Property of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mantegani, Corinthian Island, Belvedere, California | Architect: Joseph Esherick

Just north of San Francisco is tiny Corinthian Island terraced with houses overlooking a boat-dotted cove, like a vignette of the Italian Riviera on San Francisco Bay. To Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mantegani, who had lived here for years, the views of cove and bay had never ceased to be a delight; but the Manteganis' house—old, complicated, and cluttered with stairs—had become a burden. They wanted a modern house: one that would be small, yet have room enough for the large parties they love to give—and one with a minimum of stairs. A site was at hand—the adjoining property, in fact. But it was a narrow strip of hill that tumbled waterward at a precipitous 60° angle—steep even by Bay Area standards. To many homebuilders, such a lot might have seemed impossibly difficult. The Manteganis' architect, Joseph Esherick, solved the site problems, however, with one bold stroke. He cantilevered the house out from the hill on massive concrete T-beams and the resulting effect, which the double tier of decks so handsomely underscores, is that of the prow of a ship thrusting outward from the land. The glass walls, running the full width of the house on both levels, open it to bay, sky and sun and, together with the broad decks, contribute importantly to the sense of spaciousness indoors. You enter the house on the upper floor, but stairs indoors and out (only one set of each) lead down immediately to the heart of the house. Here the openness of the living room, which occupies fully half of the lower level, makes you forget you are in a really small house.

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source: House and Garden Magazine | September 1960