You’re not in the Hollywood hills, but this enduring classic designed by the Bay Area master of mid-century design, architect Donald Olsen, is as cool as a Los Angeles summer breeze.
Olsen was a disciple of the founder of the Bauhaus School, Walter Gropius, and designed 735 Cragmont in 1956 at the peak of his artistic career. Olsen’s strict adherence to crisp iconic modular white buildings stood apart from fellow architects designing in the Bay Area tradition, whose houses mostly featured rustic natural woods. Modest and at the same time monumental, Olsen’s dedication to planning, efficiency, natural light, and visual framing of the adjacent landscape, create a magical home. Watch the lights of San Francisco as the fog rolls in through the Golden Gate Bridge and envelopes the area below – the house floating above in a world of its own. Surrounded by an expansive garden in front and an intimate garden in the rear, this house is a treasure to be lived in.
The current sellers are both architects and one was a student of Olsen’s. The improvements they did in the last 7 years, modernized the energy efficiency, without impacting the original integrity of the structure. Other improvements, such as the kitchen and bathrooms, are both contemporary and timeless in their tasteful application. The commercial grade doors in both the front and the rear of the house open wide to make for a wonderful indoor outdoor flow.
Two bus lines speed you to the Berkeley campus and the downtown Bart station. Close to Tilden Park.
