Streng Brothers homes are Sacramento's answer to the Eichler: post-and-beam houses with open plans, high beamed ceilings and walls of glass, built in tracts across the Sacramento area from about 1960 into the 1980s. If you know Silicon Valley Eichlers, a Streng house will look familiar, with a few changes made for the Central Valley's summer heat.
This guide covers who the Streng brothers were, how architect Carter Sparks connected their work to Eichler's, what defines a Streng house and how to research one. It draws on the City of Sacramento's 2017 Mid-Century Modern context statement and the California Department of Transportation's statewide history of tract housing.
Who the Streng brothers were
Bill and Jim Streng grew up in Pennsylvania and attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. They moved to California as young men in the 1950s and worked for their uncle, Phil Heraty, a small-scale merchant builder. When he retired in 1957, the brothers took over the Sacramento portion of his business, and in 1959 they incorporated as Streng Brothers Homes.
The brothers admired Joseph Eichler and the way he worked with modern architects. According to Sacramento's context statement, Jim Streng met architect Carter Sparks at an expectant parents' class, and the Strengs asked Sparks to work with them the way Eichler used architects in his tracts. Sparks was hesitant at first because he preferred that his work not be duplicated, but he agreed.
The company went on to build both tracts and individual houses in the Sacramento area into the 1980s. Caltrans puts the total at about 4,000 houses over roughly 30 years, and the city's context statement says nearly 4,000 homes in roughly 40 subdivisions and on individual lots. Caltrans includes Streng Brothers in a sampling of nine important California merchant builders of the 30 years after World War II, and says the Strengs became the region's largest builders of Contemporary style houses by a substantial margin.
Carter Sparks and the link to Eichler
Carter Sparks was born in Utah in 1923 and spent much of his childhood in Oregon. After Navy service, he studied architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, graduating in 1950. For a few years in the early 1950s he worked for the Bay Area firm Anshen and Allen, where he worked on the tract house designs the firm prepared for Joseph Eichler and other builders. You can read more about that firm on our Anshen and Allen page.
Sparks moved to Sacramento in 1955, briefly partnered with architect Donald Thaden and then ran his own office. Caltrans says he designed about 50 custom homes in the Sacramento area. His connection to the Strengs is the reason their houses resemble Eichlers: inspired by the Eichler houses he had worked on, he designed similar post-and-beam Contemporary houses for them, including some duplex models. Caltrans says about three-quarters of the company's houses were Contemporary designs by Sparks, and Sacramento's context statement says he was commissioned to design more than 3,000 residences for the company.
What defines a Streng Brothers house
Sacramento's context statement describes the "Carter Classic," a flexible plan that became the core of the Streng line:
Varied rooflines on a single plan, with three or four bedrooms.
An open plan that blends the living room, dining room and kitchen.
High ceilings with beams that follow the roofline, a hallmark of post-and-beam construction.
Lots of glass, including sliding glass doors and high transom windows in the bedrooms.
Two differences from Eichlers stand out, both driven by climate:
Heating and cooling. Instead of radiant floor heating, Caltrans says Streng houses have forced-air heating and air conditioning, suited to the much hotter Central Valley.
An indoor atrium. The Strengs built an atrium design beginning in the early 1970s, according to Caltrans. Unlike the open-air Eichler atrium, the Streng atrium was open to the interior of the house and covered by a roof with a large plastic dome skylight; Sacramento's statement describes the domes as tinted acrylic that helped block heat. The company also offered a version with a low-pitched, glass-filled gable end that resembled a traditional ranch house, which the city's statement calls a popular model. Compare the Eichler version on our atrium living page.
The Strengs also built a small number of two-story Contemporary houses. And because the company built 100 to 200 houses a year with about 100 employees, far fewer than the big builders in the state's larger metro areas, it could make minor plan adjustments for individual buyers. Expect variation from house to house, even within one tract.
Where to find Streng homes
Caltrans says Streng houses designed by Sparks were built throughout the Sacramento area, with the largest concentration in the city of Davis. Sacramento's context statement names the city neighborhoods of Greenhaven, Little Pocket and Wilhaggin, and Caltrans illustrates a Streng atrium house in Fair Oaks with raked stucco exterior walls. The context statement also lists several individual Streng houses from 1963 to 1970 among Sparks' notable projects.
For preservation, Sacramento's 2017 statement recommends considering evaluation standards and character-defining features for builders such as the Streng Brothers, and notes that a local preservation group had identified 21 Streng homes built before 1970, eight built after 1970 and seven that needed further research. It suggests these houses might lend themselves to a multiple property documentation, a way of evaluating related properties together.
Buying or researching a Streng house
Confirm the builder. Check the county assessor's tract name, the recorded tract map and the city or county permit file. Original plans may carry Sparks' name.
Check the cooling and heating. Forced-air systems and ductwork are original to these houses, so ask about the age of the furnace and air conditioner rather than a radiant slab.
Look up at the atrium. On atrium models, ask about the condition of the dome skylight and the roof around it.
Know what is original. Beams, glass walls, transoms and exterior finishes such as raked stucco define the design. Keep them in mind before planning changes.
Ask about local designation. Sacramento has studied its mid-century resources, and other cities may have too, so check with the local planning department before exterior work.
For how these houses fit among other postwar modern homes, see our guide to the difference between Eichler and mid-mod houses. The full Sacramento context statement is available from the city.
Frequently asked questions
Are Streng homes the same as Eichlers?
No. They were built by a different company in the Sacramento area, but their architect, Carter Sparks, had worked on Eichler designs at Anshen and Allen, and Caltrans says many Streng houses look quite similar to Eichlers. The main differences are forced-air heating and air conditioning and a covered, indoor atrium.
How many Streng Brothers homes were built?
Caltrans says about 4,000 over roughly 30 years, about three-quarters of them Contemporary designs by Carter Sparks. Sacramento's context statement says nearly 4,000 in roughly 40 subdivisions and on individual lots.
Do Streng homes have radiant heat?
No. According to Caltrans, Streng houses were built with forced-air heating and air conditioning instead of radiant floor heating, because of the Central Valley's hotter climate.
Where are Streng homes concentrated?
Caltrans says the largest concentration is in Davis. In Sacramento, the city's context statement names Greenhaven, Little Pocket and Wilhaggin, and there are examples in Fair Oaks.
Related reading
Eichler Atrium Models vs. Courtyard and Gallery Plans Explained
Cliff May Homes: The Designer Who Shaped the California Ranch House
Eichler Architects: Who Designed Which Homes, Tract by Tract
Weighing a mid-century modern home in Silicon Valley, or comparing it with a Streng house? Call or text the Boyenga Team at (408) 373-1660 or (650) 383-8606, or contact the Boyenga Team.
