A columned sanctuary overlooking the San Francisco Bay is seeking its next owner.
Hidden in the hills of Berkeley, California, this dramatic Roman-style mansion is known as the Temple of Wings, and has been owned since 1994 by the billionaire oil heir Gordon Getty and his late wife, Ann.
“Although it is time to move on, the Temple of Wings will always represent a quiet place where beauty has time to rest before blooming,” Gordon, 90, whose father was Getty Oil Company founder J. Paul Getty, told the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the $5 million listing.
Following Ann’s 2020 death, Gordon has been selling much of the landmarked compound’s contents, and “Without the collection in the home, the home seemed ready for a new generation to take over,” a representative for Gordon told the outlet.
Completed in 1914 (and rebuilt in 1924 following a fire), the home — which is located in the La Loma Park neighborhood — was designed for the attorney Charles C. Boynton and his wife, the dance teacher Florence Treadwell Boynton. A friend of Isadora Duncan and a supporter of the “open-air motherhood” movement. Florence’s passion for dance and the outdoors significantly inspired the design of the estate.
(In addition to being called the Temple of Wings, it is also known as the Boynton House, according to press materials.)
It features three bedrooms, four bathrooms, eight balconies, a library, a den and two entertaining spaces.
In all there are just under 4,000 square feet of interior living space — as well as the defining semi-circular outdoor pavilion with its 16 Corinthian columns, south and east gardens, sweeping views of San Francisco and a three-car driveway. It’s all set on a 16,560-square-foot lot.
The home is divided into a north and a south wing, with nine glass sliding doors and a pair of double French doors throughout to allow for an indoor-outdoor flow.
Joel Goodrich of Coldwell Banker Realty is listing the property with Adrienne Krumins and Anian Tunney of the Grubb Co.
