One of Burlingame's Prettiest Homes at the #1 Address in Town

This is where it all began...before there was officially Burlingame or Hillsborough, there was Burlingame Park. This is the very special pocket of the Peninsula that was not just a neighborhood, but a dream. Tracing to the 1800s, it was here where the environs represented the Goldilocks recipe worthy of becoming the first luxury suburb for San Francisco aristocracy. The dream was a country refuge just outside the City where Peninsula pioneers would be equally at home with lavish soirees, polo matches, or dairy farming. The weather was placid. The train whistled down the bayshore from San Francisco to Burlingame Avenue. It was here that country and sporting life emboldened its identity with the beauty of architecture. The great dream of the Peninsula began at Burlingame Park. 

The first batch of Burlingame Park homes of the 1890s were known as "cottages," the title inspired by Newport, Rhode Island summer homes of wealthy New Yorkers. The cottages, still seen today along Floribunda and Pepper Avenues, were crafted in the English Revival vernacular: rich in woodwork, rich in romance, and stately in scale. It could not have been more appropriate for Burlingame Park. While trends come and go, the classic English Revival house is still among the most revered and coveted on the Peninsula. At 106 Pepper Avenue, Courtyard Manor carries on this esteemed tradition in high style. 

Magical English Country Retreat Comes to Life...In 1941, along Burlingame's #1 Street, the English cottage was built at 106 Pepper. By the late 1980s a masterful complete expansion and renovation was conceived to pay homage to the classic while purveying grand new luxury. The home emphasizes indoor/outdoor flow, introduced by the signature brick courtyard beyond a garden gate. The floorplan was expanded to the current 2,895 sq. ft. with architectural flourishes throughout every inch. From the courtyard, note the carved wood gable articulations as demonstrated in Cotswold-style bargeboards, plus the new Carmel-inspired thatch-style roof, dormer windows, and a truly breathtaking garden setting. You'll first recognize the outside of this home from the distinctive espalier ivy pattern on the brick courtyard wall, the special touch you've long admired! 

Stepping inside, drama soars with a two-story entry and impressive room sizes. Four fireplaces set the tone of this quintessential retreat. In the living room, dimensions stretch 16 x 21 culminating in French doors that spill on to the front courtyard. The formal dining room, with its rich fireplace and epic volume, measures 16 x 18 and opens out to the rear brick terraces and majestic green garden. A country kitchen with island and window-wrapped nook accompanies a cozy family room, with each opening out to the picture-perfect rear terraces and footbridge. The family room makes a perfect media space, but could also be adapted as future 4th bedroom with a full hallway bath already in place. The uncommon privacy and the sense of a far-removed European hideaway are your daily treasures. As you glance eastward to the edge of the property, the magazine-caliber garden pavilion ties into the aesthetics  of the main home and provides that perfect escape for tea or cocktails. 

Upstairs, the architectural fireworks keep soaring! Towering vaulted ceilings rise to 17 feet, and each of the 3 bedrooms is treated with its own unique personality. As you reach the upper level, note the interesting landing with its outlook upon the heights of the foyer. The south bedroom (ceilings rise to 16+ feet) features French doors to a small balcony and also leads to a large laundry room. The north bedroom faces the front courtyard and features vaulted ceilings reaching 11+ feet. At the back of the upper level, facing eastern morning sun, you will experience the tour de force master suite. Every creature comfort is on luxurious display: ceilings vaulting up to 17 feet, dramatic designer focal points of fireplace and skylights, plus a walk-in closet, and decadent bathroom respite that overlooks the foliage. Note the massive bay window that frames the marble-encased tub, that sumptuous perch backdropped by greenery and private distance. 

Outside on this 7,248 sq. ft. lot, you will have the feeling of an even larger parcel, as the pristine seclusion and immersion within the landscaping are rare assets. Various destinations keep the house integrated with the grounds. Terraces off the main living areas traverse with a charming footbridge above the creek to a grassy meadow. A boxwood-trimmed rose garden adorns the lower terrace level, while the garden pavilion is an entertaining highlight at the far reaches of the property. And let's revisit the front courtyard! A difference-maker in Burlingame, where frontages tend to be more exposed, this home is nestled beyond the courtyard, which is that favorite place to extend your parties, inspire the warm welcome, and become truly your outdoor living room....From Courtyard Manor you are on Burlingame's #1 most prestigious street, with recent sales at $17,000,000....you are within an easy walk to downtown Burlingame Avenue, just 0.7 mile from the Apple Store at the heart of "the Ave." Exuding all of Burlingame Park's rich traditions, yet offering a modern luxury lifestyle, this is the enduring statement that is extremely rare in the marketplace...in a word, timeless. 

At a Glance

• 3 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms
• Home is approx. 2,895 sq. ft. of living (per paid vendor Floorplan Visuals) 
• Lot is approx. 7,248 sq. ft. per county record 
• Home originally built in 1941 with significant expansion/renovation in the late 1980s/early 1990s. 
• Family room off of kitchen holds potential as future 4th bedroom with its adjacent full bathroom
• Towering ceiling heights upstairs reaching 17 feet
• Myriad outdoor entertaining destinations including the private front courtyard, spacious brick terraces, formal rose garden, and grassy meadow with delightful garden pavilion 
• Attached 1-car garage plus gated carport