builder filesfile 08 of 42built here c. 1930s–1960sboyenga team at compass
William Wurster homes
William Wurster opened his architecture office in 1924 and became known for plain, livable Bay Region houses, many with gardens by Thomas Church. His firm became Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons in 1945 and designed Woodlake in San Mateo, completed in 1965. Here’s where his houses are, how to spot one and what they sell for.
- architect
- William W. Wurster (1895–1973)
- office
- opened 1924
- firm
- Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons, from 1945
- partners
- Theodore Bernardi and Donn Emmons
- dean
- MIT 1944–1950, UC Berkeley 1950–1963
- gardens
- often by Thomas Church
- listings say
- “William Wurster design”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- homes at Woodlake, per The Cultural Landscape Foundationabout 1,000
where they are
Where his houses are
From UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives, The Cultural Landscape Foundation and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Listing-only credits are marked.
| work | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodlake | San Mateo | 1965 | about 1,000 | Apartment buildings and townhouses in five clusters on 30 acres, by Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons for developer Gerson Bakar, with landscape by Lawrence Halprin & Associates, per The Cultural Landscape Foundation; units resell as condos today. |
| Hillsborough houses | Hillsborough | 1931–1940 | 5+ | Custom houses including the Henderson House (1932) and the George A. Pope Jr. House (1936), both with Thomas Church gardens, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. |
| Palo Alto houses | Palo Alto | 1937–1940 | a handful | Including the Raas House (1939), with an L-shaped plan and a glazed corridor; one was demolished in the 1990s, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. |
| Stanford campus houses | Stanford | 1936; 1962 | 2 | The Eliel house (1936) and the Huntley House (1962) by Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons. |
| Atherton, Los Altos and Woodside houses | Atherton, Los Altos, Woodside | 1930–1953 | several | Including the R.R. King House in Atherton (1938, published in House and Garden) and the Earl C. Berger House in Los Altos (1938). |
| Saratoga and Gilroy country houses | Saratoga, Gilroy | 1939–1940 | 2 | A hillside weekend house in Saratoga (Architectural Forum, 1941) and the Reynolds House in Gilroy (Architectural Record, 1941). |
| San Francisco houses | San Francisco | 1935–1957 | several | Including a Russian Hill house (1935) and the Coleman Residence (1957, in the Berkeley archive); listings credit him with other Russian Hill and St. Francis Wood houses. |
Most house attributions here come from the Pacific Coast Architecture Database, a secondary source; the Berkeley archive holds the firm’s project records. Outside our area, his early work includes the Gregory Farmhouse (1927) in Scotts Valley.
how to spot one
How to spot a Wurster house
From SFMOMA, the archives and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
- approach
Everyday modern
SFMOMA’s 1995 exhibition and book called his houses an “everyday modernism”: plain, practical and suited to the climate.
- plans
L-shaped plans
Several houses wrap an L around a garden, with a glazed corridor along one wing, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
- gardens
Thomas Church gardens
Many of his houses had gardens by landscape architect Thomas Church, and listings often mention the pairing.
- site
Built around the land
His Stanford work was sited around existing oaks, and Woodlake was planned in clusters with Halprin landscapes.
- myth check
“Wurster-style” isn’t Wurster
Listings sometimes say “Wurster-style” or mention Wurster Hall; the ledger leaves those out. A real attribution shows up in plans, permits or the archive.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Wurster sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names William Wurster or his firm, mostly in Hillsborough and San Francisco. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
Many listings name the architect without documentation, and many Wurster houses sell without his name, so treat each credit as a lead to confirm. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names William Wurster or his firm.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- Historic reviewWe found no individual landmark listings for Wurster houses in our area, but a city can treat an older house as a potential historic resource during remodel review. Check with the planning department first.
- Stanford ground leaseCampus houses are sold on a university ground lease to eligible faculty and staff only.
- Woodlake condosWoodlake units resell as condominiums with an association. Ask for the CC&Rs, budget and reserve study.
- Homes of this agePlan for foundation, seismic, electrical and plumbing checks. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Confirm the architectWe look for plans, permits or an archive record, since a listing credit alone isn’t proof.
- Permits and historyWe check the permit history for additions and conversions before you plan a remodel.
- InspectionsRoof, foundation and systems matched to the home’s age. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar homes in the same neighborhood first.
How we market one when you sell
- Document the designA documented Wurster attribution is part of the value; we gather the plans and records that prove it.
- Photograph the detailsOriginal windows, wood paneling and the garden, shot to show the design.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who was William Wurster?
A California architect (1895–1973), born in Stockton, who opened his office in 1924 and became known for houses, many with Thomas Church gardens. He led the architecture schools at MIT (1944–1950) and UC Berkeley (1950–1963), where he formed the College of Environmental Design in 1959.
What did his firm design in San Mateo?
Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons designed Woodlake, a planned community of about 1,000 apartments and townhouses completed in 1965 with landscape by Lawrence Halprin & Associates, per The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
How can I tell whether a Wurster credit is real?
Look for the house in the Wurster collection at UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives, in Marc Treib’s book An Everyday Modernism (1995) or in original plans with a Wurster or Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons title block. “Wurster-style” means it isn’t attributed to him.
Are Wurster houses landmarks?
We didn’t find individual landmark listings for Wurster houses in our area. Even so, a city can review an older house as a potential historic resource before a major remodel, so check first.
sources
Sources
Archives, preservation organizations and architecture databases, checked October 2026.
- Online Archive of California: William W. Wurster / Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons collectionOffice history, partners and project recordsoac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf8k40079x
- UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design: William WursterBiography, deanships and honorsced.berkeley.edu/collections/wurster-william
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation: WoodlakeWoodlake, 1965www.tclf.org/landscapes/woodlake-condominiums
- Pacific Coast Architecture Database: William Wilson WursterHouses by year and city (secondary source)pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/46
- SFMOMA: An Everyday Modernism: The Houses of William WursterThe 1995 exhibition and bookwww.sfmoma.org/publication/everyday-modernism-houses-william-wurster
- Stanford Faculty Staff Housing: residential ground leaseHow campus homes are soldfsh.stanford.edu/buy/purchase-programs/rgl
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Wurster house?
We can help document the design, check the historic rules and value it against recent sales nearby. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
