Tradewinds Apartments / Blomberg : 1510 McAllister Ave: 1958
Plans indicate that the Tradewind Apartments were indeed designed by Sparks + Thaden, however, no drawings have been found to discern any addresses for additional residential collaboration between Sparks+Thaden and Blomberg.
According to the 1958 Sacramento City Directory, Carter Sparks lived with his then wife Billie at 1501b McAllister Ave. His wife is actually listed at 1511b; Whether this is a misprint, or that they lived apart or shared two units in the bungalow apartments is unknown.
According to the 1960 Building Permit for 1510-1524 McAllister Ave, the Owner and General Contractor for these units was Mr. Gus Blomberg, father of Blomberg Systems' founder Ralph Blomberg.
There are a series of building permits for units dating from 1958 - 1961 where the complex is being expanded in either 4 or 8-unit chunks.
Blomberg Window Systems' building is located just one street South from the McAllister Apartments, at 1453 Blair Ave.
Eichlerific found a newspaper clipping from 1955 which mentions Carter Sparks' designing homes with "concrete-steel ceiling[s]" for Jerry Blomberg. I'm assuming this means the rest of the house is made out of Basalite blocks, which Gustav Blomberg helped develop in the 1930's.
Whether Carter Sparks had any involvement in designing these apartments from Blomberg is unknown, but looking at the familiar pitched roof profile and rectangular chimneys from Google Street View, one has to wonder...
Sparks designed and moved into his own house, on Rutgers Way, in 1960.
The McAllister Ave apartments were later named "The Tradewinds" around 197x and exist today, although in rough condition.
// "Gustav Blomberg, sales representative of the Basalt Rock Co., Napa, Calif., related how his company had cracked ... in the past three years more than 2000 concrete houses have been built by this company, is the Sacramento, Calif., area." - Concrete, 1951 by Harvey Whipple (Vol 59)
// Additional Blomberg occupied homes in neighborhood around Del Rio Rd
1440 Tradewinds Way = 1962 - Designed by George Muraki and Jerry Blomberg. Photos by Julius Shulman
1448 Trade Winds = Jerome O. and Donna D. Blomberg's home
4744 Del Rio = Donald I., Gustaf C. and Alice C. Blomberg's home
4756 Del Rio = Walter A. Keyes and Anna M. Keyes' home
5204 Monterey = Ralph S. and JoAnne H. Blomberg's home ( Steed Residence ) Designed by "Stanford" Graduate per J.Blomberg. CA Modern Article.
5202 Monterey = Robert I. and Frances F. Kennedy's home
1422 Potrero Way = C: BAMFORD FRANKLAND , Born 1928
1421 Claremont Way = Blomberg "Westerner" Basalite Idea home
? Wentworth Ave = "Argonaut" house
1420 Claremont Way = Wayne and Betty Thiebaud House (for sale march 2023)(hat tip GS)
