There is no mention of it in the listing but this modest Berkeley home is part of the original cluster of A-Frames designed and built by the father of the modern A-Frame, Wally Reemelin. Reemelin built his first A-Frame in the Berkeley Hills in 1948. Of course there was no indication at that time that the simple structure he built to rent to students at the university would become the vacation home phenomenon that it is today. This one needs a bit of love but presents a rare opportunity to own a real piece of local architectural history.
- Edificionado is an Oakland-based real estate brokerage specializing in architecturally and historically significant homes. The listings we feature here are those that have recently caught our eye due to their provenance or exceptional state of preservation. We select them without regard to size, price, or location and in general we are not the listing broker, so we have no stake in their being posted here. As we are based in Oakland, most of the homes will be in the East Bay, though we may throw one in from elsewhere in the Bay Area from time to time. If you would like to visit any of these homes, or receive a personalized list of properties more tailored to your specific requirements and tastes please contact Christian Olson at colson@edificionado.com or at 510 686 3343.
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I went and saw this house on Friday – I live in the Mill Valley Reemelin. There are pictures of this house mid construction on pages 50 & 51 of Chad Randall’s 2004 book A-Frame. I’m a real estate agent and reviewed the disclosures – the title shows that this was owned by Wally Reemelin and sold to the owner who has the current title to in 1975. It’s so sad that it’s in such horrible disrepair. Unfortunately, I see this as a tear down.
The house is definitely not a project suited to a novice. It has some significant structural issues that need to be addressed. Even so, I think it is worth saving. Hopefully it finds a buyer that feels the same way.
I completely agree with you that it should be saved but given the complexity of the cantilever structure and it’s small size, I imagine most folks would feel the investment to try to save it would be greater than the benefits of what it is – a small house on a shared lot with limited parking.
I also hope the buyer sees what it can be and is able to turn it back into a sweet little house.