The upscale East Bay municipality of Piedmont saw its biggest sale ever this week with the $12 million close of 456 Wildwood Avenue, a 1918 Tudor-inspired estate on two-thirds of an acre.
The seller was Crosslink Capital VC Partner Jim Feuille since 2004, according to public records.
Piedmont got the title “the city of millionaires” right around the time the home was built, when it had more millionaires per square mile than any other city in the U.S. The city of 11,000 or so–which broke away from Oakland in 1907—is no longer even the most affluent city in the Bay Area, but the larger estates from that era continue to attract captains of industry, as well as professional sports stars and musicians like Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt of Green Day.
Yet the city didn’t break the $10-million mark until 456 Wildwood, which came to market asking $13 million in March, around the same time Burlington CEO Michael O’Sullivan listed his Piedmont property for $12.75 million. O’Sullivan’s century-old Beaux Arts home went off the market without a sale in May, but Feuille’s was in contract at the end of April and closed this week. The buyer is unknown at this time.
The Feuilles “meticulously renovated” the six-bedroom, 7.5-bath during their nearly 20 years in the property, according to the listing site from agents Julie Gardner and Sarah Abel of Compass, who co-listed with MaryLou Castellanos of Sotheby’s. They also kept or enhanced interior details that reinforce the Tudor look of the facade, like herringbone hardwood floors, Venetian plaster walls, leaded and stained glass, and grand chandeliers. The driveway and front courtyard is made of cobblestone and has a fountain in front of the grand entrance. The foyer features floor to ceiling wood paneling, and detailed woodwork and moldings cover several ceilings as well.
Behind the main home, a limestone patio leads down to the swimming pool, large lawn and an attached greenhouse/solarium. There’s also a separate studio within the three-car garage.
The flat two-thirds-acre lot was surely one of the major selling points in a hilly city where about 80 percent of properties are one-third that size or less, according to city figures. A Mid-Century Modern on almost three acres remains in the running to claim the title of most expensive property in Piedmont. Owned by former Vodaphone CEO Arun Sarin, the property was originally asking close to $20 million when it came on last fall, but dropped to just under $18 million in March.
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