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Listed by Anna Bellomo • District Homes

$1,425,000

Est. payment - /mo

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3 Beds

2 Baths

1,904 SqFt

Open Thu 9:30AM-12:30PM

775 San Diego Rd Berkeley, CA 94707

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Kevin C Brown

bhrrockridge@gmail.com +1(510) 593-4780

Open House

Thu Aug 20, 9:30am - 12:30pm

Sun Aug 23, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

Sat Aug 29, 2:00pm - 4:00pm

UPDATED:

Key Details

Property Type Single Family Home

Sub Type Detached

Listing Status Active

Purchase Type For Sale

Square Footage 1,904 sqft

Price per Sqft $748

Subdivision Thousand Oaks

MLS Listing ID 41145455

Bedrooms 3

Full Baths 2

HOA Y/N No

Year Built 1952

Lot Size 5,718 Sqft

Property Sub-Type Detached

Source Bridge AOR

Property Description

At 775 San Diego Road, directly across from John Hinkel Park, the Kip House is one of the remarkable early residential works of Berkeley modernist Donald Olsen. Designed in 1952 for UC Berkeley physicist Arthur Frederic Kip, the house belongs to a formative moment in Olsen's career, when the principles of European modernism — particularly the Bauhaus — were finding a new expression in California. Olsen embraced the Bauhaus' emphasis on clarity, functional planning and the elimination of unnecessary ornament. An austere simplicity that feels like the way we want to live today. More than seventy years later, it is striking how modern the Kip House feels. Its clean geometry, expanses of glass and remarkably fluid plan still read as contemporary Olsen uses the slope of the site to create a sequence of subtly changing levels. The approach leads to an intermediate level containing the kitchen and dining spaces. The kitchen opens directly to the dining room — and continues outward into a secluded English garden, a backyard that feels like another room of the house. From this central level, the plan rises to a raised living room and study, while two of the bedrooms occupy the lower portion of the house. Large glazed walls bring the surrounding trees into almost every room, dissolving the distinction between interior and exterior. The effect changes constantly through the day as light, foliage and shadow move across the rooms. Against this composition, notice how the red balcony brings a flash of color and geometry, a nod to the use of primary colors and work of Le Corbusier. Directly across the street is John Hinkel Park, giving the house an unusual degree of greenery and quiet despite being only minutes from central Berkeley. Energy Score is 1. At approximately 1,904 square feet, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study, the house is exceptionally laid out, with very little wasted circulation and almost no space without a purpose. The Kip House makes the ideas of the past feel relevant today: open living, connection to landscape, efficient use of space, privacy without enclosure and architecture that responds closely to its site. And now, for only the second time in its history, the house awaits its next steward — someone who recognizes its architectural significance, embraces its magic, and comes to love it as deeply as the Kips and its current owner have.

Location

State CA

County Alameda

Interior

Heating Forced Air

Cooling None

Flooring Hardwood, Tile, Other

Fireplaces Number 1

Fireplaces Type Living Room

Fireplace Yes

Appliance Dishwasher, Gas Range, Refrigerator, Dryer, Washer

Laundry Dryer, Laundry Room, Washer

Exterior

Garage Spaces 1.0

Pool None

Private Pool false

Building

Lot Description Other

Story 3

Water Public

Architectural Style Mid Century Modern

Schools

School District Berkeley (510) 644-6150, Berkeley (510) 644-6150

Others

Special Listing Condition Standard

© 2026 BEAR, CCAR, bridgeMLS. This information is deemed reliable but not verified or guaranteed. This information is being provided by the Bay East MLS or Contra Costa MLS or bridgeMLS. The listings presented here may or may not be listed by the Broker/Agent operating this website.

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Kevin C Brown

Broker Owner | DRE#DRE#00644175

+1(510) 593-4780

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775 San Diego Rd Berkeley, CA 94707

Kevin C Brown

Open House

Key Details

Location

Interior

Exterior

Building

Schools

Others

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775 San Diego Rd