Reimagined Craftsman is a testament to Oakland’s renaissance.
Not so long ago, North Oakland’s numbered streets were modest enclaves of tidy, single-family homes. The neighborhood’s architectural feel remains dominated by early 20th-century structures; however, a reimagined property at 440 58th St. is a testament to Oakland’s renaissance.
Situated in an unusual confluence of streets and trapezoidal lots, the 1925 Craftsman is near the end of 58th Street in the Lower Rockridge neighborhood. Listed at $1.795 million, the large, four-bedroom, four-bathroom home tops the MLS as the most expensive property in the vicinity.
PHOTO BY INDREK WARES
“It was a little difficult to get a comp on the house—there’s nothing like it nearby,” said listing agent Colin Davies. “A recently remodeled two-bedroom, 2,083-square-foot home several blocks away listed at $1.4 million, and sold for $1.72 million. This is just the beginning here.”
Jay Malan, the property’s owner and general contractor, worked with Rick Dumas, principal at Oakland’s AE3 Partners, to remove and replace an ill-conceived and unpermitted addition to the home. The final design expanded the home’s original 1,700 square feet to just under 4,000.
PHOTO BY INDREK WARES
“The old ‘addition’ was literally made of chicken wire and 4-by-4 fence posts,” laughed Malan. “If you gave it a good shake, the whole house moved.”
The redesigned home is tastefully, and appropriately, scaled to its surroundings—a masterful, reinterpretation of Craftsman style, married to the tenets of modern simplicity.
PHOTO BY INDREK WARES
Up a flight of stairs, through an oversized orange portal, the new square footage is apparent. Spacious and sunny, the home’s origins are evident in a meticulously resurrected Craftsmen-era hearth, and lovingly refinished built-in hutch and pocket doors. Dark, plank wood floors unify the home’s flow.
A sleek yet well-appointed galley kitchen is a gourmet’s dream. An in-island gas cook top keeps the chef du cuisine in the conversation, while providing plenty of elbowroom for the sous chef. Countertop seating augments space for tabletop meals, and there is room for formal dining in the adjacent room.
PHOTO BY INDREK WARES
The home’s dual, en-suite bedrooms are also sunny, spacious, and private with resort-worthy bathrooms. Two additional bedrooms on the ground floor provide space for guests, kids, or a home office. And you can binge watch your favorites in the media room.If you’re looking for a home with space to live, play, and entertain, this is it.
“As someone born and raised here,” said Dumas, “I never thought properties in the numbered streets would command these types of prices.”
They do now.
PHOTO BY INDREK WARES
The Particulars
440 58th Street
Oakland, CA 94609
Price: $1.795 million
Bedrooms: 4
Square Footage: 3,941
Listing Agent: Colin Davies, Security Pacific Real Estate
44058thStreet.com
Published online on April 6, 2017 at 8:00 a.m.
Correction: The original version of this report misstated Jay Malan’s last name.
