Berkeley’s reputation as a hotbed of technological innovation is also mirrored by its architectural legacy. This house by Donald Olsen at 775 San Diego Road is looking for only its third custodian since it was completed in 1954, built for pioneering Silicon Valley engineer and physicist Arthur Frederic Kip.
Front facade, Kip House
The Kip House was commissioned in 1952. Kip (1910 – 1995) spent a quarter of a century at the UC Berkeley physics department working in experimental physics, helping lay the foundations for the semiconductor industry that would eventually transform the fortune, demographic and global importance of this part of Northern California.
The main entrance is located at the upper level
Kip was also an admirer of European modernism and the ethos and approach of the Bauhaus. Following World War II (in which he served in Anti-Submarine Warfare Research), he was in a position to commission a bright young local architect, Donald Olsen, to design a house that reflected his aesthetic preferences and professional ethos. The house was to exemplify ‘precision, clarity, logic, and innovation.’
Donald Olsen's cross-section shows the split-level plan
Olsen (1919-2015) was a disciple of Walter Gropius, one of many pioneering German architects and designers who had arrived in America via the UK following their escape from pre-war Germany. Olsen studied under Gropius at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, eventually going on to work for Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and Californian firm Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, responsible for Case Study House #3.
The main living area on the upper floor
On his own, Donald Olsen never lost sight of European Modernism, even as many of his contemporaries went on to evolve the style to create the timeless form of Mid-Century Modernism that has become so closely associated with the West Coast. The Kip House serves as a transitionary work. The rigour and simplicity of the front façade is clearly Bauhaus-inspired, but as the house steps up the hillside it opens up into the wooded landscape, becoming more intimate and low-key.
The dining area on the split-level upper floor
Kip’s house sits alongside Olsen’s own house, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a City of Berkeley Landmark, and was published in the influential Arts & Architecture magazine in 1954. The house’s position on the slope is fully exploited by Olsen’s split-level plan, which incorporates a living space across the upper floor, set beneath the shallow pitched roof.
The kitchen on the upper floor
The kitchen on the upper floor
The main living space at the front of the house has a proto-high tech balcony cantilevered out from the façade, alongside a living area and study. Steps in the centre of the plan lead down to a kitchen and dining room with direct access on to the deck and rear yard. In total, there’s 5,706 SF of outdoor space, and 1,904 SF of indoor space, as well as a car port.
The upper floor has direct access to the deck and the yard
The upper floor has direct access to the deck and the yard
The architectural arrangement allows the occupants to live in the treetops, along with the primary bedroom suite at the rear of the property. Two additional bedrooms are located on the lower level.
Following the death of Kip’s wife Joan, the house went on to be owned by a prominent local lawyer who proved to be a sympathetic custodian of this unique house. She engaged architectural historian Pierluigi Serraino to document the house’s history and consult on subtle but necessary updates to preserve its unique qualities. Now a new owner is required to continue the legacy.
The house is located in the heart of Berkeley
Olsen's original drawing of the Kip House
Kip House, Berkeley, is for sale at $1,425,000 through Anna Bellemo of District Homes, 775SanDiego.com, Anna.District-Homes.com