The historic Marin estate known originally as “Gilead” and later as the “Livermore Estate,” has been listed by Thomas Dreyer (pictured below with property) of Alain Pinel Realtors. Located on approximately 4 acres, a parcel size that is increasing rare in Marin, the property is a highly-unusual and fundamentally original piece of Marin County history. Having changed hands just 3 times in 150 years, the listing of this unique estate presents a truly rare opportunity to own a piece of Marin history.
Initially, the property was owned by William Richardson, one of the original recipients of a portion of the Mexican Land Grant that became Sausalito. Part of the property was purchased in 1881 by Colonel Obediah Livermore, a well-known San Francisco real estate man. Livermore built his home “Gilead” there, and though the original residence was damaged in the 1906 earthquake, the carriage house from Livermore’s estate remains on the property to this day. The carriage house now features both living spaces and bedrooms, and is near the antique cistern where natural stream water was originally collected for irrigation and livestock.
The property was later sold to Chandler Burgess, who in 1907 constructed an English Cottage-style home to replace the damaged Livermore residence. The home still stands as the property’s main residence. Many of the original architectural details remain intact, including redwood wainscoting, crown moldings, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, art-glass windows and a formal library room with a brick fireplace mantle. The quality of the materials used to build the home are similar to those seen in the finest homes in the Bay Area, including the use of old growth Redwood trees, fine Arts and Crafts-style interior wood work, original stained-glass windows and custom brick work.
Descendents of the Burgess family owned this property until 2000 when local parents with special needs children purchased the property for their new non-profit venture: The Oak Hill School. The school has operated on the property since 2000 and specializes in meeting the complex needs of children with autism and other serious neurological and learning disabilities.
Listed today, the property could serve well as a small school, institute, retreat, or community-based organization. For more information about the property. please visit www.441Drake.com
About Alain Pinel Realtors
Alain Pinel Realtors (APR) is the largest privately-owned and independent residential real estate company in California. APR was ranked the eighth largest residential real estate firm in the United States based on its sales volume in 2008, and has been consistently ranked in the Top 10 firms in the country. The firm has approximately 1,400 agents in its 32 offices throughout the Bay Area. APR was founded in 1990 by CEO and President Paul L. Hulme, and is based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information about APR, please visit our website at apr.com.