At Home with the Eichlers - Page 5

9. Atherton: Lindenwood (1951-'64)

Anshen and Allen completed a rambling redwood home at 19 Irving Avenue for the Eichlers in 1951, inspired by Wright's Bazett house. Joe and Lillian remained there until 1964. It was larger than the Bazett house, with more and bigger bedrooms, and it opened onto a leafy yard with a swimming pool.

It was while living in this home that Eichler Homes flourished. The firm hit financial troubles in the mid-1960s, in part because of the urban ventures that included Joe and Lillian's next Eichler home—the Summit in San Francisco.

10 & 11. San Francisco: two modern high-rises (1964-'70)

Eichler, never content to repeat himself, was building in San Francisco by the early 1960s—townhomes, low-rise garden apartments, and high-rises. The top of the line was the Summit atop Russian Hill, a 32-story concrete tower with 24 floors of elegant, glass-walled residences—Eichlers in the sky.

While the Summit was being built, the Eichlers moved to the recently completed Comstock (top photo here), at 1333 Jones Street, on Nob Hill, not far from Leroy Place but with a view. They lived on the 10th floor, in apartment 1006, of a glass-walled building of the sort Joe could have developed himself.

Eichler and Lillian moved into one of the two penthouses at the Summit (bottom photo here), 999 Green Street, in 1965 and remained until 1970. The building remains one of the most coveted addresses in the city (as is the Comstock), with views of the Bay, Marin, and the Golden Gate.