Weaving Family History in a Palm Haven Bungalow

by Michael Borbely, 1/1/2012

   There are only a couple properties left in Palm Haven that remain in the “families” of their original owners. This one graces the corner entrance of Riverside Drive and Bird Avenue and is owned today by Rick Nelson. As is always the case in a long-held family home, there is a rich history that it carries by virtue of being a part of that family for so long. Thanks to years of care by the family and today by Rick, this home remains a graceful echo of its past at a key entrance to Palm Haven while reminding us of its role as home base for an important family of the neighborhood and the City of San Jose.

    Forrest L. Bruch and his wife, Robin lived just down the street from Palm Haven in their new home at 1019 Bird Avenue in 1914 before moving to Palm Haven in 1920. For most Americans, the First World War put many plans on hold. It was not until the war ended in 1918 that the Bruch’s started making plans to develop property they owned in Palm Haven. Forrest purchased three lots on the north side of Riverside Drive starting at Bird Avenue and then re-subdivided them into two lots facing the more desirable trolley-ran Bird Avenue. (In those days, homes facing trolley lines or in an entrance location were often more desirable in contrast to today where values tend to drop near higher transit activity.)

    Bruch hired Albert Haskins to construct a nested-gable Arts & Crafts bungalow at 781 Bird Avenue in 1919 and then again to construct the family home at what is today 791 Bird Avenue. These homes follow the classic lines of the typical California Arts & Crafts bungalow of the period. The design of 791 Bird Avenue was so successful that plans and kits of a remarkable simile were made available nationwide by the Aladdin Homes Co. in their model called "The Plaza". More research is needed to determine who built 1019 Bird Avenue but Haskins may be the one. He built another handsome Palm Haven home at 725 Coe Avenue in 1925 in the style of the Second American Colonial Revival.

    The 1920s were busy years in Palm Haven with houses being built at a rapid pace and new families moving in every year. It was also a busy and productive time for the Bruch family. The two daughters, Barbara and Robin Elizabeth were making friends at school and at home. Forrest was working at the well-known real estate company T. S. Montgomery & Son owned by the gentleman of the same name until 1924 when Montgomery sold out. Forrest joined forces with William Biebrach and Arthur Moore to purchase the firm and renamed it: Biebrach, Bruch, and Moore. This was a "big deal" in many ways. T. S. Montgomery had established his real estate business as the top firm in San Jose having sold the Naglee Park residential subdivision, much of Hanchett Park, and many more area properties in commercial, agricultural and residential settings. Montgomery himself, had earned a reputation as an "empire builder" making heavy development investments in San Jose. He built the Hotel Sainte Claire in 1926 and later donated the land for the city civic center now located on San Carlos Avenue. He was also a supporter of the plans to relocate the railroad from downtown San Jose's 4th Street to "the west side" which would have run through Willow Glen and up against Palm Haven. But he may have had mixed feelings about having sold his real estate firm to Biebrach, Bruch, and Moore because all three partners were Palm Haven residents. And they were not silent about the railroad matter. In particular, William Biebrach not only spoke publicly against the proposed new railroad route but he ran for the San Jose city council and won against his railroad-supporting opponents and even went on to become mayor of San Jose in 1930. Biebrach, Bruch, and Moore carried on in the former T. S. Montgomery & Son offices right next to his posh Hotel Montgomery and within a "stone's throw" of San Jose city hall, then located on the Market Street plaza. Montgomery had developed quite a location for his throne of power in downtown San Jose and Palm Haven residents just bought it and began to exert their own influence on city matters.

    Meanwhile, Barbara and Robin Elizabeth were growing up and getting involved in many extracurricular activities centered around their schools. Their grandfather, Louis Bruch, immigrated from Germany at age 3. He became a pioneer Santa Clara County educator holding teaching and principal roles at area schools. Both Barbara and Robin Elizabeth followed in their grandfather's steps and obtained teaching degrees. Robin Elizabeth began a long teaching career in the San Jose Unified school district. Barbara went on to obtain her doctorate in psychology from Stanford University and embarked on a long and fruitful career working with handicapped and disabled children through the schools. During World War II she drove ambulances and trucks for the American Women's Voluntary Services in addition to her teaching work.

    During Barbara's pre-doctorate education years at San Jose State College, she made friends with Mildred Bernard and Stanley Nelson. Stanley was a San Jose native born on Spencer Avenue, not far from the Bruch home. He fell for Mildred and they married in Oakland after graduating from college. Barbara remained at the Bruch family home in Palm Haven and did not marry. In 1947, her father, Forrest met an untimely death in an auto accident. Her mother passed after a long illness three years later almost to the day of Forrest's passing. In spite of everything, Barbara's attachment to her nearly lifelong home in Palm Haven remained steadfast.

    After Stanley and Mildred split up in 1958, Stanley decided to look up his old college friend, Barbara Bruch. Soon they were married and they both made 791 Bird Avenue their home until their deaths some thirty and forty years later. Rick Nelson, son of Mildred and Stanley had been "grafted" into the Bruch family home by their union. "I liked the house and decided to keep it", says Rick. His matter-of-fact statement comes after telling a long story about both the Barbara Bruch family and his mother's pioneer California family, the Bernards. Rick's grandfather, Richard Bernard was a sort of swashbuckling character from another era. He fought in the Pacific theater of the Spanish-American War and while on a ship near the Phillipines, decided he did not like his circumstances and jumped ship to swim ashore and live with the locals for a while. Later he opened a cigar factory in San Luis Obispo after working for the railroad. Meanwhile, his daughter, Mildred was homesteading near Painted Rock and the Selby Campground areas of southern California. In his later years, Richard ran a magazine store in San Luis Obispo where Rick worked over summers. During those visits, Rick developed a love for the outdoors that has lasted to this day.

    Today, Rick Nelson enjoys the summers in the Bruch-Nelson home in Palm Haven - like his summer visits to be with his grandfather in San Luis Obispo. Favorite activities include a pig hunt at the Jack Ranch and a Jeep Jamboree. In 1988, after Rick inherited the Palm Haven property and the various California ranch holdings from both the Bruch and Bernard families, he focused on preserving the Bruch family home. The roof was sagging and he had it reengineered with a new ridge beam while preserving its original roof rafters with their "staccato" tails protruding past the roof line. Rafter tails are an important Arts & Crafts detail that is so frequently ruined by insensitive roof and gutter installations that saw off the tails and mount garish gutters around the edges. Another modification that departs from Arts & Crafts tradition but is often required is adding a porch pier somewhere near the middle of the porch roof. The Arts & Crafts style embraced the outdoors and frequently included large wrap-around porches that made the view to the outdoors as uninterrupted as possible. Most had a supporting pier at either end of a long porch roof. The span was so long that many of them were not built to handle the weight and sagged over the years. Many Arts & Crafts bungalows were later modified by adding an extra center pier to counter this problem.

    The inside of the home looks today just like it does in Bruch-family photos from years past. Even some of the furniture seen in the photos is still there today. Rick frequents the Sainte Claire Club in downtown San Jose (the city's oldest private club in a historic late 1800's Mission-Revival styled building) and during his visits noticed the paint scheme used on the old parlor walls and throughout. He liked them so much he decided to have the custom colors remixed for 791 Bird Avenue. Rick keeps the property under good care year-round that keeps it sparkling just like it was 90 years ago. Palm Haven is lucky to have this property remain in family hands that understands and respects its roots.

    A big thanks goes to Rick for not only caring for this Palm Haven bungalow but also donating his family photos to the www.palmhaven.info archives.

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