Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea

Book excerpt: Historic Homes and Inns of Carmel-by-the-Sea showcases the creativity, talent, and originality of the town's residents, designers, and builders over a span of 80 years, from the pioneering days of the 1880s through the more contemporary ones of the 1960s. One-of-a-kind creations by top-name architects Frank Lloyd Wright, Julia Morgan, Charles Greene, Albert Farr, Gardner Dailey, Henry Hill, and Mark Mills are featured. The designs by the three most influential people who shaped Carmel-by-the-Sea architecturally in its first half-century are well-represented: M.J. Murphy, who literally built the town, with hundreds of homes and buildings to his credit; Hugh Comstock, who defined it with his storybook cottages that gave the village its fairy-tale charm; and Jon Konigshofer, who modernized it through his trademarked, postwar Hillside House. Throughout its history, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, has attracted unique, spirited, and sometimes eclectic individuals, and this is reflected in its architecture. In combination with the breathtaking beauty, remarkable scenery, and coastal setting, these historic homes and inns give the village its distinct look and make it unlike any place else.