Summer 2025

156 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 Returning to Glory A Pacific Grove Victor ian Reclaims Its Charm B Y AME L I A WARD T he charming seaside town of Pacific Grove was originally devel- oped as a retreat by the Methodist Church with the first campers com- ing to spend the summer in 1875. 30-by-60-foot parcels known as “tent lots” were sold to ensure fam- ilies had their own spot to set up camp when they returned year after year, and frequent visitors began building vacation cottages to create a more comfortable retreat experi- ence. Though these small lots were intended for part-time use, the area’s natural beauty and fresh ocean air turned many vacationers into permanent residents, resulting in a full-time population of 1,300 by 1879.With that permanent population came the desire for larger homes. In 1891, a woman named Margaret Porter built a permanent family home on two tent lots in Pacific Grove. No records survive that shed light on Ms. Porter personally or on the construction of the original house. After Ms. Porter, Isaac Nutall (a retired rancher from Sacramento) and his family lived in the house for multiple generations, but little else is known. A half century after its construction, a utilitarian addition was made in 1940 that included a garage and additional living space. But over the years, the home’s charming Victorian details were stripped away and eventually the single-family home was divided into three units. When Amy and Dan Fischer came across the Queen Anne Victorian, it was in a dreary state. But Amy, a seasoned interior design professional with her own full-service interior design firm—Spectrum Interior Design—saw only its potential, “I saw the chance to honor the past while thoughtfully reimagining the home for modern living,” she shares. With a passion for artistry and craftsmanship, Amy and Dan (who worked on the Victorian as project manager for De Mattei Construction), took on the renova- tion as a team. The pair of empty nesters relished the opportunity of working together, uniting their pas- sion for restoration.“It was an excit- ing and unifying project,” Amy shares, “like creating another child together.” And together, they carefully redesigned the floor plan, integrat- ing modern essentials that include new electrical, plumbing, HVAC, A/V and security systems. So dreary was the state of the building prior to the Fischer’s renovation that it was featured on a historic walking tour of Pacific Grove as an exam- ple of a house with an “unfortunate addition.” When the renovation demolition began in 2021, the Fischers found that the addition was not only unfortunate looking, it was literally crum- bling to dust. As a result, the pair and their team had no choice but to take down the entire addition—not a part of their original plan. But the removal of the addition created a blank slate for Amy to work her magic. And Amy’s nearly 30 years of experience designing large luxury homes on the San Francisco Peninsula and in the SiliconValley provided her with the Neighbors gave the Fischers this Victorian era photo of the house, providing details that helped inform the design. Photo: Courtesy of the Byrne Family