Dennstedt Building Company
Master Builder
The Dennstedt Building Company was a family of master builders (4 brothers) that came to San Diego from Iowa in 1924 to design and build custom homes during the pre-war housing boom in San Diego County. They built custom homes from 1926 to 1933. In 1933 the company split to become the Original Dennstedt Company, and the A.L. and A.E. Dennstedt Building Company. They continued to build houses in neighborhoods all over San Diego such as North Park, Talmadge, Kensington, La Jolla, La Mesa, and Point Loma among others. They offered in-house design, lot sales, construction, and financing. They also built custom homes for other architects. They produced houses in a variety of styles including Spanish Eclectic, Mexican Hacienda, Tudor, English, Monterrey, and Ranch.
Dennstedt Building Company built several houses in the Talmadge neighborhood that have historical significance including The Edward and Gertrude Dennstedt House built in 1936 located at 4615 Norma Drive. It is a Spanish Eclectic/Hacienda style house which is designated as a historical resource. Master Builder Edward Dennstedt and his wife Gertrude lived there from 1936 until 1946. The home was purchased by Pauline Hall in 1946. Hall’s daughter still lives in Talmadge and was married to Edward Dennstedt’s grandson Richard Dennstedt.
Arthur Dennstedt was the superintendent of his father’s company. He built and lived in another Hacienda style home at 4525 Norma Drive. This house was built in 1937. Arthur and his family lived there until 1944.
A.L. Dennstedt built and lived in a home at 4372 Ridgeway Drive in Kensington. This home is also designated as historical resources by the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board. It is called, “A.L. and Cleveland Dennstedt House.”
The Dennstedt Company, the Original Dennstedt Company and, A.L. and A.E. Dennstedt Building Company are all considered Master Builders. Approximately 16 of their buildings have been designated as historical resources by the City of San Diego Historical Resources Board (HRB). There are 60 Dennstedt homes within the proposed Talmadge Park Estates Historic District (TPEHD). They range in style from Mexican Hacienda and Spanish Revival to Minimal Traditional. We are very lucky to have so many of these treasures within TPEHD, especially their beautiful Haciendas which resemble Cliff May's California Ranch houses. Both Cliff May and The Dennstedt Company were building within TPEHD at the same time.
Other notable works by the Dennstedt builders are:
HRB 535 Carlos and Blanche Livers House, 2820 Dove Street
HRB 627 Antoine and Jeanne Frey House, 3117 28th Street
HRB 664 A.L. and Cleveland Dennstedt House, 4372 Ridgeway Drive
HRB 806 Anne and Edward Lindley House, 4600 Kensington Drive
HRB 818 Hazel Weir/Dennstedt Company House, 4785 East Alder Drive
HRB 892 Jean P. Hampton/A.L. & A.E. Dennstedt Building Company, 7015 Vista Del Mar Avenue
HRB 1006 Lt. Earl and Mildred De Long/ William H. Wheeler/ A.L. and A.E. Dennstedt House, 4990 Westminster Terrace
HRB 1361 Howard and Jewel Morin/ Dennstedt Company House, 1411 Torrance St
HRB 1380 Ray and Clytie Kahler/ Dennstedt Company House, 4885 Hart Drive
References
Biographies of Established Masters, San Diego Historical Resources Board, 2011 Page 58 https://www.sandiego.gov/sites/default/files/201109biographies.pdf
Biographies of Established Master, San Diego Historical Resources Board, 2021 Page 69 http://www.sohosandiego.org/enews/images/0121hrbmasterslist2020.pdf