HUGH COMSTOCK’S “CURTAIN CALL”

I am still “Comstock hunting” when I discover Curtain Call. The little cottage is being renovated and so I slip in through the gate and start toward the front door. What a captivating roof line , very steep with flared eves and undulating ridge lines.

A vocal  West Highland Terrier stands on a wood deck , his head poked between the pierced decorative splat railing.

Tulips are already blooming in the pots and window box.

I rap on the knocker

and pause to admire the heart-shaped hardware on the french doors

Assorted bells hung on the knob. 

To the  left of the door is a milk box.

Hooray!! This owner is home.

Stephanie Kirz has purchased this home after a long search for the perfect Carmel cottage. 

With the help of John Gill Construction and Abbey Baker, project manager, she is restoring this treasure.

Hugh built this home in 1929 for Ms. Bertha L. Bowen. “The name “Curtain Call” was given the cottage in the mid 1940’s by a later owner, San Francisco bay area Journalist and writer Constance Ferris. The name is derived from her best known book, “Curtain Calls”, a series of short poems…..later adapted for the stage. Born in South Dakota, Ferris was somewhat of a recluse, having died in Carmel in 1979.” ( Kent Seavey).

Like most of the other Comstock cottages, Curtain Call sits to the back of its lot.  It is one-and -one -half stories of charm. The floor plan has two parallel front-gabled wings separated by the hyphen which is the entry. This floor plan is in the folder at City Hall.

Stephanie is a slender, vivacious woman who is delighted to show me around when she learns that I too am a Comstock fan. She has obtained historic status for her little cottage and is working hard to keep it authentic. 

She leads me into the kitchen. It is stunning with its white Carrara Marble countertops and  back splash,

glass-pained cabinets

and vaulted ceiling with exposed beams.

I love the way I can see those tulips from the window.

A door opens off the entry to this back patio.

The lot is very steep past the retaining wall so I show you what it looks like from the architects drawings. 

Back inside at the end of the entry is the bath .

We turn right into the bedroom with its cozy study.

Then Stephanie leads me into the living room. This beautiful room flooded with sunlight opens to two outdoor patios.

 The stone fireplace is as Mr. Comstock built it flanked by antique light fixtures  authentic to the time it was built. 

I walk to the west end of the room and turn to a view of the upstairs sleeping loft.

 She cleverly places a mirror “window”at this end , beneath which she displays a signed copy of “Curtain Calls”.

The shape of the door openings “knock me out”. 

Every thing about this cottage seems feminine. From here stairs to the right lead to the loft and a door to the left opens to a patio.

Phone calls interrupt our tour. Stephanie is the owner of  White Dog Press – Welcome . While she takes care of business,

I slip out to walk around the cottage.

I love that little porch upstairs.

A new patio comes off the north side.

I climb the steps and step to the wall.

 

Wow! What a view.

Stephanie has finished her calls and takes me to the guest house being built on the front of the lot. This side faces her cottage and she has repeated the eves, 

door, hardware

and the heart theme. 

Inside is a bedroom, kitchenette, bath and loft.

Darling. 

She may be on the Carmel Spring Home and Gardens Tour. So I hope you too get a chance to see “ Curtain Call” and meet its charming owner.

Stephanie, thanks so much for sharing your home with me.