3019 Benvenue Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705

In January 1908, Mrs. M. Dickerson commissioned a two-bedroom home on a quiet side street just off College Ave and decided it needed a billiards room. That simple addition began the legacy of 3019 Benvenue, which persists to this day as a convivial place for friends to revel in each other’s company. A classic example of Arts & Crafts architecture, the home honors an ethos of simple design and a close connection to nature. Its original life is beautifully preserved in the leaded glass windows lining the bench in the living room, its wood-burning fireplace, and wood-paneled walls flowing into the dining room, where built-in cabinets and a free-standing sideboard passed down from owner-to-owner offer elegant storage for tools to entertain. An updated kitchen with Viking range adjoins the breakfast nook, with its charming view through the Dutch door to the bucolic garden beyond. There, a patio with seating for 12, ceramic grill, and brand-new barrel sauna flank the blooming garden beds in the center. Upstairs, one finds two bedrooms with large closets, a shared bath, sunporch, and balcony overlooking the cedar tree that began its life with this home, now grown majestic and proud of the lives it has witnessed unfolding here. Will the next chapter of this ongoing story be yours?