828 Laurel St, Alameda, CA 94501

Built in 1928, this home is a true Alameda architectural gem in a prime location. Laurel Street is a showcase for 19th and early 20th century homes in desirable Alameda, and is within walking distance of the shops and restaurants on Park Street and South Shore. Superior neighborhood schools include Donald Lum Elementary School and Alameda High School. With beautiful and classical proportions, this gracious stucco house is a melding of the American and Prairie Foursquare styles and sits on an attractive corner lot. The substantial front steps lead to a generous front porch that is covered by an ornamental balcony, while new drought tolerant landscaping enhances the house’s striking curb appeal. Inside, the home has many original period details in the formal living room, formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, powder room, finished basement, three bedrooms and one bathroom. Newly refinished hardwood floors throughout the house and original, double-hung windows add elegance to this special vintage home. The large foyer opens to a beautiful staircase that is a prominent interior architectural feature of the home. To the right of the staircase is the formal living room, complete with a wood-burning fireplace featuring a ceramic tile facade and original wide, built-in bookshelves on either side of the fireplace. Crown moulding and wainscoting give the room elegance and enhance the structure and design of the room, as does the period framing on the window and door casings. Large picture and double-hung windows flood the room with light, as do the charming clerestory windows that flank the fireplace. A lovely architectural feature of the living room is a small sunroom bay that is large enough for separate seating and framed by windows on all sides, perfect for enjoying the lagoon views and sunsets. The size and charm of the formal dining room is in perfect symmetry with the living room and, like the living room, is spacious enough for formal entertaining. Period details include crown moulding, a box beam ceiling, and a fixed picture window framed by double-hung windows. Built-in display hutches with glass fronts and beadboard backs are on either side of a built-in sideboard, and a wide clerestory window above the sideboard adds finish and more light to the room, as well as views of the palm and orange trees outside. The kitchen is located just off of the dining room, yet also connects to the living room and has been recently updated to include quartz counters, recessed lighting, and a brilliant white tile backsplash. The freshly painted kitchen has plenty of cupboards and a breakfast nook with a built-in window bench seat and new pendant lights. The large double-hung windows and additional sidelights provide plenty of natural light. A jewel-like powder room is off of the kitchen, as is access to the backyard and finished basement. This passageway has a high ceiling, oversized windows and original beadboard wainscoting. At the top of the stairs to the upper level is a formal landing that is large enough for a small desk or seating area. On the left is the spacious master bedroom that features numerous windows and two closets, one of which has a built-in, beadboard-paneled shoe cupboard. Both closets are spacious and have small, double-hung windows that provide natural light and can open for ventilation. The second and third bedrooms on the upper level are both generous, and each has numerous windows for light and cross-ventilation. There is an original linen closet between the two bedrooms. The full bathroom on this level opens to the hallway on one end and the master bedroom on the other end. The bathroom consists of a single sink, a second sink with vanity, and a Safe Step Walk-In Tub. The bathroom is spacious enough to be redesigned for today’s modern family needs and has potential to be divided into two bathrooms, creating a master suite as well as a hall bathroom.