Mike Wasserman, the former Los Gatos mayor and current county supervisor, is moving—but not that far.
Only six inches, in fact.
Wasserman, who along with his wife Kim have owned and lived at 68 Broadway near downtown since 1984, is moving to a new home currently under construction on an adjoining property. The six inches, he points out, is the width of the fence separating the lots.
As such, 68 Broadway, and the included 72 Broadway, are on the market for $5.9 million. At a combined square footage of 17,772, Wasserman said the property is the largest amount of residential land available close to downtown Los Gatos.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for a young family to have a large lot, a beautiful home and a great location,” he said.
Homes steeped in history
The 1,180-square-foot Victorian house at 72 Broadway was built around 1888, and purchased by the Crall family in 1908. The home features many modern touches throughout, including what is likely Wasserman’s favorite: the former brick fireplace chimney has been converted to a closet constructed out of cedar.
68 Broadway was built by Henry C. Crall after he returned from serving in World War II as a soldier. Inspired by the Normandy-style residences he saw while in France, Crall designed the home himself, using mostly scavenged materials, such as bricks from the Guadalupe mine.
The home was built based on a matter of necessity for the young man. Wasserman said Crall’s mother wouldn’t let him smoke or drink in “her” Victorian home, so he set about building his own bachelor pad.
In the years that followed, Crall expanded the home, building an octagonal tower and adding more wings to the property.
When the Wassermans purchased both homes in 1984, they soon after expanded the right side of 68 Broadway, which, among other things, added an internal walkway to the laundry room.
Wasserman credits that addition as reinforcing the home and saving most of it during the 1989 earthquake. The original “bachelor pad” section of the home, to the left of the tower, was built on a mudsill foundation, which was damaged after the earthquake. As a result, everything on that end of the home was replaced and rebuilt with a concrete foundation.
The majority of the brick wall surrounding the property was also damaged, so the Wassermans used those bricks to create a patio and walkways around the home.
Each home also consists of additional basement storage space that is not included in the total square footage.
Just two families have owned this storied property in the last 130 years, and each of them have remarkable similarities, Wasserman explained. The property was home to a Los Gatos Town Council member while owned by the Crall family, who also operated a retail store in town. Wasserman, meanwhile, served as a council member as well as mayor for Los Gatos, and owned a baseball card shop in the town.
Wasserman said once their children grew up and moved on, he and Kim were left with a large home all to themselves, and started thinking about downsizing. So, about five years ago, they began further renovating and upgrading the home, including a new roof, adding a mechanical pergola on the back porch, as well as giving the homes new paint inside.
“It’s perfect right now,” he said.
The property behind 68 Broadway, where the Wassermans’ new single-story home is currently being constructed, went up for sale a couple of years ago. The Wassermans purchased it, and Mike said they saw that as a sign that the time was right to move on.
Wasserman admits he’s “emotionally attached” to the property, and rightfully so. His children have grown up in the home (pointing to the numerous nooks and crannies they used to play hide-and-seek in), the family rebuilt sections of the home after the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, and Wasserman has made countless renovations to both homes that he is proud to show off to any visitor.
“I’m sad to leave, but it’s the smart thing for me and my wife to do at this time,” he said.68 and 72 Broadway are being sold by Compass. For information, visit bit.ly/3EAzfKV.
