Though John Campbell and Worley Wong planned and drew up Case Study House No. 27 for a hillside spot in New Jersey’s upscale lake community of Smoke Rise back in the 1960s, the precast concrete structure was unfortunately one of several in Arts & Architecture magazine’s innovative post-war building program that never came to fruition.
The modernist architects did, however, create several notable buildings throughout Northern California‘s Bay Area during their nearly six-decade career working together. Most notably, the A-frame Leisure House Campbell built for himself in Mill Valley that could be duplicated with a prefab kit, as well as the master plan for the University of California at Santa Cruz and this striking residence on a steeply sloping lot atop Twin Peaks in the Clarendon Heights neighborhood.

The three-story house is introduced via a grassy central courtyard.
Jacob Elliott for Sotheby’s International Realty
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The modernist gem was last sold to virologist Nathan Wolfe and his playwright wife Lauren Gunderson for around $5 million in 2021 and was subsequently renovated; it has just been relisted for a dash under $7 million. Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier of Sotheby’s International Realty hold the listing.
Boasting an eye-catching facade made up of timber and glass, the modern showpiece was designed and built in 1958 for Donald and Marian Bernstein—he a well-respected physician, and she an Egyptologist—by the firm, which was widely known for its “sculptural forms and interior clarity.”
Known as the Bernstein House, the three-story spread offers five bedrooms and four baths in roughly 3,700 square feet. Sun-drenched living spaces frame far-reaching views of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, Russian Hill, Pacific Heights, and the Presidio from its perch on a quiet street just below the Sutro Tower.

The epic views encompass the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands, Russian Hill, and beyond.
Jacob Elliott for Sotheby’s International Realty
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A gated entry beside a detached two-car garage opens to a stairwell, which leads down to a central courtyard. Once inside, a combined living and dining area has a wall of glass spilling out to a covered deck running the entire length of the home. A family room adjoins a polished kitchen, which is outfitted with a marble-topped eat-in island and high-end appliances.
Four upstairs bedrooms include one that’s currently set up as an office, as well as a glass-lined primary suite flaunting access to another lengthy deck, a walk-in closet, and a bath equipped with dual vanities, a soaking tub, and a separate shower. The lower level, meanwhile, adds another family room and an office, plus an en suite guest bedroom.
Click here for more photos of the Clarendon Heights residence.
Authors
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Wendy Bowman
Wendy Bowman is a real estate writer at Robb Report. Before that, she was a freelancer for Modern Luxury and several other media outlets, where she primarily covered luxury properties for…



