Special Feature :
The Rengstorff House Lives On
By Martha Wallace Friends of “ R ” House Secretary & MVHA Member
The Rengstorff House is Mountain View ’ s oldest home , and a fine example of Victorian Italianate architecture . But do you know the story about its place in Mountain View ’ s past ? To discover that story , here is a short account , based on memories and research , about the handsome home and farm , the family that lived there , and a selection of the events leading up to the structure ’ s renovation 30 years ago .
The dilapidated and abandoned Rengstorff House as it appeared on Stierlin Road ( now Shoreline Boulevard ) in 1976 prior its relocation to Shoreline Park . ( Photo by Ken Yim , from the MVHA archives )
A Prominent Shipper and Agriculturalist . When 21-yearold Henry Rengstorff arrived from Germany in 1850 with $ 4 in his pocket , panning and mining opportunities in the Gold Rush were limited . However , he learned that there were many opportunities for trade and agriculture to supply the Forty Niners . After a short time working on a San Jose – San Francisco steamer , Henry ’ s contacts with other German families in the Evergreen area of San Jose led him to acquire land in the Santa Clara Valley for farming . Beginning with several parcels by the bay in Mountain View , he added land in Milpitas , Evergreen , Los Altos , and off Alpine Road in San Mateo . To transport produce from the nearby farms to San Francisco and bring back supplies on scow schooners , he built a wharf ( at the end of what is now Shoreline Boulevard ) and developed a successful shipping business . Henry devoted his energies to managing the landing and the farms , and in 1885 , received a patent for an excavator to remove dirt from dry creeks and form ditches and drains to improve irrigation .
Henry ’ s Family and Home . Henry ( b . 1829 ) grew up in a village near Bremen in Germany . After arriving in America , he met and married Christina Hassler ( b . 1830 ), also from Germany . In 1867 , he chose an area on the bay road near his landing as the location to build a new home . The beautiful Victorian Italianate home was the first in the area to have indoor plumbing and electricity . It provided the setting for the raising of seven children : four girls , Marie Martell , Elise Haag , Lena Askam , and Nanny McMillan , and three boys , John , Henry Andrew , and Charlie . The family was active in the community in church and political pursuits , and in musical and theatrical performances . The children and grandchildren received good educations , several attending Stanford University , UC Berkeley , Santa Clara University , and Mills College .
The House after Henry . When Henry died in 1906 , his wife , Christina , inherited the house . As Christina aged , she was joined by her daughter Elise and husband , Willie Haag , and her grandson Perry Askam , the orphaned son of daughter Lena Askam . Upon Christina ’ s death in 1919 , Elise inherited the house . Perry was off to Europe several times , working with the American Field Service and the Red Cross during WWI . He became a well-known concert and light opera singer . In the 1920s to 1940s , to be near the entertainment industry , Perry lived in Los Angeles , returning to Mountain View in 1945 to help run the Rengstorff farm after his Aunt Elise ’ s husband died . When Elise died in 1952 , the house was left to
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