1910 Yosemite, Berkeley

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Anja Plowright, Grubb

Today we feature an impressive post and beam mid-century attributed to Art Steiner who worked in the office of Vernon DeMars before starting his own practice in the early 40s. Steiner is probably best known for a rather flamboyant A-Frame church he designed in Palo Alto, but his office was located in Berkeley where he went to school so there are a number of his commissions around the East Bay. His early work tended to be fairly reserved, but by the 1950s when this home was built he was practicing a full-throated and robust Bay Region modernism like many of his contemporaries. We don’t see his homes come on the market too very often so this is a rare treat.

6145 Castle, Oakland

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Tatum Boyle, Compass

Our featured home today is likely the last of the Bay Area residences designed and built by Marv Gunderson. Gunderson had left the East Bay for Sonoma County in 1965 so almost all of his work in the 70s can be found in Sebastopol. This exceptional home would be the one outlier that we are aware of. Gunderson must have returned to the Bay Area as a special favor to the original owners and the result is impressive indeed.

157 Fairlawn, Berkeley

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Ann Plant, Red Oak

This impressive Berkeley Hills mid-century is the first home that Gerald McCue designed for himself in the East Bay. He was only 27 when the home was built, but he was already an established architectural presence in the Bay Area with his own firm in San Francisco. He had also just begun his tenure as a lecturer at UC Berkeley the year prior, returning to teach at his alma mater only two years after finishing his master’s degree there.

The home displays a number of features that would become trademarks of McCue’s residential work including glazed gables and substantial wooden soffits. It appears to have survived largely intact and is a great testament to the precocious talent of a local architect whose outsized influence would ultimately serve to spread the ideas of Bay Region design to the East Coast and beyond.

104 Hill, Berkeley

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Sarah Abel, Compass

There is no mention of it in the listing but this early Third Bay Region home was designed by respected Berkeley architect Kaz Shinomiya. The top floor was originally used as the primary bedroom suite but it is currently being advertised as a “reading loft” due to the open concept. The home has been expanded a number of times over the years but fortunately the original spaces appear to have remained largely intact.

1258 N Scenic, Lafayette

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Tina Frechman, Dudum

Our featured home today is an intriguing late mid-century designed by Cliff Ceridono. Ceridono owned a successful East Bay HVAC company but he designed a number of homes as well on the side. This one was for his own family and it shows a mature understanding of interior volumes and period finishes. It is an impressive showing from another little known local designer.

1241 Westview, Berkeley

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Ernie Sexton, Sexton Group

This hillside jewel box is one of only 10 homes designed by local standout Jack Hillmer. Hillmer began his career working with Warren Callister who was his classmate at University of Texas but the two had different priorities so quickly went their own ways. Hillmer’s idealism and perfectionism no doubt limited the number of his designs that were built over the course of his career but the few that did come to fruition are exceptional. This one was likely the last of them, built on the foundation of a home that burned in the Oakland Hills Fire.

2753 Buena Vista, Berkeley

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of David Gunderman, KW Advisors

Today we feature a sizable shingle style villa designed by William Hays. Hays is perhaps best known today for his commercial buildings including the earliest extant parts of Berkeley High but he designed a number of compelling homes as well. This particular example was carefully restored in the 80s by William Turnbull making it an intriguing opportunity to see the meeting two great Bay Region minds in one home.

28 Westminster, Oakland

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing courtesy of Heidi Marchesotti, Corcoran Icon

Our featured home today is a picturesque Spanish colonial revival residence designed by Roger Blaine. Blaine is not particularly well known today but in the 20s and 30s he was very highly regarded both as a member of the partnership that included Wilson Wythe and David Olson and later as a solo practitioner. This particular home is especially impressive with its grand spaces and oversized embellishments. It is a great example of the quality of work produced by Blaine at the height of his productivity.

210 Hillside, Piedmont

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing

This showy Piedmont craftsman is an early work by Oakland architect Charles McCall. McCall is best known for his lavish period revival homes, but early in his career he experimented with a number of other styles as well. This one is a particularly intriguing with handsome double gables and a multitude of oversized brackets inside and out. Obviously McCall’s flair for the theatrical was fully developed well before he started designing his trademark Spanish colonials.

40 Valley View, Orinda

Click picture for additional photos and complete listing

We’re finally beginning to see a bit of thaw in the real estate market and to start 2024 off right we have a substantial new modern residence to share. The home was designed by Swatt | Miers and it occupies a prominent ridge overlooking much of the surrounding area. It boasts many of the features that have come to characterize Swatt | Miers recent work including a low and angular form with deep roof overhangs and plenty of juxtaposed wood and glass.