Sonja Leonard is another very special neighbor. She began her real estate business, Leonard Leonard & Associates, 20 years ago this year, renting space at 408 Downing Street (the Country Club Antiques building). A few years later, she purchased the small one-story Victorian cottage just up the street, at 420 Downing Street. Sonja saw the hidden charm and possibilities in this neglected gem, and over a period of years transformed it into a stunning two-story Victorian "home" for her very successful real estate business. To create a second story that would blend with, and not overwhelm, the original house, Sonja matched the original front roof lines by projecting the front gable all the way back over the original house and a rebuilt addition at the rear, creating 900 square feet of new second-floor office space. A bay window on the first floor suggested the octagonal tower form on the south side of the house, and since the tower penetrates the roof, it was sided with cut cedar shingles to match the original gable ends.

The accompanying "before" and "after" photographs of the rear of Sonja's office show the property's dramatic transformation. French doors on the first and second floors overlook the attractively landscaped rear courtyard and garden.

Inside, a magnificent oak stairway to the new second floor and new moldings cut to be precise copies of the original Victorian baseboard and casing create a 19th-century aura even in the building's new spaces. Antique furniture, fixtures, and lace curtains complete the period effect.

As commercially-zoned property, the Victorian cottage at 420 Downing Street could easily have been demolished and replaced with a utilitarian commercial structure out of keeping with the overall residential feel of the area. Instead, thanks to Sonja Leonard's vision and sensitivity, only her discreet business sign in front of the house reveals an office within.

APNA honored the Fortes and Sonja Leonard for their important contributions to neighborhood preservation by presenting them with APNA's "Partners in Preservation" awards at the November 1998 general meeting. They have set a fine example and will hopefully serve as an inspiration to all property owners in Alamo Placita.

(Above) The rear of 420 Downing Street before Sonja Leonard began renovation. The existing brick addition at the rear was rebuilt as part of the remodel. (Right) The rear of 420 Downing Street today, showing the second-story addition, Victorian porch and tranquil courtyard.