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Valerie Schlitz (Lampman)
Hi Everyone,
Below is a story I wrote 8 years ago that I thought you might enjoy. Hope to see you Saturday!
In recent years I have been doing some genealogy research to pass on to my children. In the course of my research I went to the San Carlos Museum, and what a treasure trove that is! I was looking for information about my own early life, and while doing so, I came across a book about a house I had lived in. I thought some of you might be interested in hearing about its colorful history.
What I remembered of that house is a shower with 8 shower heads, a ballroom, a butler’s pantry, ornate iron gates to the living room, and an arched balcony with a panoramic view of the bay. There was wood paneling everywhere, and above it, hand-painted murals on the walls, going all the way around the room. When I looked up at the high ceilings, there were chandeliers in the living and dining rooms as well as the ballroom, and medallions decorating the ceilings.
The house is at 371 Elm Street, and my family moved there when I was 11 years old. I knew nothing of the house’s history, and I don’t think my parents did either. Even so, I knew this house was special, and I loved living there. Having been an avid reader of Nancy Drew books, I wondered if there might be a “Secret of the Hidden Staircase” or some other mystery to unravel behind all that wood paneling. It was unlike any house I had ever seen, and I always wondered what its unique story might be.
While visiting the Museum I learned it has numerous photos of San Carlos houses taken and donated by realtor Ed Yearing. When I requested a photo of 371 Elm St., the docent said “We have a book on that house!” I was so excited, and I purchased it immediately. The book was written by the current owner and published in 2005. Here is the (much abbreviated) story of An Italian Odyssey.
A young man named Peter Valconesi left Italy in 1904 at age 17 to come to America and make his fortune. He settled in North Beach with fellow Italian immigrants and began his climb to success. He did become quite prosperous, owning a grocery store and income property in San Francisco and a winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is said that Peter became a millionaire, and in 1928 he was one of the richest men in California. To show others how successful he had become, he built a country home in San Carlos modeled after an Italian villa. It was built high on a hill, and for more than 50 years, could still be seen from El Camino. The house was four stories and encompassed 4,000 square feet. The city of San Carlos was mainly agricultural then, and the population was only in the hundreds.
He enjoyed the fruits of his success and lived lavishly. The 1927 Buick Touring car shown in the photo was one of his prized possessions. The marriage of his daughter in 1932 was an elaborate affair celebrated in Saints Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco. The guests were then brought by limousine and with a police escort to the San Carlos house for the reception.
There were rumors about where all of his money came from. Locally, 371 Elm St. was known as “the bootlegger’s house.” There was a side entrance to the oversized basement of the house with frosted glass windows. Who puts frosted glass in a basement window? Perhaps someone with lots of money who has no losses from the 1929 stock market crash, but then declares bankruptcy the year after Prohibition ends.
Another rumor has a family member or mob associate of Al Capone staying at the house en route to visiting him at Alcatraz. We don’t know this for sure, but the two of them were probably in the same “beverage business.”
When Peter Valconesi filed for bankruptcy in 1934, he lost many of the assets he had acquired. The car that he loved sold for $50. and the house which cost $20,000 to build was sold at auction for just over $7,500. The family who purchased the house from the IRS still owned it in the 1950’s when my family rented it.
After his heavy losses, Peter Valconesi retired to Marin County where he lived comfortably for 35 years - with no known source of income.
The current owners of the house have enjoyed it now for 33 years. I had the pleasure of meeting them at home and was graciously given a tour of the house. We traversed the 69 stairs several times as we covered all four stories. Seeing the house again sparked my imagination just as it did the first time I saw it. I wondered what other stories have unfolded there over the years.
There is more history in that home, probably more than we’ll ever know. If you are interested in learning more, I encourage you to visit the San Carlos Museum where you can purchase the 66 page book, An Italian Odyssey.
Also from the Museum is the attached list of historic homes and other properties in San Carlos. Check it out -perhaps you lived in one of them!
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