SHELFIELD OAKS
Hidden jewel: where riverside attractions and
tastefully renovated Strengs blend in harmony

From the pages of CA-Modern magazine
By Dave Weinstein

The view from Fair Oaks Boulevard, Carmichael's main drag, shows a town that is all too typically American. The scenery includes fair oaks, it is true, and some fine old homes from the 1920s, but also strip shopping centers and torrents of traffic. There's no hint that just below the roadway, as the land slopes towards the American River, lies a bucolic yet modern neighborhood that residents describe as a suburban paradise.

"It's like a little jewel that's hidden away," says Mark Klink of his enclave of modern homes that's part of the larger neighborhood of Shelfield Oaks.

The Streng Bros. developed Shelfield Oaks' 67 modern homes from 1965 to 1967, working with their regular architect Carter Sparks. It was among the first Streng developments that was all modern and all Sparks, says Jim Streng, who was partners with his brother Bill. The location was ideal, he says, and homes sold quickly. Shelfield Oaks remains one of Jim Streng's favorites.

Residents, who include many original buyers as well as newcomers attracted by the modern architecture, love the neighborhood because it is a slice of nature in an otherwise crowded city.

"The mornings are beautiful. You can't beat the mornings," says David Lust, a 20-year resident. "What I like is the light," adds his wife Nancy, who often absorbs it while bicycling. Bicyclists can almost always be seen whizzing through the neighborhood, which connects with nearby bike trails along the river. Many neighbors ride -- and some, including Mark Klink, discovered the neighborhood while biking through Shelfield Oaks borders the American River, where the American River Parkway of bicycle and hiking paths stretches for miles. The ridge that supports Fair Oaks Boulevard also blocks traffic noise -- while making cell phone reception difficult. (Some neighbors install repeaters so they can use wireless digital devices.) The neighborhood is heavily forested -- though not with many oaks. It was the Strengs' first subdivision with underground utilities. Several of the streets curve, there are two cul-de-sacs, and only a few lots are rectangular.

Downtown Sacramento is 15 minutes away at the right time of the day, and some residents still bike to work. The neighborhood has always attracted academics and teachers, as well as doctors, attorneys, psychologists and engineers. The area has superb schools. Besides the river and its parkway, there are such riverside attractions as William B. Pond Park, with its trails, and Lake Natomas, a favorite of kayakers. With kayakers paddling by on the river, kids on rafts during summer weekends, and the wildlife -- especially the wildlife -- Shelfield Oaks really can seem like a place apart.

"Butterflies, birds, the kind you won't see anywhere else," says Anne Klink, Mark's wife. Their friend Jeanne Farrenkothen adds: "And the ducks come into our pool."

River otters are a frequent sight, and beavers can be spotted. Mark has seen eagles, and mountain lions have been seen across the river in Goethe Park. "You can hear coyotes singing at night," says Olin Gilbert, whose home is the only Streng that fronts directly onto the river. From his deck you san see the snow-capped Sierra on a clean-air day.

But no animal so dominates the neighborhood as the wild turkey. Mark Klink has seen flocks of 25, and watched as stiff-feathered toms have faced off over quivering hens. Anne has watched as turkeys swoop over the neighborhood from their favorite launching pad -- the roof of the neighborhood's only original two-story Streng. "Boom!" she says. "You hear them landing on the roof." "They're not very elegant," says Ted Farrenkothen, Jeanne's husband.

Far more elegant, of course, are the neighborhood's homes -- and their appeal and attractiveness are growing. For the past few years, newcomers have been buying and restoring the homes while retaining their modern flavor. Longtime owners have also been refurbishing their homes as the popularity of mid-century modern grows.

"Over the past five years there has been a tremendous jump in wonderful remodels," Mark Klink says. "The neighborhood wasn't neglected when we bought our home, but some houses were in decline. Many people who buy now are interested in modern architecture." "People keep an eye on the neighborhood," Anne says. "They stop by and ask if any houses are coming onto the market."

Among the newcomers are Krista and Patrick Saumure, who moved into the neighborhood with their young son, Graham. They worked with Carmichael architect John Hansen to transform the interior of their Streng into something sleek and very 21st century, with polished, earth-toned granite floors. They expanded their open living area by removing walls and posts from what had been a bedroom, using new, composite beams to create 24-foot spans.

It took a year to redo the house, which involved stripping it to the studs. Neighbors worried. "Every person in the neighborhood has walked by and made comments," Krista says. "They asked what we planned to do. I told them we would retain the architectural integrity." From the outside, the house remains almost pure Streng. "I admire the simplicity of the Streng homes," says Patrick, who works in marketing for a large homebuilder.

The Klinks also did much work on their house. "I did a lot of physical labor on this house -- a lot," Anne says. But the changes are subtle, and most noticeable in the upgraded kitchen. They retained most of Carter Sparks' trademark elements: the brick fireplace with a cantilevered ledge ideal for sitting; the translucent glass by the entry; the abstract pattern of windows that Anne calls "Mondrian-esque"; the oddly proportioned door-like window, that starts near the floor and rises to almost door height; and skylights in the kitchen, bath, and utility room. The Klinks added a few skylights of their own. Anne loves the home's deeply recessed, sheltered exterior entry, which the Klinks use like an outdoor room.

Homes include low-gabled and flat-roofed models. Many have the Streng atrium -- a skylight-topped, interior courtyard that's floored with concrete aggregate and patches of earth that allow for an interior garden.

The Strengs were famous for customizing their plans to fit buyer preference. The Klink home has an entry floor of lime-green, floral-patterned tiles from Gladding Bean, a delightful custom touch. The Klink home also has a doublewide front door broad enough to drive a car through.

Along River Oak Way and Classic Place, five original buyers wanted to share a single pool, Jim Streng remembers. So the developer arrayed the homes around a common pool-sized lot.

The ultimate in customized homes, however, belong to Olin Gilbert, whose home has a standard enough front door -- but if you walk passed it without looking, two steps later you'll be floating in his lap pool. The pool, which stretches from Gilbert's kitchen island to the home's bedrooms, was designed for his late wife Anne. "She said all she wanted was a small concrete pond with a few rooms around it, so I had Strengs' architect whip it up," Gilbert remembers. "If Anne wanted it, that's all that counted."

Gilbert's is the only Streng house that fronts directly on the river -- and it is not, strictly speaking, part of the 67-home subdivision. Gilbert bought the lot on his own and asked the Strengs to provide him with a house. Although the Strengs originally owned riverfront property, they had sold it off, Jim says. The firm was never in the business of building high-end view homes.

Unlike many neighborhoods of modern homes, few newcomers to Shelfield Oaks are ripping away bad alterations -- because very few homes have been badly altered. Most homes retain their original look, says Garrett Corrigan, who bought a home in 1967. "People who buy here," his wife Gail says, "are the kind of people who like this kind of architecture." There have been a couple of second-story additions, however.

Among the neighborhood's most original houses is Jeanette Richardson's. Her deeply pitched roof and warm, roughly sawn redwood siding gives the home a rustic, cabin feeling -- as does the ancient valley oak that shades its entry. Inside, the living area is peaked and open-beamed, per the Richardsons' request. "He was so nice to work with," Jeanette says of Jim Streng.

Over the years Shelfield Oaks has faced it share of problems -- mostly associated with the river. The river rose precipitously in 1984, but never topped the natural rise that protects the lowlands from the river. Flooding could still be a problem one day, though flood insurance is generally not required for homebuyers.

On the whole, though, the river is a major plus. The neighbors acknowledged as much in 1970, when they lobbied the county to buy the area's informal river access before someone filled it in with a house. The county complied. Lyn Livingston, who took part in that effort, says it was supported by the Save the American River Association.

Through the '70s and '80s, Sarah Court Access, as the parcel is called, sometimes attracted raucous crowds that partied on the beach. Rafters and other boaters would launch from Sarah Court, parking in the neighborhood.

"They would park on weekends all up and down the street," says Carol Misquez, a longtime resident who founded the neighborhood crime watch because of the problem. "They were inebriated or in some kind of state." "It got to the point where people were spending the night here, right in their cars," says her husband, Will.

A nearby neighborhood asked the county to close Sarah Court, Livingston recalls. People in Shelfield Oaks objected. The county ended up posting 'no drinking' signs, put up a fence, closed Sarah Court to parking for most of the summer, and encouraged boaters to use the nearby William Pond Park instead. Also, over the years, several streets in Shelfield Oaks have been posted 'no-parking' to preserve the area's peace.

In 1997 a developer proposed turning Sarah Court into a lot for a McMansion. Most people in the neighborhood strongly opposed losing their river access and fought the plan, says Livingston, who joined the Friends of Sarah Court. Several county advisory boards and agencies frowned on the effort before the county Department of Parks and Recreation squelched it. "It was a huge community effort," Livingston says. "It was challenging to organize but well worth it."

Today, Sarah Court Park is lovingly maintained by Friends of Sarah Court, which Livingston chairs. "We have it," Carol Misquez says of Sarah Court, "and it's nice, and we care for it."

Today, Shelfied Oaks remains a sociable place. There's no neighborhood association, but Anne Klink serves as unofficial social director, throwing neighborhood solstice parties in the winter and summer. The Farrenkothens heard about the party when they moved in, and met all the neighbors there. Nancy Lust bakes oatmeal cookies for newcomers. But although there are some young families, Shelfield Oaks has more dogs than children.

The current worries in the neighborhood -- and they are low-level -- involve McMansions that have sprouted along the river (including one that Gilbert calls "the Motel 6"), and a long-tossed-about proposal to build another bridge just up the American River. The river only has four crossings, and some planners say that's not enough.

But if those planners act, they'll hear from Shelfield Oaks. "This greenbelt is so unique," says Anne Klink. "There are so few places like this to live. Why would you take the jewel of Sacramento and create a mess?"

Photos: David Toerge

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