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Berkeley: Vernon DeMars beauty in creekside setting

Aug 23rd, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
4 comments

Uplands1

This Berkeley property is sure to cause a buzz when it opens its doors to potential buyers soon — for architecture buffs, and particularly for those of us who have a weakness for mid-century Californian style.

Designed by architect Vernon DeMars as his home  in 1941, the  three-bedroom Asian-inspired house at 240 The Uplands is listing for $795,000 and holds its first open on August 29. It is located  in the Claremont neighborhood tucked back from the street overlooking Claremont creek. Its setting is definitely part of its appeal — I’ve seen the creek turn into a dramatic seasonal waterfall and it’s impressive — as are the walls of windows, double-height ceilings and large rustic fireplace which acts as the home’s core anchor.

There’s 2039 sq ft of living space with an open floor plan on the main level, and it’s on a 12,408 sq ft lot.

The architectual pedigree is also worthy of note. DeMars was professor emeritus of architecture at the UC Berkeley and designed, with William Wurster,  Wurster Hall, Sproul Plaza, and the UC Berkeley Student Center. He also created the Golden Gateway Complex in San Francisco.

At 62/100, the home’s Walk Score is acceptable — although the Uplands itself is not the easiest street to navigate by foot — or by car for that matter.

The catch is that the house clearly needs attention. As the listing puts it: “It is a unique diamond waiting to be polished. The attractive price reflects the work needed to restore it to its full glory.”

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Posted in: Architecture, Claremont, Mid-century modern, New listing, berkeley.
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Berkeley: hefty price cut on former museum property

Aug 16th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
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magnes

When word got out that the property at 2911 Russell Street — formerly the Magnes Museum — was coming up for sale, there was talk it would sport something in the region of a $3m price tag.

In the event, it listed on April 23 for $2,750,000. But the 8,666 sq ft home has yet to find a buyer, and recently saw a price chop to $1,995,000.

The 1909 property was originally known as the Burke House as it was owned by the Burke family. Katherine Delmar Burke was the founder of the eponymous girls’ school in San Francisco. The property could revert to a single family home, although the museum is not ruling out a sale to another institution. Berkeley architect Robert Trachtenberg has produced plans to show how the property could be transformed back into a single family home with guest cottage and three-car garage.

Perhaps a 27% price plunge is what is needed to persuade someone to take on the somewhat daunting task of restoring this lovely house to its previous glory. It is sited on a 25,000 sq ft lot in a great neighborhood.

Posted in: Architecture, The Elmwood, berkeley.
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Leola Hall Craftsman returns in the Elmwood

Jul 23rd, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
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Leola-1

Leola Hall designed the 1909 Craftsman style brown-shingle house that is up for sale at 2806 Stuart Street in the Elmwood.

The three-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom home has lots of historic features including the original brick fireplace. It was last sold in March 2006 for $1,103,000 and — in a sign of the times — is now priced at $859,000. (A  hearing is underway to seek a permit to make the home’s small backyard building habitable.)

The home’s listing agent has arranged a special open house this Saturday, July 24, 1-4pm, at which Inge Horton will talk on the life and times of Leola Hall during the open house. Inge Horton’s book, Early Women Architects of the San Francisco Bay Area will be published later this year.

Hall, not a qualified architect, had a style all of her own, although her designs were in keeping with the traditional Craftsman aesthetic. Dave Weinstein probably put it best, profiling her in the Chronicle in 2003:

Hall [built] scores of homes that today seem classically Berkeley – brown-shingled, with broad eaves and exposed rafter beams, looking as natural as the live oaks that shaded them.

Hall herself was classically Berkeley, an outspoken activist and suffragist, musician and painter, and her friends included writers and painters and professors. But, as well known as she was for her landscapes, portraits of Edwin Markham and David Starr Jordan, and political activism, Hall won more fame as a “girl architect.”

“I think you’re unusual, don’t you?” an interviewer for the San Francisco Call asked Hall in 1907. “I’ve known women to try all kinds of men’s work, but a girl who selects prospective bargains in real estate, who plans and builds her own houses and who sells them as quickly as you do, is really unique.”

Posted in: Architecture, The Elmwood, berkeley.
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Mid-century modern home in park-like setting

Jul 13th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
7 comments

Vistamont

At first glance, I thought that was a little helipad in the backyard of this freshly listed mid-century modern house at 626 Vistamont Avenue. On reflection it’s probably where a hot tub might be placed, under the trees with sylvan view to boot. Either way, this looks like an intriguing property.

There’s the setting — a 20,000 sq ft lot of  greenery and trees, with hill views — and the architecture. The house was built in 1959 and has floor to ceiling windows and wraparound decks to take advantage of those views. The rock-wall fireplace is totally in keeping, as are the beamed ceilings and roof overhangs.

There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms in 1,855 square feet and the home is priced at $799,000 ($431/sq ft).

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Posted in: Mid-century modern, berkeley.
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Berkeley’s Biggest Estate, Mansion up for Sale

Jul 2nd, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
2 comments

Spring-Mansion

If you’re peering at the photo above and thinking Beverly Hills, or perhaps the Cote d’Azur, think again. This imposing Beaux Arts property on three-plus acres is right here in Berkeley. And it’s for sale.

The John Hopkins Spring Estate, commonly known as the Spring Mansion, is so big it boasts three addresses — 1960 San Antonio Avenue, 1984 San Antonio Avenue, and 639 Arlington Avenue — and, as well as the principal mansion which comes in at 12,000 square feet, includes a three-bedroom home. The estate is owned by  investment group Monument Properties 5 LLC which has divided it into four parcels but is hoping to sell the whole shebang for $6,495,000. Monument bought the estate in August 2005 for $6.3 million.

The Berkeley Architectural Heritage Assocation describes the property as one of the largest residential parcels in the city and it was modeled after Empress Elisabeth of Austria’s Achillion Palace in Corfu. The mansion was designed by John Hudson Thomas with interiors showing a mix of influences, such as Vienna Secessionist, Arts & Crafts and Egyptian style.

The house was built in 1912 for entrepreneur John Hopkins Spring who wore many professional hats. His achievements include creating San Francisco’s first department store, City of Paris in Union Square; and laying out the subdivisions that would become the city of Albany, Thousand Oaks and the  Solano Avenue shopping district. Spring was also an early investor in the Claremont Hotel.

As BAHA reports, the  estate was sold in late 1917 to the educator Cora L. Williams, who established what would later be named Williams College, a tony elementary and secondary school known for its focus on languages, poetry, music, and literature. In 1975, the property was bought by real-estate investor Larry Leon as his personal home and it next changed hands in 2005. It was designated a City of Berkeley Landmark in 2000.

Listing agent Robin Gaskins said: “The owners are selling  because they have other, faster-paced projects they need to focus on.”  She added that, should the entire property not sell within about a month, it will be offered as four separate parcels. The principal one with the mansion would list for $4.95m; a lot that includes a three-bedroom home “in need of work” would have an asking price of $675,000; and two further vacant lots would list for $450,000 each. One of these includes a small dwelling but it is effectively derelict, Gaskins said.

The Spring estate, which will have its first open house on Sunday July 11, will be the most expensive property on the market in Berkeley. Number two in that ranking is the $4.2 million home at 1530 Grizzly Peak Boulevard which came on the market two months ago.

Posted in: John Hudson Thomas, New listing, berkeley.
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In North Berkeley: Architect Designed with Big Views

Jun 18th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
3 comments

Miller1

David Stark Wilson is a Berkeley based architect whose style has found a loyal following in the Bay Area. His contemporary homes are invariably large and luxurious. He uses lots of natural materials such as granite, iron and wood and is fond of sweeps of  hand-plastered walls in delicate shades of terracotta. There’s usually a statement staircase, often vaulted ceilings and always a top-of-the-range, gourmet kitchen.

The recently listed five-bedroom, three-bedroom home at 961 Miller Avenue fits the Wilson mold. Built in 1993, it is 3,571 sq ft and offers big views of the Golden Gate bridge and Mount Tam from nearly every room. There’s a family room with French doors onto a terrace, a media room, as well as an appealing home office. Price: $1,895,00o ($531/sq ft).

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Posted in: New listing, North Berkeley, berkeley.

A Bit of a Bargain? Mid-Mod in North Berkeley

Jun 10th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
2 comments

Mid mod use

A trusted source tells me this home may be something of a bargain. True, the photo doesn’t exactly scream “buy me now”, but the home is in foreclosure which explains the lack of care taken with presenting it for sale.

Here’s the low-down: this mid-century modern home on a 10,695 sq ft lot at 1488 Olympus Avenue last changed hands in 2004 for $751,900. It is now on the market for $438,000.

Aside from the huge lot (by Berkeley standards), the home is 1,648 sq ft and, again according to my tipster, of genuine architectural interest if mid-mod rocks your boat. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms, three fireplaces, hardwood floors, a lower level with extra rooms — and a swimming pool.

It patently needs some attention but perhaps not an unsurmountable quantity of it.

If you’re interested, act quickly. Although it is still listed for sale, many offers have apparently already been forthcoming.

Posted in: Mid-century modern, berkeley.
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Thousands Oaks Craftsman that ticks boxes

Jun 4th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
1 comment

Fresno2

Sometimes you just see a house (or, in this case, the listing details of a house) and you think it makes sense. It’s a house that ticks the required boxes. One that would be worth investigating at the very least.

This one, at 943 Fresno Avenue, has character in that it’s a Craftsman with the molding, paneling, wood trim and chunky fireplace that the word implies, as well as the distinctive sloped roof-line and deep front porch (perhaps a few too many front steps, but they would keep you trim I guess).

Then there’s the good flow of a traditional home where the living room leads to the dining room leads to the kitchen leads to the garden. Not always obvious.

Two bedrooms and a bathroom where you’d expect them, and the bonus kick is the studio in the back which looks very appealing (in that way that makes you want to take up pottery or perhaps architecture — why not?)

The home is also a walker’s paradise — a big plus — and is priced at $729,000 ($442/sq ft).

Posted in: Craftsman, New listing, berkeley.
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High up in Berkeley’s Claremont neighborhood

May 28th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
No comments yet

Uplands1

This is one of the nicest listed houses I have seen in a while in Berkeley. Of course, you would expect it to be pretty fine with a $1.695 million price tag.

Nevertheless, high prices don’t always equate to appealing homes, and there’s an awful lot to like with this five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home at 90 The Uplands. There’s also one thing not to like — a potential deal breaker in fact — but we’ll come to that later.

The exterior of the 4,402 square foot, traditional-style home doesn’t give much away. It’s a little bland in fact. (And the listing photographs certainly don’t do the home justice — you need to see the thing up close and personal.)

But this is a spacious, light and well-proportioned house. The busily patterned granite countertop aside, the kitchen rates  in my all-time top 10 — for its size, style and aspect giving directly onto a large, terraced back garden. The living room is elegant with an imposing fireplace and huge window framing views of the Claremont hills. Upstairs, the bedrooms are generously sized and there’s ample storage space, including what might be the original large, cedar-lined linen cupboard (sigh).

There’s a whole apartment in the basement level too.

So what’s the big “but”. It’s the 52 steps you need to climb to reach the front door of the house. Forty-two too many in my view — however splendid the home awaiting you at the summit may be.

First published on Berkeleyside.

Posted in: Claremont, New listing, berkeley.
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Cute and convenient condo in heart of Elmwood

May 18th, 2010
by Tracey Taylor.
2 comments

Ashby1

Sometimes it’s fun to imagine yourself living another life. If I was either a young professional on the make wanting a cute, manageable abode, or retired and looking for a level-in home in a super-convenient location, I would take a second look at this condo at 2600 Ashby Avenue in the heart of Berkeley’s Elmwood neighborhood.

First things first: yes, it’s on Ashby. Which is not a quiet backstreet. There is background traffic noise. Having said that, if you live in the city and enjoy urban life, that’s part and parcel of the whole shebang.

You would not need to have a car yourself if you bought this one-bedroom unit. BART and buses are close by. So are all manner of stores and restaurants, gourmet ice cream, a library, post office and movie theater. (Doesn’t get much better than a 97/100 Walk Score.) Steps aren’t an issue either, as it’s on the ground floor.

The building is an elegant 1924 traditional and the 925 sq ft unit has nice period features, including built-ins and a recently overhauled brick, wood-burning fireplace. The bathroom has been remodeled with Turkish spa-like blue tile and the kitchen is a good size and leads to a small outside sitting area. The building is in good nick with a new roof and exterior paint job.

Another incentive for the younger/older Second Life me is the price: recently reduced from $419,000 to $399,000 ($431/sq ft).

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Posted in: Condos, Price reductions, berkeley.
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