Complex sentence: By then, the exterior surroundings of of the house were greatly changed by time and the original vast land run purchased by Andrew McCrae had shrunk to a mere few blocks where the house still sat hopefully facing the Bay, but with its view mostly obscured.
Split into simpler sentences: By then, the exterior surroundings of of the house were greatly changed by time and the original vast land run purchased by Andrew McCrae had shrunk to a mere few blocks. There the house still sat hopefully facing the Bay, but with its view mostly obscured.