The Rengstorff House, Mountain View's oldest house, is one of the finest examples of Victorian Italianate architecture on the West Coast. The Italianate design is evident in a hip roof with a central gable crowned by a widow's walk, the front portico and symmetrical room layout. The five-paneled front door with beaded detailing and pairs of high, double hung windows with arched tops are typical of the Victorian era. Each half of the front of the house is a mirror reflection of the other. Matching bay windows flank the front door with identical arched windows above them. A pair of square columns supporting the front portico and two matching brick chimneys complete the balanced look of the house.

The house was constructed of Douglas fir with redwood rustic siding, wainscoting and gutters. On the inside, "peek-a-boo" cabinets have been installed on both sides of the front door to reveal the original construction.

This 12 room, 3,955 square foot house has 10-foot ceilings on the second story and 11-foot ceilings at the first floor. Four ornate marble fireplaces adorn the four main rooms on the first floor. These include the formal parlor, the library parlor, the family parlor and the men's smoking parlor which has the only black marble fireplace in the house. The present fireplaces are reproductions in the same style as the Rengstorff House originals. A large dining room, kitchen and wraparound porch complete the downstairs. The second story had four family bedrooms, a sewing room and servants quarters, used today for Shoreline staff offices. The dining room and parlors are decorated with period decor wallpapers similar to those available in the 1860s—1890s. These rooms are framed by cove moldings, picture rails and chair rails.

The stately Newel post at the bottom of the staircase, characteristic of the Italianate style, was recreated especially for the house. The newel post and handrail are crafted from solid mahogany. The staircase, with its hand-turned balusters, is a good example of the high quality of craftsmanship in a fine Victorian home.

Oak hardwood floors throughout the downstairs add to the grandeur. Many ornate brass chandeliers, once lit by gas, descend from Victorian plaster rosettes on the ceiling. Push-button light switches of the type used when homes were electrified may be seen throughout the house.

A modern kitchen for catering and restrooms have been added to bring the Rengstorff House up to date. Contemporary smoke and fire detectors, a security system and wiring for computers also have been added.

Rengstorff—A Pioneer Family
Henry Rengstorff grew up in Germany where his father owned and operated a country tavern near Bremen. Like so many others of his generation, young Henry was lured to California by stories of the gold rush. He left home at the age of 21, sailed around Cape Horn and arrived in San Francisco in 1850. Too late to join the gold rush, he took a job on a Bay steamer traveling between San Francisco and Alviso. Later, Rengstorff left shipping to work as a farm laborer in Santa Clara Valley where he saved enough money to purchase squatter's rights to 290 acres of land in San Jose.

Just three years later, he added another 290 acres to his holdings. As Rengstorff's fortune grew, so did his land holdings. He raised grain and hay near Milpitas, kept cattle in San Mateo and planted fruit trees in Los Altos. In 1864, Rengstorff bought the 164 acres of land which is now part of Shoreline Business Park located a quarter mile north of Bayshore Freeway. There he built the Rengstorff House. He met and married Christine Hassler, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany. The Rengstorff home reverberated with the sounds of their children: Mary, John, Elise, Helena, Christine, Henry and Charles. Near where the house stands today, Rengstorff built a ship landing. The Rengstorff Landing played a significant role in the economic development of Mountain View and the Peninsula. Prospering farmers exported their lumber, fruits and grains. Returning ships brought hardware and building supplies for the growing region.

On a site framed by orchards and the San Francisco Bay, rancher and entrepreneur Henry Rengstorff set about building his family home in a quiet place yet to be known as Mountain View. When Rengstorff died in 1906 at age 77, his daughter Elise Rengstorff Haag and her husband moved into the family home, bringing with them Perry Askam, the orphaned son of Elise's sister, Helena Rengstorff Askam. Perry inherited the house after his aunt died. In 1959, Askam sold the house to a land development company. A succession of owners held the property over the next 20 years. In 1979, the house was purchased by the City of Mountain View, eventually moved to its present site and restored. In March 1991, the Rengstorff House was dedicated as a public facility by Mountain View's City Council.

An original journal from the Rengstorff Landing was discovered in the house during its restoration. In 1867, not yet halfway through her reign, 48-year-old Victoria Regina ruled the British Empire. Throughout Europe, Wagner, Liszt, Dickens, Monet and Van Gogh composed, wrote and painted their personal perceptions into reality. Closer to home, Ulysses S. Grant still wore his general's uniform, and Andrew Johnson had succeeded Lincoln into the White House. The Pony Express carried news to the west, where San Francisco was a bustling port of call.