lans to renovate and build a two-story addition onto the historic Jenkins house were approved by Woodside's Planning Commission last week.
The Jenkins house, located at Woodside Road and Albion Avenue, was built in 1889 and is considered an example of rural farmhouse design and plank construction techniques used in California at the time. The home is named for Henry Jenkins, a lumberjack, caretaker and, for six years, postmaster of Woodside, who moved to the town in 1874. The home remained in his family until 1976.
Daniel Fitzpatrick and Barbara Wood, who is an Almanac staffer and a member of the Woodside History Committee, own the house and hired architects Thalia and Steve Lubin to design the renovation plans. Ms. Lubin is also a member of the Woodside History Committee.
At its July 19 meeting, the Planning Commission voted unanimously to give conditional approval to plans for a 1,350-square-foot addition to the Jenkins house, which would more than double its 1,054-square-foot size. Several commissioners commented on the design of the addition, saying that in spite of its size, it will be only slightly visible from the road and will not appear to dominate the historic house.
Kathleen Scutchfield praised Mr. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Wood for planning to restore the Jenkins house.
"I'm just happy you've taken the time and energy to preserve an old part of Woodside," said Ms. Scutchfield, who is the acting chair of the Planning Commission.
Besides the two-story addition, a kitchen and bathroom added onto the house in about 1949 will be demolished and a screen porch will be converted into a covered porch. Extensive improvements to electrical wiring, heating and plumbing are planned, and a staircase will be replaced.
The commission also voted to adopt the environmental analysis and historic study of the 111-year-old home, which are required by the state environmental quality act before work can be done on historic structures.
