Built in ’58 for Bechtel family, see NorCal home with park-like grounds, meditation gazebo

Luxurious and secluded, a spectacular residence on an immense lot in Northern California that built for a member of the billionaire Bechtel family in 1958 has hit the real estate market for $15 million, according to Compass real estate firm.

The 8,470-square-foot home is built on over 2.5 acres across four lots, making it the largest grounds of any residence in the affluent San Francisco Bay Area city of Piedmont, California, according to listing agent Nina Hatvany of Compass.

The main house —five bedrooms, five full and five half-bathrooms — was designed by the prominent San Francisco architect Gardner Daily.

Dailey designed many types of modernist buildings, residences and public structures, including: the Red Cross Headquarters in San Francisco (1946); the Owens Residence in Sausalito (1939); the Brazil Pavilion at the 1939 World’s Fair in San Francisco; Hertz Hall at the University of California, Berkeley (1958) ; and the World War II Pacific War Memorial in the Philippines.

Renowned landscape architect Thomas Church designed the estate’s intimate outdoor areas, retreats and trails. The park-like setting unwinds through a lemon grove, rose garden and towering redwoods.

Church’s work extends to more than 2,000 private gardens in California and other states, as well as the master plans for campuses such as UC Berkeley, Stanford University and UC Santa Cruz.

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Built for Bechtel

The house at 26 Sea View Ave. was built for Stephen Bechtel Jr., the former CEO of Bechtel Corp and grandson of founder Warren A. Bechtel., according to a Compass representative. Bechtel is an enormous engineering and construction company founded in 1898. The corporation played a significant role in building Hoover Dam.

Former Vodafone Group CEO Arun Sarin purchased the house for $7.6 million in 2007, according to public property records. He took on an extensive, two-year renovation of the estate, according to the Wall Street Journal. The property’s owner is currently listed in public records as 26 Sea View Ave. LLC.

Entered through a hidden gate down a driveway, the house is set back from the street and surrounded by redwoods. A large circular courtyard leads to a pathway that goes up to the residence, where a waterfall gushes. An oak door with inset windows leads into the double-height entry.

Dailey designed houses with seamless flow between the indoors and the outdoors. Nearly every room in the former Bechtel home opens onto a terrace or patio. Interior glass walls and doors offer views out to the lush landscaping. Fine interior elements include several fireplaces, white oak flooring, high beams and custom chandeliers.

A formal living room, a family room, formal dining room, chef’s kitchen and a private guest apartment is located on the main level. Upstairs, there are four sizable bedrooms, an office/study adjacent and “sumptuous primary suite” with a terrace, wood-burning fireplace and spa-like bathroom, according to the property listing.

On the grounds, there’s a pool, built-in spa, poolside cabana, meditation gazebo, staff bathrooms, a lighted tennis court with a raised platform for spectators and a three-car garage with a home gym.

Enhanced open space

The residential lots making up the home’s acreage were purchased for the sole purpose of enhancing the open space, according to the property listing.

“Each element of this house is special, but combined with the breadth of the lot, the indoor/outdoor spaces, the finishes, and the privacy, there is truly no other home like it in the Bay Area,” the property listing states. “The private driveway and gate conceal from the street a home that is the height of luxury and resort-style living.”

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