Roger Lee Classic Reappears - Page 2

"I really love the way the courtyard separates the two living areas," says Westfall, who sold the house to its current owners for $905,000. The realtor explained that the owners have had two children while living there and now need more space.

The owners made two main changes to the home, understandably replacing carpet in the bathroom with tile, and installing mini-split air conditioning units inside both bedrooms. As far as what else the house might need, Westfall said future owners may want to reroof and install double-paned glass, and he conceded, "The driveway [paving] is a little treacherous."

Still, of greater concern to Westfall and Gobble is the prospect that buyers might make changes that ruin the simplicity of what they consider to be an historic house. If the new owners want to expand, Lee left drawings that could be used, but the hope is that future owners will honor the original design.

"It's unique because it's an architectural specimen…There are no [comparable home] comps," said Gobble, adding "Because mid-century modern is very popular, it's very interesting as an example of what the feel of it was."

"So many of these homes are pieces of art…[and] we are seeing a changing of the guard with a lot of these properties," says Westfall, an Eichler owner who is proud of having sold another Roger Lee in Berkeley a few years back. "Can homes like this survive the evolution?"

"We can only hope that somebody wants to retain the luster and the spirit without going crazy," said Westfall, suggesting that new owners would benefit from registering the house in the Mills Act restoration program for tax advantages.

"That would ensure it gets preserved," the realtor added. Noting that the house was photographed when it was built by Ernie Braun, featured in Sunset magazine, and deemed the 'Best Small House of 1955' by the American Institute of Architects, he declared, "It's definitely historic. It's got provenance."

For more information about 440 Camino Sobrante, click here.