SOLD - Welcome to one of Julia Morgan's earliest residential designs, in a prime Berkeley location. Built in 1905, mostly of old growth redwood, this Arts & Crafts beauty has been lovingly cared for and improved throughout its life. Morgan built houses to be lived in, blending utility and aesthetics in a way that welcomes modern living. The delightful porch and garden invite outdoor dining, veggie production, and rejuvenation that only natural beauty can provide. All this in one of Berkeley destination neighborhoods, Elmwood. Near shopping, dining, recreation, and UC Berkeley.  Comfortable, calm, and truly beautiful!

Here are some of the home’s features:

• 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, with 2,929 square feet (per public records), built in 1905
• Main level library with original Hawaiian lauhala mat ceiling
• Sleeping porch off the primary bedroom with banks of sliding windows on three sides
• Broad southfacing porch leading to the exquisite garden
• Earthquake retrofitting, newer roof, updated systems, and highend appliances
• Spacious basement area with workshop, storage, and systems access
• Laundry on the main level, and offstreet parking

The Elmwood neighborhood is a Berkeley favorite, with quiet residential streets filled with lovely homes and gardens.  Whether it's the epicurean and shopping adventures, proximity to Cal, or the natural beauty and vibrance that brings you here, this location allows for enjoyment of it all. Berkeley is a destination city convenient to the entire San Francisco Bay Area.

KOFOID HOUSE:  In 1905, Julia Morgan was commissioned by pioneering Cal zoology professor Charles Atwood Kofoid and his wife, Carrie, a writer and historian.  At a cost of about $4,500 (including Morgan’s $200 fee), the house was built mostly of old growth redwood and wood salvaged from a demolished building on campus.  This was a very personal project, with Charles’ father and brother contributing their construction skills, and Carrie providing the woven “lauhala” mat she’d commissioned from Moloka’i, for the library ceiling.  This home has been lovingly cared for and improved since then by its two subsequent owners, and been recognized in articles, tours, and a Berkeley Architectural Heritage (BAHA) Preservation Award.

THE ARCHITECT: Born in San Francisco, Julia Morgan is one of America’s most celebrated architects.  After studying at UC Berkeley with Bernard Maybeck, graduating from the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and working for John Galen Howard, she began her own practice in 1904.  She designed over 700 buildings in her career, including the Berkeley City Club, many YWCAs, UC Berkeley and Mills College edifices, and nearby St John’s Presbyterian Church (now the Julia Morgan Theater).  Much of her fame hails from her collaboration with William Randolph Hearst on monumental Hearst Castle.  Today, she is well loved for her trailblazing career and legacy of brilliant, innovative work in service to her clients.

ARTS & CRAFTS:  More than just an architectural style, it was a movement and a lifestyle.  Rebelling against the trappings of the industrial revolution, it sought a simpler, more fulfilling way of life, emphasizing craftsmanship, natural materials, and harmony with nature.  A progenitor of the movement, William Morris, said “If you want a golden rule that will fit everything, this is it:  Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”