Inside Hume Cloister, a $7.5 Million California Estate Inspired by a French Monastery
- A century-old estate in California’s Berkeley, inspired by a 13th-century French monastery, is on the market for $7.5 million.
Monasteries have served as the home base of monks and nuns for centuries. Now you too can live like the holy. A century-old estate in California's Berkeley that was inspired by one of these historic buildings has just hit the market for $7.5 million with Adrienne Krumins of The Grubb Co. Realtors.
Dubbed the Hume Cloister, the Gothic Revival home spreads out over two-thirds of an acre in Alameda County. The late John Hudson Thomas, who is considered one of San Francisco Bay's finest 20th-century architects, designed the property in 1927 for Samuel and Portia Bell Hume. The couple fell in love with a 13th-century French monastery during a trip abroad and decided to replicate it at home in the U.S. The stateside monastery has a Gallic feel—the cloister was imported from France, for instance—but offers panoramic vistas of the bay and Golden Gate Bridge.
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The living room features exposed beams, wrought-iron detailing, and a cozy fireplace.
The Humes envisioned their epynomous estate as a "sanctuary of creativity and reflection," according to press materials. It last sold for $4.5 million in 2016 to Neil Tuller. The castle lover spent seven years and nearly $2 million renovating the property, then put it on the market earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reports.
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The imported cloister occupies pride of place at the center of the home.
The heavenly compound offers some 7,526 square feet of living space, six bedrooms, and eight bathrooms across a main house and guest house. An extraordinary arched entrance with Gothic sconces leads to the sizable main house. The living quarters center around a cloister courtyard that is lined with dramatic arched colonnades and adorned with a stone wishing well. The interiors showcase yet more stone and archways, resulting in a charming, old-world aesthetic.
The living room is a real showstopper, with double-height ceilings, exposed beams, intricate wrought-iron detailing, and a wood-burning fireplace. Above, a mezzanine library provides yet more space to lounge about. Nearby, a formal dining room offers seating for up to 10 guests under a breathtaking sloped ceiling. Gourmands will be happy, too: The kitchen is not only kitted out with a Wolf range and a Sub-Zero fridge, but also showcases custom millwork and stone counters throughout.
The alfresco dining space affords breathtaking views of the bay.
Up a winding staircase, the primary suite is fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the bedroom with natural light. It also includes a private sitting area, an en suite with built-in vanities and a wooden soaking tub, and a patio with a hot tub. Five more bedrooms are split between the main house and the guest house.
The lush landscaped gardens are home to a koi pond, a bocce court, a greenhouse, and a redwood grove because you are in Cali, not France, after all.
Click here for more images of the Berkeley home.
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