed.  The restoration took a long 6 months, with business going on during construction.  One funny story, after returning home from a long trip, John pulls into the property and sank the bus.  The drive way was still dirt, and it had been raining for several days. We opened to the public on March 16, 1996.

 

The 2 storey vernacular farmhouse was built in 1871 for Josias Davis, a Virginia native who came to California with his wife Martha and tree sons in 1870.  Davis, a successful merchant and farmer, immediately bought property on the outskirts of town.  He then became a major real estate developer, creating the (first) Davis Addition.  The new neighborhood comprised 16 acres, situated on both sides of College Ave. and west of Mendocino Ave.  A choice lot, approximately ¼ of a block, just north of the new development, was reserved for the family home.

 

In 1872, the city of Santa Rosa was incorporated.  The Davis house was outside the northern city limits.  The family prospered.  Preston Davis became the County Surveyor.  Walter Davis, took over the family real estate holdings, and became Deputy County Recorder.  He was also elected City Treasurer.

 

Walter took care of his parents, living with them for the rest of their lives.  After their death, Walter married when he was 37.  His wife, Evalyn, gave birth to a daughter, Alys (Allison), who was their only child.

 

Walter died in 1916, leaving a large estate to his wife and daughter.  After his death, they moved from the home, renting it to Edward Vaughn, the secretary of the Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce.  By 1926, Donald Sinclair, a salesman at a furniture store, and his wife were the tenants of 759 Mendocino Ave. According to the 1930 census, the Sinclair’s paid $40.00 per month to rent the property.  They lived in the house through the entire 1930s.

 

The property changed hands in the early 1940s.  Anders Nielsen, who develops the single-family residence into an apartment building, since there was a rental housing shortage during World War II, purchased it.  The building was sold in 1975 to Corrine Bannerman and her son Albert Trombetta. Buzz & Carolyn then purchased the property in 1995.