Eichlers of Shangri-La - Page 4

Their home includes a structure for kayak storage near the water, and the family enjoys paddling. Alex notes that the entire Bay near their homes is a wildlife sanctuary.

Alex and Miriam's home is adjacent to locally popular Brickyard Park, where kids and dogs can romp by the water. Although Strawberry is no longer an open wilderness, there are plenty of walking opportunities, including on the grounds of the former Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, today a private college.

Strawberry's peninsula was largely undeveloped until 1959, when the Golden Gate Seminary constructed its sprawling campus there. Back in 1945, some Bay Area leaders tried to persuade the United Nations to build its headquarters on the site, about which architect Ernest Born bragged: "For sheer natural beauty, this spot has no equal."

The scenery of the peninsula has always attracted lovers of the out of doors. "When we lived in Sausalito, my wife and I and the kids used to come out to this very lot to picnic," says Phillip Perloff as he shows off his home. He became one of the first to buy at Harbor Point. "There was nothing here, and it was sunny here, and we enjoyed it."

Homes were selling for $61,000 back then, neighbors say. "They were top of the market," says Susan Kolb.

After Eichler Homes' bankruptcy, buyers bought homes from the bank that had taken over the project. For years thereafter, the other 86 lots that had been slated for Eichler homes remained unbuilt, with construction eventually commencing circa 1973.

In the early days, Betty Toole says, there were many children, ranging widely in ages—but all getting along.

"They all were friends, and they all played together, and all that land was empty, and they'd make movies. They hung out together, which was really unusual," she recalls.

"The entire rest of the point was our playground, and we could ride our bikes up and down all the undeveloped lots," recalls Richard Perloff, who grew up here and went on to become a wildlife biologist.

As younger people have moved into the homes, Stephanie Parker says, their longtime neighbors have served as inspiration.

"Clearly, something is working," Stephanie observes about life on Starboard. "The people on this block have lived here for so long. They've had such seemingly successful experiences with their families. So if [the longtime owners are] any example of what's possible, we wanted to try and get that [too].

"I think they have a good sense of balance, of what's important, and community and family, and being there for one another.

"Because it's not required that you know your neighbors, and it's not required that you're generous and kind to them. And they have all been that to us."

"And it's an excellent example for our kids," added Stephanie. "They now know that what it means to live in an Eichler is more than just the cool house with the funny roof that opens."

• The Harbor Point Eichlers at Strawberry Point can be found on Starboard Court and on three adjacent lots on Great Circle Drive in an unincorporated area of Mill Valley.

Photography: Rory Earnshaw, Dave Weinstein, James Fanucchi