Tuck Box, Architectural landmark in Carmel-by-the-Sea, United States.
The Tuck Box is a residential building in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea with steeply pitched roofs, curved walls, and irregularly placed windows. Its shape resembles something from an English fairy tale and stands noticeably distinct among neighboring shops and houses.
Hugh Comstock built this house in the 1920s, bringing English Cotswold architecture to California. The project emerged during a period when many artists and builders were experimenting with European styles in this coastal town.
The building shows how European architectural ideas arrived in California through the hands of artists and builders in the early 1900s. You can observe how local craftspeople took English design traditions and adapted them to their own work.
The house sits in downtown along Dolores Street between Ocean Avenue and 7th Avenue and is easy to spot from the sidewalk. You can photograph it and examine the exterior while walking through the neighborhood during daylight hours.
The building was originally a tea room that Hugh Comstock built for his wife Alice, who sold her handicrafts inside. This blend of living space and small craft business is still visible today in the building's compact size.
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