Glen Park Residence

This double lot came with a complicated inheritance: a modest cedar-shingled cottage, a ceramic studio with kiln in the basement, two large heritage redwoods at the rear, and a designation as a cultural resource tied to its former occupant, an LGBTQ advocate who ran a pioneering gay rights newsletter from her house during the 1960s. The new owners wanted to honor that history while transforming the property into a full family home.

Responding to the steep hillside site and the cottage’s rural sensibility, we added a board-and-batten gabled volume in painted wood, distinct from but in conversation with the original shingles, connecting the two structures through a glazed entry hallway. The original four-room cottage became a generous great room with a new open kitchen and breakfast area; the addition introduced a two-car tandem garage. The basement, where the kiln once stood, was reimagined as two bedrooms with a shared bath and a rec room opening directly to the rear yard. A new second floor added three more bedrooms, including a primary suite with walk-in closet, a shared bath, and laundry. Four-over-four windows and a wood staircase recall the early Bay Area regionalist character of the original house, giving a quietly earthy quality to what turns out to be a surprisingly sylvan city lot.