Elegant Renovated Historic Claremont Home

Rarely does a Berkeley home come to market with the architectural significance and pedigree as this one. Built in 1908, this elegant, historically important home was part of lumber entrepreneur Henry W. Taylor's original forty-room mansion, most of which was torn down for redevelopment and subdivision in the 1930s*.The Taylor estate, designed by renowned architect Louis Christian Mullgardt, was a stunning architectural Bay Area landmark for twenty-seven years, and 305 The Uplands is the last of the original mansion. Now re-imagined into an expansive, beautiful home over three spacious levels, this part of the original mansion once served as a ballroom upstairs, a stables on the lower level, with a private brick terrace at the entrance and a lovely, curated garden at the rear of the home. 
The house is situated at the end of a long driveway that culminates in a brick courtyard that was the destination for livery drivers. The home's front terrace is shaded by a majestic specimen California live oak tree, and set behind a strikingly colorful trumpet vine-covered wall. The gracious neo-colonial-style home consists of a brick facade with an elegant front door, multiple sets of French doors, and wide second-story balconies supported by brick columns and adorned with decorative black wrought-iron railings.  
Inside, an impressive entrance hall welcomes visitors and offers a preview of the eloquence within. The formal living room to the right measures nearly eight-hundred square feet, and was once the Taylor mansion's ballroom. This grand yet flexible space is an entertainer's dream, and features an eleven-foot boxed-beam ceiling, a hardwood floor, built-in bookcases and a fireplace with a terra cotta hearth and stunning decorative iron vent hood. One set of French doors opens to the front courtyard, while another set of doors opens to a wide side balcony for even more entertaining room. A large, sunlit room at the opposite end of the entrance hall sits adjacent to the kitchen, and includes a ten-foot wood plank ceiling and French doors to the front terrace. Presently used as a den/family room by the current owners, it also can be used as a formal dining room, playroom or main level home office. The spacious, French country-style kitchen offers plenty of kitchen storage, an oak floor, marble counters and finishes, a wood plank ceiling, lovely chandelier and a Viking double oven range. A room off the kitchen has been converted to a pantry and outfitted with built-in cabinets and a second refrigerator. A full bathroom is located off the pantry, next to a laundry/mud room that provides a door to a gorgeous backyard with slate patios and beautifully curated terraced gardens. A well-sized bedroom and half bathroom complete the main level. 
Three additional bedrooms and two more bathrooms are centered around a landing on the second level, offering privacy from the rest of the home. The expansive, primary bedroom is filled with natural light, and includes a fireplace and many of its original vintage features. French doors offer direct access to a private patio with a cabana, while another pair of French doors open to a second floor balcony overlooking the front circular courtyard. An ensuite bathroom has been remodeled to include a freestanding bathtub, a beautiful rose marble antique sink with a matching sink-to-ceiling backsplash, and a walk-in shower with a skylight. The bathroom shares a door with a second large bedroom that has a wall of windows with views of the lush backyard. The third well-sized bedroom on this level has an ensuite bathroom with marble finishes and a walk-in shower.  
The home's lower level provides even more entertaining opportunities with a fabulous media room that includes a ten-foot coffered ceiling with embedded speakers, built-in bookcases, a wine cooler, a linear fireplace, plus a half bath and storage room. Sliding doors open to what was the original stables for livery drivers, now a level-in, eight-hundred square foot studio/bonus room. The opportunities are endless for this unique space, including potential conversion into an ADU for multi-generational living or rental income, an outsized teen space, numerous offices for remote working, a workshop, studio, or whatever your needs or desires dictate! 

As if this exceptional home itself isn't enough to entice, this highly enviable Berkeley location offers close proximity to the Cal campus and BART, and is just steps to the shopping and dining that make Rockridge and Elmwood such a desirable East Bay destination. With history, style and location, this truly remarkable home offers an extraordinary ownership opportunity for the next steward of this Berkeley treasure.
Highlights of 305 The Uplands

• Built in 1908, The Henry W. Taylor House*
• Claremont neighborhood
• 5,715 SF (measured)
• 10,680 SF lot (per public records)
• 4 Bedrooms
• 3 Full bathrooms + 2 half bathrooms
• Dramatic living room
• Formal dining room 
• Country French kitchen
• Custom pantry room
• Media room
• Laundry/mud room
• Level-in bonus space (800+ SF, measured)
• Attached two-car garage
• Hardwood floors
• Bright, natural light
• High ceilings  
• Crown moulding
• Freshly painted interior
• Formal terraced gardens
• Close to Rockridge + Elmwood shopping and dining
• Easy access to Cal campus, BART, Hwys 13/24/580

            * Robert Bernhardi, The Buildings of Berkeley, pp 96-99 

Broker Tour Remarks
This historically significant Berkeley home is turn-key ready for fortunate new owners! The spacious main level features an expansive living room that was built as a ballroom more than 100 years ago, and is now an elegant space for entertaining a large crowd or an intimate gathering. The sunlit dining room is adjacent to an eat-in kitchen complete with top-of-the-line appliances, French doors to the front terrace and a room-size custom-built walk-in pantry. Main floor bedroom, full bathroom, mud room + half bath. Upstairs, the primary bedroom has a beautiful ensuite bathroom, plus French doors to a private patio with a cabana. Two additional generously sized bedrooms are on this level. A lower level media/family room is an entertainer's dream come true with an oversized TV, built-in ceiling speakers, display shelves, a wine cooler and half bathroom. AND, don't miss the 800-sf lower level bonus space next to the media room that was once the stable for the original home, and the oversized 2-plus car attached garage with plenty of room for storage. Fabulous formal gardens complete this fairytale home.