When my husband and I began our first house-hunting experience, we attended an open house at a charming little bungalow on a tiny street on the Lower Riviera. “Little” and “tiny” were the operative words; it was just too small to meet our needs. The Realtor kept trying to convince us that its historic features outweighed our objections. “Look at the fireplace,” she insisted. “It has a Batchelder tile! Wouldn’t you like to live in a house with a Batchelder tile?”
We agreed the unique green bas-relief tile surrounded by darker earth tones was lovely, but at the time, we had no idea what she was talking about. We thought it was strange to promote the sale of a whole house based on less than a square foot of tile with an odd name.
In 1993, we purchased a more fitting bungalow a few blocks away and have lived there ever since. Built in 1912, it has neither a fireplace nor a Batchelder tile, but we love it anyway. Owning a historic house in a historic neighborhood conveys certain responsibilities to preserve, protect, and optimize its care for the next generation. I’ve been lucky enough to live among a caring group of neighbors who, since 2002, have worked together to become stewards of a neighborhood we named Bungalow Haven. We have gained and shared knowledge about myriad aspects of the Arts and Crafts era when our homes were built — including Batchelder tiles.