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The Gester House : 2620 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley
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Address:
2620 Piedmont Ave.
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City/ST:
Berkeley, CA
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Zip Code:
94704
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Location:
2620 Piedmont Avenue, Berkeley
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Property Type:
Single Family Home
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New or Resale:
Resale
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Square Footage:
2761
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Bedrooms:
5
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Bathrooms:
2
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MLS#
40282475
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As the story goes... Just a few months before the 1906 earthquake, William Gester completed work on his distinctive house at 2620 Piedmont Ave., in Berkeley. It was one of the first reinforced concrete buildings to be built, and actually predated the Hicks House by Julia Morgan and the Lawson House by Bernard Maybeck.
Gester was a civil engineer, who was particulary intrigued by monolithic concrete construction. And he engaged famed Berkeley architect Joseph Leonard to build his dreamhouse.
The dream house had an outside veneer of Roman Stone, or cast concrete blocks. The structure itself was reinforced poured concrete. Perhaps the best part of the dream though was that Mr. Gester and the house survived the earthquake together. Mr. Gester chronicled his amazement at the performance of the house in various journals of the time...The whole building rose and fell as a single mass without creak, or groan or complaining strain.
As you walk down Piedmont Avenue today, you can't help but notice this distinctive house with arched vestibule and Queen Anne tower. Once inside, you'll notice it does indeed have the grandeur of Mr. Gester's dream house. Period moldings abound, a turreted living room with fireplace, a dining room with boxed beam ceilings and stone fireplace, a large kitchen with butler's pantry, along with five bedrooms and two baths. Steps of Roman Stone lead to the large garden in back.
Even today, it stands as one of the best examples of Roman Stone, or cut stone architecture in Berkeley.
Last Updated: 6/17/2008 5:58:24 PM
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NUMBER1EXPERT™ 
