Sparkling Bayside Marin Gem - Page 2

With wraparound bay views from nearly every window and more than a dozen skylights, she said, "The house is just 'one' with the outside. It's an experience with nature."

Hillmer met Callister through acquaintance with one of the latter's former partners, Jack Hillmer, to whom he is distantly related. Callister and the elder Hillmer were both active in Telesis, a group of designers and planners who led the modernist movement during the mid-century in the Bay Area.

"The Steinhart House was unique," Hillmer commented of its place in Callister's body of work, which established him as one of the most well known Northern California architects. Both Hillmer and the realtors noted the influence of architect Frank Lloyd Wright on Callister, but he said this particular house is different: "It's stripped-down Wright, scaled as [architect Bernard] Maybeck would have scaled it."

"The house is just expanded in size [by] the ways the rooms are built," he continued of its integration with the outdoors. "I think the site design is a '10.'"

"It's everything that everyone wants [in a house] today," Familet noted of the home's details, such as the two-bath master bedroom. "Callister was definitely ahead of his time because what he designed in 1960 is still so relevant today…It's just so current in its usability."

The realtor conceded that there is "some deferred maintenance" to do, particularly in the exterior redwood siding.

"If you come through, you'll see plenty of things that need updating," she acknowledged.

With that in mind and an asking price of practically $1 million per bedroom, some might question the price of this admittedly rare dwelling. Nevertheless, Familet said, "We're getting very good feedback about the pricing…The land alone is probably worth $3 million."

"It's a modern gem, it's one of a kind," she asserted, declaring, "It's a collector's item."

For more on the Steinhart House listing, click here.