Back in the 1920s, Allen & Co. set out to develop Sea Cliff with the help of architect Earl B. Bertz. Many of the neighborhood's sprawling, estate-like properties are precociously luxe because of the partnership between Allen & Co. and Bertz, who put up homes all over Lake Street, El Camino del Mar, and 28th Avenue. 549 El Camino del Mar was one of those homes, and today it retains many of the touches that Bertz put on in 1924. Standout features of the five-bedroom home include the carved wooden doors built in France, large picture windows that look out to the ocean and Golden Gate Bridge, and antique French fireplace mantles carved from marble and stone.
There is also an elaborate children's play castle out back that looks to be larger than some San Francisco apartments. The play castle house just hit the market asking $6.39 million, which is $2.29 million above its 2010 sale price of $4.1 million. The house doesn't appear to have undergone any major renovations or improvements since then, so the big jump looks to be due almost solely to the blazing San Francisco housing market.
· 549 El Camino del Mar [Official Site]
· WTF? 372-Sq-Ft Micro-Pad with No Kitchen Wants $2,900/Month [Curbed SF]