This historic Berkeley home with a hidden library is for sale

Though it must have been cutting-edge when constructed in the early 1900s, the house at 54 Tamalpais Road in Berkeley is now something of a time capsule — with a storied history to match. This unique property is now on the market for the first time in almost 30 years, with an asking price of $1.9 million.   

The 4,219 square-foot home seems almost built into the hillside that it rests on. It was designed in 1917 in the Arts and Crafts style by artist and teacher Shirley Turner and her brother, Steven Matthews (at the time, it was not uncommon for artistically minded Berkeley residents to design their own homes, according to the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association). 

Though there have clearly been updates in the century-plus since the home’s construction, the original design is largely intact, most notably in the absence of any rectilinear rooms (none are straight rectangular). Turner and Matthews hoped to “mirror the topography of the land” with their design, according to the listing, including by echoing the undulations of the nearby ravine and allowing the curves of the living room wall to frame the home’s forested setting.

The property includes two distinct dwellings, each with its own address: The four-story main house (54 Tamalpais Road) has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, while the cottage (56 Tamalpais) offers two of each. Both structures showcase touches from the original design that have been carefully preserved, including built-in cabinets and a carving over the dining room fireplace that’s “believed to be Shirley Turner’s own work.” There’s even a hidden library beneath the cottage.

The home boasts four fireplaces, the most dramatic of which is in the living room and features a 15-foot floor-to-ceiling hearth constructed from local stone. French doors open off this room to a view deck that arcs along the back of the house.

The history of the Turner-Matthews house is studded with artists and intellectuals. Hollywood actor and writer Robert Shaw owned the property between the 1920s and the 1950s, and hosted famous guests including the celebrated English novelist D.H. Lawrence, as well as Count Michael Károlyi, described by BAHA as the “first president of the Hungarian Republic,” who “came for dinner and was enticed to stay for a month.”

Several of J….