09/04/2026
The Gamble House is one of the best examples of craftsman architecture in the country but the nearby Blacker House may be even more impressive. Designed by the renowned architect brothers Charles and Henry Greene, the home was the first of their grand "ultimate bungalows."
The home fell victim to a famous architectural tragedy when it was purchased by an antique dealer and a collector who realized the original Greene & Greene fixtures were worth more than the $1.2 million purchase price of the estate. They quickly began removing and selling off the home's art-glass windows, exterior lanterns, and even the front door. (This unfortunately echoed a massive 1947 yard sale where much of the original custom furniture had already been sold off following Nellie Blacker's death).
In the decades following the 1980s incident, subsequent owners have undertaken painstaking restoration efforts. While much of the original furniture and glass remains scattered across museums and private collections, exact replicas of the leaded glass and light fixtures were meticulously commissioned to restore the integrated artistic environment the Greene brothers originally intended.
Both houses are featured in Back to The Future.
