A 1915 Willis Polk House in Berkeley Gets Its Soul Back—and Finds a Buyer

For most of her life, Dr. Maria Raven lived in starkly modern houses—the white-walled, glass-heavy kind that defines a certain kind of California design. Then a century-old Berkeley residence showed up where she least expected it.

"This home was at the bottom of an email my real estate agent sent me for a midcentury modern home, and as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with its 1915 style," says Raven.

Now, after a renovation that pushed the house in the opposite direction of a white box, 20 Oak Ridge Road is pending sale after hitting the market for $2,995,000.

The property comes with a large heated pool, a rarity in this part of Berkeley (Realtor.com) The living room serves as a design-forward gallery for displaying Raven's art collection (Realtor.com) A sunlit extension of the living room overlooking the grounds below (Realtor.com) Hermès wallpaper adorns the dining room (Realtor.com)

The home's pedigree is considerable. Architect Willis Polk, who helped define early Bay Area design and was behind San Francisco’s 1914 Hobart Building and the Hallidie Building, which UC Berkeley credits as the first glass curtain-wall building. He designed this house for his chief engineer, T. Ronnenberg, who went on to work on the Golden Gate and Bay bridges.

Raven brought in San Francisco designer Alison Damonte for a project the team called "Soul Revival". Rather than neutralize the house, they first recovered what time had stripped away: colored glass in the original pocket doors, ceramic mosaic bathroom floors, push-button light switches and the original oak paneling and millwork.

Then they took the design even further —adding details like Hermès wallpaper in the dining room, blue-green cabinetry in the kitchen, and a bedroom finished in layered shades of blue. But all of this only served as a backdrop for Raven’s extensive art collection, which includes works by photographers Gordon Parks, William Eggleston, and Alec Soth, as well as paintings by Yayoi Kusama. 

"It was such a fun creative process, and a part of my brain that as a physician, I don’t always get to exercise but that I love," says Raven, referring to her position as Chief of Emergency Medicine at UCSF. 

The project earned Damonte a 2023 Luxe RED Award, with particular praise for the entry-level powder room.

Custom blue-green cabinetry defines the kitchen (Realtor.com) The dining room includes a breakfast nook and balcony (Realtor.com) The "blue" bedroom, one of five in the home (Realtor.com) The award-winning powder room, complete with a black toilet (Realtor.com)

"I’ve never seen a black toilet that I love so much," says listing agent Anna Bellomo, founder of District Homes. "It works."

The roughly 4,119-square-foot home has five bedrooms. The main level holds the formal living and dining rooms, the kitchen and a tiled sunroom whose arched windows all open.

"You could literally have an alfresco dinner there," says Bellomo.

Three bedrooms, an office and a sitting area are upstairs, including a Jack-and-Jill bath with a private water closet and shower, designed for Raven’s son and daughter. The lower level, with a guest suite and family room, opens to the heated pool — a rarity in Berkeley.

"Downstairs is where the party is," says Bellomo. "It feels beautiful, very put together and intentional. But at the same time, it’s been really, really loved."

Raven has hosted pool parties and even her own wedding celebration there. Looking up at the facade from the backyard, she says, "never gets old".

With both children now in college, she’s now looking to downsize and be closer to work. 

The house sits in Berkeley’s Claremont neighborhood, across from the Claremont Club & Spa, with a footpath leading down to a variety of bakeries and cafes. 

"The house feels like it's in the hills or somewhere secluded, but it's not really," says Bellomo. "It's actually very convenient."