Building History

Architect John Hudson Thomas (1878-1945) designed this residence for the Berkeley banker and real estate speculator, John H. Spring (1862-1933), a partner in the Berkeley Development Company, the North Berkeley Land Company, the Spring Construction Company and other ventures. Thomas produced a regal, Neo-classical design inspired by the Empress Elisabeth of Austria's summer house, the Achillion Palace in Corfu (1890). The opulent interior of the Spring House featured an extensive atrium into which flowed a graceful stairway. Spring left his wife in 1915 and following divorce proceedings, he sold the mansion to the educator Cora Lenore Williams (1865-1937), who operated her Institute of Creative Development (later known as Williams College) in the house from 1917-1975. Lawrence Leon, a local developer, bought the house in 1975 and lived here until 2005. A group of investors bought the land from Leon at that time.

The Spring House sits on a 3-and-1/4-acre lot in the Southampton section of the Berkeley Hills. Spring knew that wildfires singed the Berkeley Hills periodically (most notably in 1923 and 1991) and required that all portions of his house be constructed of fire-resistant reinforced concrete, even the roof. The house was 80 by 83 feet in size and contained a massive 12,000 square feet.