Unfortunately the listing photos for 176 Palo Alto Avenue currently leave a lot to be desired, but with more apparently “coming soon.”
Designed by Charles Warren Callister and built in 1959, the modernist home atop Twin Peaks features a vaulted roof inspired by San Francisco’s cable cars, gorgeous woodwork, and an Asian aesthetic throughout.
From a 2004 Chronicle piece on Callister:
Many modern homes proclaim a less-is-more aesthetic. Not Callister’s Duncan house, where three planks of wood are consistently used where one would do to create rhythm and visual texture, and where the two-story window that overlooks San Francisco from Twin Peaks is divided into three views by immense and deeply recessed wooden piers, each sculpted of multiple wooden members.
Adding further drama to the house is a vaulted roof of laminated wood.
His expressive use of wood joinery recalls Japan and the work of Arts and Crafts architects Greene and Greene, and it is not surprising that Callister is also a sculptor.
“The house has two moods — party and cathedral,” Gwendolyn Evans- Duncan says of the house, which was commissioned by her husband, Cloyce Duncan, in the late 1950s. “It really inspires meditation, creativity, abstract thought.”
Listed for $2,280,000 and tax records suggest 3,221 square feet. Plugged-in readers might recall 66 Everson, another Callister designed home which sold within weeks last year.
Callister passed away in 2008.
∙ Listing: 176 Palo Alto Avenue (3/2) – $2,280,000 [176paloaltoave.com] [MLS]
∙ SIGNATURE STYLE / Warren Callister [SFGate]
∙ 66 Everson: Charles Warren Callister Designed Mid-Century Modern [SocketSite]
Torn between making a snarky comment about painting all that wood white and being shocked that I don’t think it’s ridiculously overpriced.
As someone not usually a mid-century fan, at all, I must say that this place looks like some very nice digs. Daddy liek. I’ll wait for the rest of the pictures to form a final opinion, but so far, sweet.
I have to wonder what this means for the other, somewhat more *cough* optimistically priced properties up there.
Barring something very out of whack, this won’t take long to sell. And me without a spare $2.3M. Rats.
Wow, the home is “hand-crafted”.
Seriously though…very cool…can’t wait to see more photographs. What is there looks beautiful.
I wish there were more pics of this place. From what I see I’m salivating.
this is a truly unique and individual home.
A 2.3M fixer won’t make the other, agreed, optimistically priced houses up there too concerned.
Haven’t the other houses up there sold? Two on Palo Alto and 50 Mountain Spring have their signs down. There is still one on Mountain Spring and maybe on on St Germain.
That’s sort of what I’m wondering. Looking forward to the rest of the pictures.
Like I said though, barring anything out of whack, like boatloads of deferred maintenance, it’ll make an interesting comp.
Well, we were trying to save it for a tomorrow morning treat, but as Jim notes, the full blown photography for 176 Palo Alto Avenue is now live. And yes, it’s a stunner.