135 Tunnel Rd

Set back from the street by gardens and a patio, the F.H.Hammer House is indicative of the first homes built in the Claremont neighborhood with grand spaces and great details. Its grand entry opens to great rooms with fireplaces, four large bedrooms, including a master suite with balconies, and a tastefully updated kitchen and baths. An “art room” is just off the back patio. Sitting there, you feel a million miles away from the Berkeley hustle-bustle. And yet, appropriately, you are just two blocks from the grand dame of them all, the Claremont Hotel. Built in 1909, Herbert Chivers, architect Large formal living room and dining room with fireplaces Four large bedrooms, over 2,900 square feet Private courtyard Large attic and basement Two blocks to Claremont Hotel, three blocks to Peet’s Offered at $1,250,000 Neighborhood Description The Claremont neighborhood straddles both the Berkeley and Oakland borders. The landmark of this area is the majestic Claremont Hotel, a vast white wedding cake of a Victorian edifice perched on 22 acres in the hills. Two outdoor pools, ten tennis courts, a full-service spa, a completely equipped health club, and three onsite restaurants deliver stunning views and is popular with generations of locals as a luxurious getaway, and a traditional Mother’s Day breakfast. The Claremont district was originally developed as a “city in a garden,” and featured lush landscaping, curving streets that hug the canyon hills, and open space. Homes on the leafy side-streets here provide a sense of old fashioned Berkeley elegance, with turn-of-the-century brown shingles, revivals and prairie-style houses sited on landscaped yards bursting with flowers. Local shopping is centered on the Elmwood shopping district on nearby College Avenue. Old fashioned shops, friendly merchants, BART, the bank, grocery stores, bookshops, flower stands, cafes, restaurants, movies, the bakery, and the cleaners are all a short walk away