San Francisco Business Times
Page 17
October 29-November 4, 1999

Plath Construction Co. Revives Pair of Buildings

A dramatic hilltop castle in Oakland’s Rockridge district- which was purchased in 1959 by a black family who broke the law by moving there and then was destroyed in the 1991 Oakland hills fire- has been completely rebuilt by Plath Construction Co.

Mayor Jerry Brown joined designers, news media and family members for a gala, housewarming last week at the "Allen House," owned by Lucille Guiton Allen and her husband, Boley Allen, both of whom died well after the fire but before their Normandy-style house was rebuilt.

Steve Plath, president of Plath Construction, said the biggest challenge in the project was finding materials - down to towel rods, patio flooring and elaborate iron banisters - that Mrs. Allen would accept as close enough to the original. She didn’t even want to modernize the kitchen and its two bright white, cabinet-lined pantries.

Also this fall, Plath completed a $1 million restoration of Marin's Sequoia Theater, home of the Mill Valley Film Festival. The project included a new marquee, digital sound system, auditorium seating and other improvements.