A Landmark Bay Area Estate With Stunning Scenery Just Hit the Market for $8.8 Million

Back in the early 1900s, architect Clarence Ward and builder Neil McLean were commissioned to create this impressive multi-story home for prominent engineer and politician Ferdinand Peterson on a plot of land he purchased from two men who had originally doled out $10 in gold coins for three lots on the aptly named Golden Gate Avenue. Perched high atop a steep slope on Marin County’s Belvedere Island, just north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge, the waterfront estate was subsequently acquired in the early 1950s by Dakin Toys founder Richard Dakin and his wife Susanna, a local legend who was instrumental in forming the Belvedere Tiburon Landmarks Society.

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The place went on to trade hands a couple more times before selling to wealthy car dealer Ralph Gesualdo in 2021 for $7.5 million. Now, nearly three years later, the former president of Milwaukee-based International Autos Group and his wife Mary are returning the historic property back to the market for nearly $8.8 million, with the listing held by Shana Rohde-Lynch of Compass.

Resting on over a third of an acre of land, amid the coastal enclave’s main thoroughfare, the rambling cedar-shingled and gable-roof structure has long been a popular beacon for the many boaters and sailors who flock to Tiburon and Belvedere for weekend outings on the San Francisco Bay. “As a local resident and boater, I have always admired the home’s incredible presence,” says Rohde Lynch. “The iconic curb appeal speaks to the architectural beauty of Belvedere Island and it can be seen from many points on the peninsula and from boaters on the bay.”

Restored and updated through the years by Sutton Suzuki Architects and Plath Construction, as well as designer Ken Fulk and his team, the so-called Peterson House features six en-suite bedrooms and seven baths spread across a little more than 6,100 square feet of living space punctuated throughout with refinished hardwood floors, high wood-beam ceilings, arched doorways, intricately detailed wainscoting, built-ins, and a central winding staircase. There’s also a top floor that’s previously been referred to as the “crow’s nest” that offers sweeping views of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge, plus a Savant smart-home system and a detached three-car garage.

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Out front, a gated walkway passes by a manicured lawn and fountain-clad garden before emptying out at a portico entryway. From there, an elegant living room dons a wood-burning fireplace and windows overlooking the gardens, while the gourmet kitchen is outfitted with an eat-in island, a workstation, a wet bar, top-tier Gaggenau, Samsung, Thermador, Sub-Zero, and Wolf appliances, and an accompanying breakfast nook.

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Also on the main floor is a family/game room sporting a fireplace and French doors spilling out to an entertainment deck, along with a light-filled dining room and an adjacent seating area that has yet more French doors opening out to a terrace displaying picturesque vistas of the Tiburon hillside, Belvedere Cove, and Corinthian Island.

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Upstairs is a stairway-landing office with a terrace and a trio of bedrooms, which includes a primary suite flaunting a private balcony, a window seat, and a spa-like bath that comes complete with dual vanities, a freestanding spa tub, a glass-encased shower, two built-in dressers, and five closets. Atop this level is the aforementioned “crow’s nest” floor with an office, a bedroom that doubles as a family room, and a full bath, while the lower level holds two more bedrooms, a wet bar-equipped recreation room, and a climate-controlled wine cellar.

In addition to numerous terraces, patios, and decks, the park-like grounds host a spa, a fire-pit conversation area, and meandering pathways leading through lush gardens filled with roses, hydrangeas, citrus trees, and lavender plants. Per the listing, there’s also plenty of room for an infinity-edge pool or an accessory dwelling unit on the premises.

Click here for more photos of the Peterson House.

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