San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Grand living amid classical details
Belvedere home originally built in 1904 remains timeless
Elegant. Inviting. Historic. Belvedere’s 8 West Shore Road stands as a showcase of timeless detail, as well as a testament to determined engineering.
Classical design elements like Iconic pilasters and coffered wall paneling are interwoven throughout the four-bedroom whose roots trace back to Pacific Heights.
Originally built in 1904 by architect William Knowles, the home first sat at 1818 Broadway St. in San Francisco. A few years later, architect William Polk renovated and expanded the home known as the Moffitt mansion. The following decades saw the home fall into disrepair and in 1962 it was slated for demolition.
That’s when Larkspur architect Norman Gilroy stepped in with a plan. He would split the expansive structure and float it across the water to Belvedere.
“It was cut in half by a chainsaw, taken to the waterfront and barged over to Belvedere to where it sits today,” said Hazel Carter of Alain Pinel Realtors, who is co-listing the home with Cynthia Derouen for $4.995 million.
Spacious public rooms are found throughout the main level. The living room stretches more than 40 feet in length. A wet bar waits off the family room. The family, living and dining rooms each have a wood-burning fireplace, and a bedroom with en suite bathroom resides at the back of the main level.
A solarium with a water feature and reflecting pool waits off the formal dining room. Operable greenhouse windows and planting beds make the solarium ideal for gardening, and the sunny space steps outside through a sliding door. Meanwhile, the living room opens to a landscaped backyard whose brick patio includes raised planting beds and sitting areas that border a shimmering pool.
Dual ovens and a Viking cooktop outfit the eat-in kitchen, with a pair of pantries providing the storage.
A wood staircase in the foyer ascends to the bedroom level, where the expansive owner’s suite reigns. Home to a fireplace and sitting area, the suite includes a pair of bathrooms and individual dressing rooms. Two additional bedrooms — each with walk-in closets — and an office round out a bedroom level connected to a covered balcony.
With an art room and workshop, the top level caters to creative types. A wood stove and a skylight accessorize the art room, while the workshop offers a sink. The upper level’s exercise room segues into a bonus area and the upper level includes attic storage space.
Learn more at www.8westshore.com.
Listing agent: Hazel Carter, Alain Pinel Realtors, (415) 7309445, hazelc@apr.com; Cynthia Derouen, Alain Pinel Realtors, (415) 846-9394, cderouen@apr.com.