That is about what it looked like at the time. The apartment has been remodeled but is intact. A lot of the foliage is gone. At the time one could barely see the larger house up the hill which now appears to have been attached to the garage. At any rate the area above the two garage doors, which were open car ports in the original construction, is where Professor lived most of the years I knew him.
There was no brick. Everything was sheathed in redwood. The gate on the right wasn’t there and along that side of the apartment was an almost impenetrable bamboo stand. Where I sit now are two staffs cut from that bamboo. The steps on the left were much different. No brick, just a metal handrail, and the stairs began near the car port entrance instead of off the street.
Here are the links from Google street view where I captured these images.
Today is Prof Desani's birthday
July 8, 1909.