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330 Hampton Road, Piedmont 94611 Contact Anian   510-339-0400/217   Email

330 Hampton Road - Architectural History Designed in 1941 as a collaboration between the owner, California architect Clarence Mayhew and distinguished British architect Serge Chermayeff, this modern home has been published many times over the years. Clarence Mayhew designed many homes in Piedmont as well as some other notable buildings in The Bay Area, including the Alumni House on the UC Berkeley Campus. Chermayeff was a partner with noted architect Erich Mendelsohn in England prior to World war II and completed many acclaimed buildings, including the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, Brighton in 1935 and his own residence "Bentley Wood" near Sussex in 1938. After first arriving in the United States in 1941, Chermayeff lodged with his friend Walter Gropius, the founder of The Bauhaus, at his home in Lincoln Massachusetts. Chermayeff moved to California and was invited to join Mayhew's practice to design this residence. The result of this collaboration is a wonderful home that nestles into a beautiful site with many California Live Oaks and native plantings. Author Alan Hess wrote in 2007 that the clean abstraction of the rectilinear blocks appeared to be based on Chermayeff's Bauhaus leanings but that the casual, site-specific interaction of garden, house and modernity showed the relaxation of California living apparent in Mayhew's prior work. Mayhew and Chermayeff designed a greater level of privacy on the street facing, saving expansive glass walls for the garden side. The house contrasts sharply with existing homes on Hampton Road, and appears to be made of rectangular shapes descending the sloped property. The house divides into two functional groups, one for adults and one for children, with all living and sleeping rooms facing south. Glass walls allow maximum sunlight and viewing pleasure. The two main house volumes enclose a private garden and are connected by a broad stairway enclosed against the weather, with the street side made of solid wood and the garden side fully glazed. The three children's rooms are separated with demountable walls that can be changed to adapt to a family's needs. Published in 2007 in "Forgotten Modern, California Houses 1940-1970", the house remains intact, in excellent condition, with all materials and details preserved. Other publications featuring the home include The Architectural Forum (June 1946), House and Garden (July 1947), The Architectural Review (July 1947) and Architecture Internationale de Domain, published in France. "House In Piedmont" - Read more about 330 Hampton's History - "Owner, architect and designer create a home of outstanding beauty". PDF - Architectural Forum - June 1946 Issue VIEW A PHOTO TOUR Return To Property Flyer

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