The Kip House, built by Northern California’s most prominent yet underappreciated modernist architect Donald Olsen, hits the market for the second time in 73 years. Built with precision, clarity, logic, and innovation, this property was truly ahead of its time. Even after seven decades, the Bauhaus-inspired residence remains a remarkable contemporary expression of postwar California modernism.
Situated in Berkeley Hills at 775 San Diego Road, directly across from John Hinkel Park, this mid-century modernist masterpiece was designed for Berkley Physics pioneer Arthur Frederic Kip in 1952. The physicist commissioned modernist Berkley architect Donald Olden to design a clutter-free residence that reflected the same physics principles evident in his work.
Influenced by the German Bauhaus philosophy of Forms Follows Function, Olsen designed the house with clean geometric lines. The plot allotted for building this house was not a plain surface but rather a steep hill. The architect did not want to clear the dense forest or flatten the hillside, so he used the site’s slope to create a sequence of subtly changing split-levels.
These terrace-like tri-story levels cascade beautifully along the hill, appearing as if stepping down the steep slope. He used modern materials like glass, steel, and wood instead of heavy ornate decorations to give the residence a lightweight, minimalist silhouette. The floor-to-ceiling glazing brought in ample natural light, while the floating balcony offers dramatic views of the forested landscape.
The flat roofline provided ample interior freedom, with every square inch of the top floor turned into full-height spacious rooms. The 1,904-square-foot Kip House includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one parking space. The glazed walls made indoors feel bright and airy and lifted the structural weight from the building.
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The intermediate level, sitting between the upper and lower levels, houses kitchen and dining spaces. Wooden cabinetry separates the kitchen from the dining room, while the sliding glass door extends the kitchen-dining space towards the open-air terrace in the backyard garden.
The outdoor seating with two coffee tables on the terrace doubles as an outdoor dining space. The upper level features a raised living room and a study room, while the lower level houses the two bedrooms.
The Kip House is a remarkable example of mid-century modernist architecture. Despite being built in the 1950s, the historic house flaunted new-age modern concepts like an open-plan layout with zero wasted space, large glazed walls, and hillside site adaptation, which you would not find in the cottage or traditional houses in that era. The property is listed with District Homes’ realtor Anna Bellomo for $1.4 million.
