Update, April 4, 5:18 p.m.
Oakland Fire Department Battalion Chief Nathan Leal confirmed that the fire was contained to the corner where the fire originated, and preserve the artifacts and furniture inside the house. Sarah Akin, a volunteer and board member of the Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association told The Oaklandside that the house will remain closed for the foreseeable future until the insurance company can assess the damage. The city will board up the windows and install a chain link fence around the perimeter of the property to prevent any vandalism.
Original post, April 4, 8:24 a.m.
A fire has caused significant damage to the north side of the Camron-Stanford House, the last of the Victorian homes that once lined Lake Merritt.
Twenty-five firefighters were dispatched at around 12:38 a.m. on Saturday to extinguish the fire, according to Oakland Fire Department spokesperson Michael Hunt. The flames were contained by 1:20 a.m. Crews remained on the scene to assess the building and watch for hot spots. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
“The preliminary investigation shows the fire started outside of the building and extended to the structure,” Hunt told The Oaklandside. “The full damage estimate is unknown at this time, but there is significant damage to both the interior and exterior of the building.”
A crew of 25 Oakland firefighters battled the fire. Credit: courtesy of the Oakland Fire Department
The Camron-Stanford House was built in 1876 and was home to several influential Bay Area families including Captain John Tennent Wright Jr. and his wife Susan, who lived at the lakeside house until 1907 when they sold the property to the city. The home served as the first site of the Oakland Public Museum until 1965 when construction of the Oakland Museum of California was completed a few blocks away.
Camron-Stanford House is the last of the original Victorian homes that once lined Lake Merritt. Credit: Amir Aziz/The Oaklandside
The interior of the house is, which has served as a museum and community space is decorated with items and artifacts from the various families who once lived there. Credit: Azucena Rasilla/The Oaklandside
The house sat empty and deteriorated for years until the Camron-Stanford House Preservation Association raised more than $800,000 in donations and gifts to restore it. The association has leased the home from the city since it was restored in 1975.
The house reopened as a museum and an event space in 1978. Descendants from the families who once called it home donated personal items to its collection. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and has been a designated Oakland Historical Landmark since 1975.
This story has been updated with new details.
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