Cohen-Bray House

Victorian Preservation Center of Oakland
1440 29th Ave. Oakland

Board of Directors

President
Lois Roach
 
Vice-President/Secretary 
 Karin Sidwell

Treasurer 
Patty Reidenbach
 
Recording Secretary 
Dorothy Mason

Patty Donald
Hank Dunlop 
Chris Gilliland 
Paul Roberts
Lorie Shay

Emeriti
Barbara Donald
Mike Reidenbach 

                            May Preservation Event

May is National Historic Preservation Month. The Historic Cohen Bray house is opening its doors to the public on May 21st. 2006.  The Victorian Preservation Center of Oakland is giving the public a chance to see the progress and discuss what is being done on historic preservation of this grand home built in 1884.

Oakland CA, April 3, 2006:  . On Sunday, May 21st, in honor of Preservation Month, we invite everyone interested old homes and history to join us from 12-4 to view and discuss current preservation projects in the Cohen-Bray House. A donation of $10 is asked for admission. Our projects include the garden restoration, interior conservation, foundation stabilization, roof restoration and much more!

Visitors will be viewing an architectural gem that sprang from the fortunes of two Gold rush families. The house continues today as the home of the original family. Meet the family and board members and view one of the most distinguished collections of interior decorative arts of the Victorian Period in the United States.

For this event the main floor of the house will showcase the untouched interiors, painted walls, and redwood paneling �before preservation�.  We will then show the areas that have been transformation after the preservation. We will be offering a series classes in the future to help individuals understand the stains and varnishes that the craftsmen originally used. Understanding the basics, allows us clean without damaging the original finish. Come watch and learn the historic methods of cleaning and preserving as preservation students and teachers work on objects from the house.

The garden  and landscaping has undergone a transformation through the loving hands of volunteers Special care and research into the existing plants and trees and what is historically correct will be featured here.

 In this educational fundraising event we will be having a membership drive. There are free gifts for memberships:  Members at $25 level will be given a jar of homemade Cohen-Bray marmalade. This is a very good batch. Members at $35 and above will receive a fine copy of photo of Emelita and Spark by Edgar Cohen.  Memberships and gifts are fully tax deductible.

For more information about this event and the house please visit our website at http://www.cohen-brayhouse.info

Cohen-Bray House

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Date Last Modified: 04/2/06