Ongoing series: Good things are happening on Mare Island
Have you seen the classic mansion at 1185 Azuar Drive on Mare Island lately? Steven David, the owner has restored it to its former glory, and it was clearly a labor of love. It towers above the other mansions, with the impressive Roman columns out front, and it features the unique Navy architectural style that was used for officer’s housing.
I talked to Steven recently about all the work that was done on this classic building.
· He removed every speck of paint both inside and outside of the building. The wood was so clean, that a city building inspector thought he had installed new wood siding on the exterior.
· A new foundation was installed, bonding it to the existing one, bringing it to modern standards of earthquake resistance and load bearing.
· Every window was rebuilt, using the old counter-weights and frame, and inserting double pane windows into them. Custom seals were designed, to keep the windows tight and weather resistant.
· Building materials were preserved, and reused, as much as possible.
· He’s invested far more in renovation, then in the original acquisition cost.
· The main items needing to be completed are interior finishing, and exterior buildings.
Will it be used as a Bed & Breakfast residence in the near future? He’s not clear about that, but promises that he will find a productive use for this building when it’s fully completed. Because a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ve attached a “before” and “after” picture of this wonderful building.
BEFORE: 1185 Azuar Drive – June 2006
AFTER: 1185 Azuar Drive – March 2010
