Toomey & Co. Auctioneers

The Robert R. Blacker House, a historic Craftsman bungalow residence in Pasadena, California, was built in 1907 for Robert Roe Blacker, a retired Michigan lumberman and former president of the Michigan Steamship Company, and his wife Nellie Canfield Blacker, who was the daughter of another Michigan lumberman, John Canfield. Designed by the brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene of the renowned firm, Greene & Greene, the Blacker House was a lavish project, costing over $100,000 at the time. Everything from the structure itself with custom lighting fixtures and escutcheon plates to linen closets, furniture, and decorative items was conceived and executed by Greene & Greene.

Upon the deaths of Robert and Nellie Blacker, the property went into probate, leading to its subdivision and eventual sale without furnishings. The estate, originally spanning seven acres, was split into smaller parcels, with the main residence ending up on just one acre. A notorious "yard sale" auctioned off many of the period furnishings, with examples now held by museums, collectors, and Hollywood figures. A partial dismantling of the house occurred when subsequent owners Barton English and Michael Carey removed original fixtures, leading to national media attention and the enactment of the Blacker Ordinance to protect other Greene & Greene homes from further destruction.

In 1994, the Blacker House was purchased by Harvey and Ellen Knell, who embarked on a meticulous restoration project with architect Randell Makinson and master craftsman James Ipekjian. This involved recreating original woodwork, rewiring, replumbing, and upgrading the structure for earthquake resistance. After four years of restoration, the Blacker House was celebrated with a benefit dinner hosted by actor Brad Pitt, preserving the legacy of Greene & Greene's architectural masterpiece. Various scholarly references detail the exceptional design projects of Greene & Greene. In 2000, following the renovation of the Blacker House, Makinson and Thomas A. Heinz authored Greene & Greene: The Blacker House, to which Pitt contributed a photographic essay.