As San Francisco sees home prices hit record highs, a striking architectural home has hit the market for $22.5 million in one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods.
The Perry House, named for its owners, Mark and Mauree Jane Perry, was designed in 2002 by San Francisco architect Olle Lundberg, who died in October. With a modernist design, it stands out in the Pacific Heights neighborhood, which is largely characterized by Victorian architecture.
The home fills a double lot that once contained two separate houses—the Perrys bought the first of the two in 1986 and made it their full-time residence. In 2000, they bought the neighboring house with the intention of building a new, larger home that capitalized on their views of Alta Plaza Park to the south and the San Francisco Bay to the north.
“There are only three blocks in San Francisco where you look south to a park and north to the bay,” Mauree Jane Perry told Mansion Global.
While the Perrys didn’t initially set out to build such a modern home, once they hired Lundberg it became clear that style made the most sense for their two priorities: solid construction that would hold up against earthquakes and having open views of both the park and bay.
Lundberg only used six kinds of material throughout the home, which is primarily made of glass, steel and stone with wood elements heavily featured on the interiors.
“He’s the one who explained to us, you can’t get the views without a steel-constructed house, and that lends itself to more modern architecture,” Mark Perry said.
Throughout the 7,470-square-foot home, those elements are repeated to create a cohesive design: The wood floors complement the wood cabinets, every countertop matches, and even the desk in the primary suite is made of stone and steel.
The standout of the home is the sculptural spiral staircase that connects the three levels. Its curves contrast the rectangular lines of the rest of the home, all while being made of the same stone and steel elements.
“It’s like living within a piece of art,” Mauree Jane Perry said.
On the main level, floor-to-ceiling windows in the living and dining rooms look out toward the bay all the way to Alcatraz Island. In addition to bringing the views in, the home prioritizes outdoor space with several balconies—the living room balcony faces the bay while a sitting area off the kitchen leads out to one overlooking the park.
Up the statement staircase is the primary suite, which occupies the entire top floor and also looks out at the bay. It has a separate loft-like room—which the Perrys used as a home office—with a private balcony, a dressing room and a bathroom with a two-sink vanity, a freestanding soaking tub and a dual-head shower.
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The home’s two other bedrooms can be found on the lower level—both have sliding glass doors that lead out to the backyard, where there’s an award-winning garden designed by Andrea Cochran. A temperature-controlled wine cellar can also be found on this floor.
The Perrys, both 83, are now selling their home to relocate to Boulder, Colorado, where their daughter lives.
“The house, it’s over 7,000 square feet, it’s awfully big for two people, and as we’re getting older there are a lot of steps,” Mark Perry said. “Walking up and down the stone steps, at a certain age that wouldn’t be recommended…It’s hard to leave, but we’re trying to do the right thing here.”
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Before retirement, Mark had a 47-year career in Silicon Valley, working in finance, as an operating executive and then in venture capital, while Mauree Jane was a journalist with a national syndicated column before starting her own oral history business.
The house—which was listed on Monday with Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier of Sotheby’s International Realty – San Francisco Brokerage—comes to market as the AI boom is reviving San Francisco’s housing market, which had struggled after the pandemic drove the city’s residents to more affordable locales.
Last month, the median home sale price rose 14.4% year over year to a record $1.7 million, according to a report from Redfin on Thursday. With that price hike—the largest the city has seen since March 2018—San Francisco once again has the highest home prices among major U.S. metros, taking the title from neighboring San Jose.
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“A lot of 22-year-olds are getting $500,000 signing bonuses from AI companies, and they’re excited to buy homes,” said local Redfin Premier real estate agent Ali Mafi. “Inventory isn’t keeping up—sellers have been hearing that if they wait to sell, they’ll get a better deal. But suddenly, the time to sell is now. We’re seeing quality homes in desirable areas get 20 offers and go for as much as $900,000 over the asking price.”
The typical San Francisco home that sold last month closed at 8.9% over its final listing price. Nationwide, homes sold for 1.3% below their most recent asking price.