Herter Brothers Sofa
Herter Brothers, New York, C.1870s
Originally from “Fernside,” Alameda, California
This extraordinary sofa was created by Christian and Gustave Herter, the celebrated New York design firm, Herter Brothers, whose work furnished some of the most elaborate Gilded Age interiors. It originally stood at Fernside, the grand Alameda, California estate of Alfred A. Cohen, where Herter Brothers was among the prominent firms engaged in furnishing and decorating this notable mansion.
The Fernside Fire of 1897
On the afternoon of March 23, 1897, the mansion caught fire. According to the San Francisco Chronicle,
“There were plenty of (fire) engines, but no water.”
The nearest fire hydrant was some distance from the mansion, and water pressure was inadequate.
The circumstances were particularly ironic. Just three days later, The Daily Alta California reported a twist: several years earlier, the Artesian Water Company had requested permission to lay their pipe through the property at Fernside, rather than going around it, and in exchange, offered to install a fire hydrant near the house at no cost. The Cohen family declined, and the fire hydrant was instead placed at the far corner of the property.
As the fire blazed, neighbors stepped in and tried to save the valuable furnishings and fixtures. Unfortunately, removing the costly chandeliers allowed gas to escape, reportedly increasing the fury of the fire.
Very few pieces escaped the destruction. This Herter Brothers sofa was among the survivors. Another was a Herter Brothers tall case clock, currently on the stair landing of this house.
Though the sofa and clock were dispersed separately after Fernside, more than a century later they have been reunited in this collection.
Fernside, Alameda, California, photographed by Eadweard Muybridge, 1870s. Courtesy UC Berkeley, Bancroft Library.
