a luxury property presented by kathie berg
50 alta road, berkeley sold for $1,225,000

Details

Beds: 5
Baths: 3.5
Square Footage: 2863, per public record. Does not include basement level rooms or garage.
Actual Square Footage: 3161
Lot size: 7600 square feet

Tucked away under a canopy of trees is a splendid 1938 Spanish Revival style home sited for optimal Golden Gate and Bay views.  

Light and airy rooms, devised for maximum sun and view exposure, are beautifully proportioned with elegant Spanish detailing. The floor plan, conceived for  maximum privacy, has excellent separation of spaces. An en-suite bedroom down a passageway is completely apart from the other three bedrooms and bath. Two smaller but generously proportioned bedrooms reside in a separate wing and share a bath. A large bedroom faces the front and overlooks the mature tree canopy. All other second story bedrooms feature Bay views.

The entry to the house is under the cover of trees and off a graceful brick path. A wrought iron gate protects the porch and entry from the outside world. Once inside, the rooms are gracious in proportion and almost all have views of the Bay.  

Probably built custom in 1938, the house has two staircases to the lowest level of the house where the spaces can include in-law quarters and a family room or any other configuration one would want.

Owned by the same family for 53 years, this is a special home largely untouched and ready for someone to bring it up to modern standards.

 

Neighborhood

Berkeley is a city that transcends its small population. While it is only the 30th largest city in California (and only 4th largest in Alameda County!), Berkeley is world renowned for academic achievement, free speech and the arts. Originally part of northern Oakland Township, the new name was adopted in 1866 after Anglican Bishop George Berkeley and applied to both the town and the College of California's new location along Strawberry Creek (later known as UC Berkeley).

Berkeley grew immensely following the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and again during WWII with many wartime jobs in the area at places like the Kaiser Shipyards in Richmond. Later, the city became synonymous with social change and political activism, as the hippie movement spilled out of San Francisco in the late 1960s. Berkeley was the center of national attention in 1974 when Patty Hearst was kidnapped from her apartment at 2603 Benvenue Avenue by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

Today, UC Berkeley is one of the world's top universities. The Gourmet Ghetto, inspired by places like Chez Panisse and Peet's Coffee, is a premier food destination. Brilliant masterpieces from architects Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan abound. Coupled with its natural amenities from the Berkeley Hills to San Francisco Bay, Berkeley is one of the most desirable places to live in the US, if not the world!

Useful Links:
City of Berkeley Homepage
Berkeley Unified School District
The Daily Californian
University of California, Berkeley