The Timeless Harmony of San Mateo Park: “far from the mundane suburb…aglow in the magical realm of Villas nestled in a tree-laced garden sanctuary…”

The Estate at 410 Occidental Avenue was designed in 1917 at one of San Mateo Park’s most choice parcels. Spanning nearly half-acre, the gardens surround a Colonial Revival mansion symbiotic with East Coast luxury. Stately with its Eastern Seaboard symmetry, the design also enjoys the advantages of a top street within the Park, easy walking distance of downtown Burlingame Avenue, Pershing Park, and the historic Burlingame Caltrain Depot. By 1903, early lots in The Park were selling for around $1,500 for those intent on the grandeur of a Villa, or around $600 for those of bungalow scale! It was always the oversized lots, those approaching a half-acre of grounds, that were the most prestigious, rare, and destined to become classics. Today, 410 Occidental is among the Park’s elite properties, complete with .49 Acre of gated grounds, a resort-style modern pool and spa, huge sport court, bluestone party terraces, and 100% usable land in total privacy. The current owners have undertaken significant upgrades inside and out, including a designer-curated 2020 Family Room Addition, new pool and extensive re-landscaping, Luxury Primary Wing, new roof, new Marvin windows, and much more.

Arriving to the home, giant island roundabouts and 100-year heritage trees define the iconic streetscape. San Mateo Park is a place of wonder, a place of enchantment, a place where you feel the history and prestige all around you. Beyond gates, the home is sheltered from the road in its own lush oasis. A Smithsonian-style white rose parade greets you warmly at the columned front portico. Stepping inside, the enduring grace of hardwood floors and a center staircase are the first impression. Nine Foot ceilings emphasize volume in the living room, which overlooks the lush foliage on three sides. The beauty of the floorplan lies in epic garden views and prominent indoor/outdoor flow…and most profoundly, the feeling that you are ensconced in your own verdant wonderland…time stands still.

Amenities of 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, plus CEO’s Office (with fireplace), deliver the desirable optionality of a main level guest retreat. Flexibility also exists to live as double offices on the main level, plus 4 generous bedrooms upstairs—certainly a hard-to-find layout in this market! The living room is a statement unto itself. Nine foot ceilings rise above the room’s 30 ft. length, culminating in French doors to the rear grounds. This chamber is the ultimate paradigm, blending the classic architecture of yesteryear with your imagination’s modern gathering/media needs.

The tour de force of the design shines at the current owner’s Family Room Remodel expertly drawn by acclaimed architect John Stewart. Beginning with a chef’s kitchen of honed quartz, the space progresses to a wide-open casual dining and family room flow. Architectural skylight designs above the casual dining nook indicate the attention to detail. Here, you are completely in touch with the entertainment terraces, the sport court, pool and spa—the bounty of the half-acre+/- lot merges with the custom interior design. A retractable “Nanawall” from the breakfast area ushers in the vast terraces, ready to accommodate parties of 100, complete with outdoor fireplace warming a totally secluded ambiance. The family room remodel reveals its careful design in bespoke nuances. All doors are premium Marvin brand. Custom cabinetry built-ins add architectural interest. Don’t miss the half-bath, handy mud room, and strategic kitchen beverage center nearby. A discreet door opens to a walk-in pantry and the luxury of copious basement storage, awaiting your music studio or wine cellar.

Upstairs, the floorplan continues to impress with a quartet of enormous bedrooms. Nine Foot ceilings emphasize the volume and light. The rarity of the layout showcases oversized bedrooms measuring 14-16 feet deep, all with updated Marvin windows and leafy outlooks. Two of the corner bedrooms feature elaborate built-in shelving and cabinetry. The Primary Wing occupies the southwest corner of the home complete with fireplace, double walk-in closets, and luxury spa bathroom from 2021.

At the end of the day, home should be your sanctuary. With its enviable 21,480 sq. ft. lot size, this estate offers the sort of privacy and aesthetic typically reserved for Hillsborough and Atherton mansions. Signature trees and layers of mature screening hedges work in ensemble with brilliant sun at myriad destinations. These destinations will continue to inspire all seasons and all ages. Whether installing a play structure for Pre-K wonder years, or romping on the full sport court for basketball or pickle ball, options are endless. Abundant bluestone terraces will accommodate a wedding or corporate events. The resort-style pool and spa are strategically secluded in their own Napa-inspired vignette. A luxury pool is that crowning statement to a great estate…it speaks to the function of the land and its prestige…you have arrived at San Mateo Park…an historic enclave still evolving new chapters, all within walking distance of downtown Burlingame Avenue…your Pinnacle of the Park.

At a Glance

• 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms (plus CEO’s Office and exterior pool half-bath)
• Approx. 4,485 Sq. Ft. (includes basement wine storage, plus pool bath, data per Floorplan Visuals)
• Lot is approx. 21,480 sq. ft., .49 Acre, per County Record
• Floorplan has 4 oversized bedrooms upstairs, plus main level CEO Office and second office suitable for Fifth Bedroom/Guest Room.
• Home originally built in 1917 at the height of the West Coast Gilded Age. Extensive upgrades by current owner including Family Room Addition, Pool, Sport Court, New Roof, Marvin Windows, and much more.
• Detached 2-car Garage with large storage loft
• Fully gated grounds

History of the Location: San Mateo Park, CA

Divinely sited at the sun-blessed heart of the Peninsula, the celebrated Clark Lands operated since the 1850s as a dairy farm and cattle ranch. Plans for a world class residential subdivision commenced in the late 1890s as “San Mateo Park.” This new upscale community of country villas was to embody the City Beautiful Movement on the West Coast. It was also a counterpart to nearby Burlingame Park, which was similarly laying the foundation for Peninsula luxury around the 1890s. This monumental period from the 1890s to about 1920 defined the West Coast Gilded Age, California’s answer to the epic architecture of the East Coast.  In San Mateo Park, the environment would not be a grid streetscape, but rather a meandering arboretum as ecosystem for the distinguished Villas. By 1903 these San Mateo Park parcels were selling for around $1,500 for those intent on the grandeur of a Villa, or around $600 for those of bungalow scale, (not yet of the “Four in Hand” class). The magnificent entry to San Mateo Park was to be at the mouth of the County Road (El Camino) and Clark Drive, anchored by an epic island roundabout. Of note, Clark Drive remains the only “drive” in San Mateo Park, meant to signify its central importance to the subdivision. Intersecting with Clark Drive, Occidental Avenue holds great desirability as it is shared with neighboring Burlingame, and therefore connected to the pulse of downtown not far away.

Architectural significance was inherent to San Mateo Park from Day 1, just prior to the turn of the century.  Famous Scottish landscape architect John McClaren fashioned the foil of costly specimen trees that made the estates come to life. The most highly regarded architects of the day were commissioned to dream big on lots that could range from a half-acre to 1 acre or more. At the time, prior to Hillsborough and Burlingame’s official incorporations, the lines were still blurred between city addresses. Owners simply knew that this paradise of San Mateo Park was among the most prestigious and beautifully cultivated in all of San Mateo County.

Beginning in the 1890s, San Francisco’s most affluent citizens were adopting the sporting class of English gentry along the Peninsula. Stunning mansions were sprinkled amidst polo fields and racetracks, such as those at San Mateo’s El Cerrito, Burlingame’s Crossways (Carolan), and San Mateo’s El Palomar, which was Charles W. Clark’s equestrian estate off El Camino where St. Matthew’s Catholic Church now stands. Clark had purchased this estate from his polo teammate Walter S. Hobart. With a gentry class firmly in place, San Mateo Park was to play a pivotal role in establishing the region’s high bar for architectural luxury.

The 1906 San Francisco earthquake hastened development of grid-like bungalow neighborhoods on smaller lots, such as Burlingame’s Easton Addition. But for San Mateo Park, the commitment to bucolic estate living never strayed. The garden-laced Villas could be leisurely admired amidst the island roundabouts, all defined within a slow-paced refuge where time stood still. It was in fact the horse and buggy, the most elegant being the “Four in Hand” carriage, that would first navigate the island roundabouts.  While now in the age of the Tesla, and $8,000,000 - $10,000,000 sales, the most timeless aspects remain unchanged! San Mateo Park still represents the most cultivated and most highly charismatic hamlet where every homeowner is ensconced in their own vignette of garden artistry. You have arrived...