Open Doors California -9/8

Part of the Open Doors California event, If you are registered with them,(https://californiapreservation.org/doca)You are invited to visit this 1/2 acre hidden gem, the Cohen Bray house and property are all thats left of the original 200 acres of the Oak Tree Farm Estate in the Fruitvale district of Oakland CA. once owned by W. A. Bray 1862-1885.  Built from 1882-1884  as a wedding present for Bray’s eldest daughter Emma Bray and her new  husband Alfred Henry Cohen. Alfred Henry’s father,  A.A. Cohen, (the chief attorney for the Central Pacific railroad) not to be out done,  furnished the house in the high aesthetic style of the period.

Not much has changed in the front interiors of the house since 1885, big changes caused by the 1906 earthquake, required the back rooms of the house to be rebuilt in the craftsman style. Since 2021, we have restored some of the private areas ( kitchen and butlers pantry) and opened them up to tours.

Feb. 28th,  2024, we celebrated 140 years of restoring and preserving this house and its collections. Five generations of family has lived here.  In 1989, Family created a 501c3 non profit -The Victorian Preservation Center of Oakland, to continue the goals of education and outreach to the community and educational institutions. Family are involved and lead the tours.  The house is on the National Register of Historic Places in Alameda County as the “Alfred H Cohen House”. We are an Oakland Landmark #8.

• 10 a.m. -11:30a.m. Tour of house with family.
• 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. Special for Open doors- : Tour of window workshop and discussion of challenges of rebuilding wooden windows. Our caretaker has rebuilt and reglazed 29 of our 86 windows so far.
• Special reduced Open Doors ticket price of $20 -general, $15 for students/ seniors (normal price is $35).  All proceeds go into the restoration and preservation of this house. We are a 501c3, volunteer organization, funded by  membership, donations  our gift shop and tours. Limited to 12 per tour.   Limited parking in the back, please carpool. Parking available nearby.