1439 San Benito Street

 

I've always thought of the two-story Spanish style house on the southeast corner of San Benito Street and Nash Road as the "Breen House" and that the Breen family lived there...since forever. When the house was for sale last year, I learned that the Breens were the third family to live there.

The original owners were Dr. L.C. and Mary Hull who built the house which was finished in 1926. Today,  the house features a library, formal dining room, breakfast room, wine cellar,  five bedrooms, and three bathrooms. In Dr. Hull's time,  the library was used as his office for seeing patients.

The Library

In 1938, the house was sold to Charles and Dora Hyman who established The Wardrobe, a men's clothing and shoe store. Remember The Wardrobe, you, old timers out there? And, Abe Hyman, the son? He, his wife Mabel, and their son David, lived at 1439 San Benito Street with Abe's parents.

So, when did the Jim and Betty Breen family move into this landmark? 1962.

The Dining Room

The house is back on the market. Renovations were made by the buyers who bought it in December. I think that's what the realtor, Robert Lintner, said at the open house yesterday. A lot of the time, my attention got distracted when my eyes saw another interesting aspect about the house -- the wooden floors, the built-in drawers, the window panes, the chandeliers, the French doors, and so on. Once upon a time, the large front room downstairs was known as the ballroom. It even has large insets in the walls for speakers.

The Kitchen

By the way, there's another open house today, until 5 PM. Thanks, Mr. Lintner, for the tour.

Note to FTC: Of course I am not being compensated for writing a post about this house. 

The Ballroom