Behind its unique green exterior, scalloped facade and leaded glass windows, 380 60th St. — between Oakland ’s Rockridge and North Oakland neighborhoods — is a showcase of carefully preserved architectural splendor. This 120-year old beauty is on the market now, asking $2.195 million.
Though the home certainly has updates — many of which were added by the current owner and seller, Carol Emert — the overall effect is one of stepping back in time. Original details abound: dark wood paneling and benches, original built-ins and exposed beams that line coved ceilings nearly 10 feet in height.
Frescoed walls in the entry add contemporary (but also complementary) drama to the antique staircase, as does the bright red paint in the otherwise period-perfect formal dining room. In an email, Emert — a former reporter and columnist with the San Francisco Chronicle’s business and wine sections — detailed some of these original features and updates. “The Fireplace Parlor boasts a bay window seat with storage. The Family Parlor is a perfect game room or play room. Together the two rooms contain 5 leaded glass transom windows — three original and two reproductions,” she wrote.
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Listing agent Alexandria Pembleton of Keller Williams highlighted one of 380 60th St.’s preserved features — a floor pedal that opens the door between the dining room and kitchen, hands-free. The pedal has a hidden pulley and lever system, and when a person steps on it, it kicks out a metal arm with a rubber roller on the end, opening the door.
The feature is rarely found in homes today, according to Pembleton, as many owners have removed such mechanisms when modernizing their spaces. However, it’s a different story on 380 6th St. — Emert not only kept the pedal but replaced the chain and had it cleaned, ensuring it functions for another 120 years.
Pembleton called attention to an oversized closet in the home’s anterior that points to the grand wardrobes of early 20th century residents — with its impressive 12-foot height, the belief is that the closet once stored ballgowns.
Rumors about the home’s history suggest it was built for a Humboldt County state senator and his daughters in 1906. Its construction highlights “the Transitional period between the Victorian era, famous for its grand scale, and the Craftsman era, beloved for its exceptional woodwork,” Emert wrote. “This house contains the best of both,” she said.
The home also enjoys truly 21st century additions. These show most dramatically in the kitchen (upscale, high-end) and primary bathroom, with its skylight, deep soaking tub, tiled shower and private access to a back deck and the patio and yard beyond. The sunny yard includes gardens, lawn and raised beds. All together, there are three bedrooms, plus a bonus room, three and a half bathrooms, and 3,014 square feet spread over two levels.
This historic abode rests on an oversized 6,450-square-foot lot. After listing at $2.495 million in March, its new price is $2.195 million. This is the first time the property has been on the market since 1998, when it traded hands for $332,000…