The Reinvention Of A Riviera-Inspired 1920s California Estate

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This total revamp of a home built in the 1920s is a nice architectural tour of the type of interiors you don’t see much anymore. Built by&nbsp;Birge Clark, the so-called &quot;best-loved architect&quot; by Palo Alto magazine, who was most known for designing several Stanford buildings,&nbsp;the Palo Alto Post Office and&nbsp;the President Hotel, this house shows off some of his signature style when applied to a residential building. Palladian style windows are one such feature that stand out. Many of the original wood beams are still intact, as are the curved balconies and ivy-covered walls. The 7,000 square foot house with four bedrooms and six bathrooms is now on the market for $16.8 million. The total renovation included expanding the basement, which is where the home’s age turned out to be helpful. Since the coal chute was still in place the builders were able to use it to lift up all the&nbsp;excavated dirt rather than haul it up the stairs. To keep with the historic nature of the house a European-trained stone carver was brought in to add more arches, the columns in the pavilion, the second-floor balconies and the wrought iron fencing was custom-made in Poland. The owners also preserved a solid wood door that&nbsp;Clarke had requestioned specifically&nbsp;by donating it to the&nbsp;Palo Alto Historical Museum.&nbsp;Here’s a photo tour of what it looks like inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;

One of the living rooms shows off a wall of&nbsp;Palladian windows. They cut a discreet hole in the wall to create space for a flat screen television without detracting from the classic look of the room.&nbsp;

The library has secret doors behind the bookshelves that lead to the dining room.

The kitchen kept things French Country style with ornamented&nbsp;trim around the cabinetry.

And there’s a breakfast nook that shows the Palladian windows&nbsp;cut down to half size so they still feel Rivieria-esque but fit in to the required space.

A more formal living room still has some of the original features. Check out the herringbone stonework at the back of the fireplace. That isn’t something you see very often in today’s houses.

The billiards room also has some of the original wood beams.

The listing agents are Joel Goodrich with Coldwell Banker, Gloria Young and John Young with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. Find out more info on the home’s website.

Follow me on Twitter&nbsp;@amydobsonRE

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This total revamp of a home built in the 1920s is a nice architectural tour of the type of interiors you don’t see much anymore. Built by Birge Clark, the so-called “best-loved architect” by Palo Alto magazine, who was most known for designing several Stanford buildings, the Palo Alto Post Office and the President Hotel, this house shows off some of his signature style when applied to a residential building. Palladian style windows are one such feature that stand out. Many of the original wood beams are still intact, as are the curved balconies and ivy-covered walls. The 7,000 square foot house with four bedrooms and six bathrooms is now on the market for $16.8 million. The total renovation included expanding the basement, which is where the home’s age turned out to be helpful. Since the coal chute was still in place the builders were able to use it to lift up all the excavated dirt rather than haul it up the stairs. To keep with the historic nature of the house a European-trained stone carver was brought in to add more arches, the columns in the pavilion, the second-floor balconies and the wrought iron fencing was custom-made in Poland. The owners also preserved a solid wood door that Clarke had requestioned specifically by donating it to the Palo Alto Historical Museum. Here’s a photo tour of what it looks like inside.  

One of the living rooms shows off a wall of Palladian windows. They cut a discreet hole in the wall to create space for a flat screen television without detracting from the classic look of the room. 

The library has secret doors behind the bookshelves that lead to the dining room.

The kitchen kept things French Country style with ornamented trim around the cabinetry.

And there’s a breakfast nook that shows the Palladian windows cut down to half size so they still feel Rivieria-esque but fit in to the required space.

A more formal living room still has some of the original features. Check out the herringbone stonework at the back of the fireplace. That isn’t something you see very often in today’s houses.

The billiards room also has some of the original wood beams.

The listing agents are Joel Goodrich with Coldwell Banker, Gloria Young and John Young with Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty. Find out more info on the home’s website.

Follow me on Twitter @amydobsonRE