The History of 1690 Spruce
In 1964 thru 1966 we looked for a lot in the Tahoe Park area for two summers in a row hoping to buy one and some day build a ski home for ourselves. In the summer of 1966 we were invited for a weekend stay with Carol Levy (our first son’s god mother) at 1685 Spruce Ave., a house across the street from the above and which was for sale. We asked the realtor to show us the home but he refused so Mr. Levy (Carol’s dad) told us he knew the owner and would arrange a meeting with him so we could see the place. That started this story.
This great cabin was built in 1951 by Gardiner and Ellie Finn of Santa Cruz, California. A standout feature of this structure is all cedar in the interior including a herringbone ceiling all constructed with lumber from the Finn’s Truckee ranch. The Finn’s had five children who spent their first winter at the cabin without a floor furnace believing that the great fireplace built with heat-o-lators would suffice. The floor furnace was installed the following spring. The Finns held the cabin until 1963 when they sold it to The Tobey family of Sacramento. The Tobey’s had two children, both out of college, and put the cabin up for sale within three years because they wanted to be closer to the lake to be able to see how the lake was at any time for water skiing. They purchased a home in Tahoe Park across the street from the entrance to the park. Another reason for the move was to have a home that was better suited for the wedding of their daughter. Deanna and John Cunningham toured the house in July of 1966 and made an offer directly to the owner 10 minutes after inspection. It took three months for the offer to be accepted because our offer was for the full price less the R.E. commission. The seller could not accept our offer until his contract with the realtor expired. In October, 1966, the offer was accepted and we assumed ownership. We also took a second mortgage from Mr. Tobey for $1,500. so that actually we never put anything down. We were very fortunate to be able to buy this home because there were quite a few offers but the seller took a liking to us and held out and accepted no bids under the full price. This done, then all the fun started.en_office_professional_plus_2010_x86_515486