I haven't lived in a boardinghouse, although I lived on Jones about four blocks from Annie's. I have researched a few middle class women who as adults lived in residential hotels in the 1910s to '40s. (After Annie's neighborhood was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fires, the area became a major location for residential hotels, so Annie was ahead of her time.)
I can easily picture Annie's house as I lived in a boarding house in San Jose for my first year of college. It was an old Victorian. This was 1960 and all women had to live in "approved housing". Twelve girls lived in the 4 bedrooms upstairs, and 2 had the servant's room off the kitchen. The house-mother had one of the front parlors to herself. The owners lived down the street in another Victorian. The wife did the cooking (breakfast and dinner) and used frat boys as servers and dishwashers. The husband had a corner grocery store next door to their house. He was a butcher and she was a good cook, so we always had good meals. This whole street of houses is gone now. The huge Education building is there.
A great many farmhouses were similar in structure: cellar, first floor, upstairs and attic. Big families, too!
Can't find another porthole to reach you. Just want to tell you I'm bursting with pride that YOU liked my comment on Wendy (RCL)’s blog!
Thanks! I love her posts.
I haven't lived in a boardinghouse, although I lived on Jones about four blocks from Annie's. I have researched a few middle class women who as adults lived in residential hotels in the 1910s to '40s. (After Annie's neighborhood was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fires, the area became a major location for residential hotels, so Annie was ahead of her time.)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Nob_Hill_Apartment_Hotel_District#:~:text=The%20Lower%20Nob%20Hill%20Apartment%20Hotel%20District%20is%20officially%20listed,identity%20between%20the%20two%20neighborhoods.
Cool! Thanks for the link.
Can't find Christine Minogue. I am an idiot. And here I was, almost clinging to all her degrees of separation...
I can easily picture Annie's house as I lived in a boarding house in San Jose for my first year of college. It was an old Victorian. This was 1960 and all women had to live in "approved housing". Twelve girls lived in the 4 bedrooms upstairs, and 2 had the servant's room off the kitchen. The house-mother had one of the front parlors to herself. The owners lived down the street in another Victorian. The wife did the cooking (breakfast and dinner) and used frat boys as servers and dishwashers. The husband had a corner grocery store next door to their house. He was a butcher and she was a good cook, so we always had good meals. This whole street of houses is gone now. The huge Education building is there.