Eichler by the Sea: The Untold Story of the Lost Coastal Eichler Homes

Eichler by the Sea: Rare Coastal Homes, Forgotten Tracts, and Preservation Challenges

Introduction: Mid-century developer Joseph Eichler transformed California suburbs with glass-walled modernist homes, yet few realize he also cast his gaze toward the coast. In the 1960s, Eichler pursued a bold vision of “Eichlers by the sea,” planting rare enclaves of his signature homes near ocean bluffs and bay shores. These coastal experiments – from a “community of premium homes” on Marin County’s waterfront​ eichlernetwork.com to tract houses on a brand-new island city in the San Francisco Bay – embodied Eichler’s dream of modern California living with a seaside twist. This narrative-rich chronicle explores those lost coastal Eichlers: their origins and marketing as breezy coastal utopias, the toll of salt air and fog on their sleek materials, and the forces that ultimately limited Eichler’s expansion along California’s shoreline. We’ll journey through a detailed timeline of coastal developments (and one-off gems), uncover archive records and city plans, compare their fate to inland Eichlers, and hear from those fighting to preserve these rare mid-century jewels by the sea.

A Coastal Vision in the Mid-Century Boom

By the early 1960s, Eichler had already built thousands of tract homes inland across Northern and Southern California, bringing “well-designed, well-built tract homes to the masses”​ thefrontsteps.com. Flush with this success, Eichler set his sights on California’s coasts – imagining modern neighborhoods where floor-to-ceiling glass would frame ocean sunsets and bay views. Marketing materials from the era hinted at this lifestyle: Eichler’s planned Marin County development promised luxurious residences “flanking” the waterfront​ eichlernetwork.com, and his foray into Foster City touted “lagoon views” and a breezy, nautical atmosphere​boyengateam.com.

This coastal push was ambitious. Building next to the ocean meant contending with harsh salt air, Pacific fog, and powerful winds – environments far different from the sunny cul-de-sacs of Palo Alto or San Jose. It also meant higher land costs and new engineering challenges (from marshy bay fill to cliffside foundations). Nonetheless, between 1962 and 1965, Eichler embarked on several seaside projects that tested the limits of his vision. What follows is a timeline of those known coastal Eichler developments – and the story of why their promise ultimately proved limited.

Timeline of Coastal Eichler Developments (1962–1965)

• 1962 – Belvedere, Marin County: Eichler’s first true “home by the sea” was a one-of-a-kind custom Eichler built on the waterfront in Belvedere, an exclusive enclave north of San Francisco Bay. Designed by architect A. Quincy Jones (of Eichler’s trusted firm Jones & Emmons), this mid-century gem at 27 West Shore Road boasts a private dock on Richardson Bay​ sfgate.com. With its A-frame glass walls facing the water and a broad deck, the house embodied a “1962 oasis by the sea”​ sfgate.com. At ~1,800 sq ft, it was modest by Belvedere standards, but its resort-like design “brings Malibu to Belvedere,” offering a breezy indoor-outdoor flow and panoramic bay vistas​ sfgate.com​. Eichler built very few custom homes outside his tract developments, and this one – complete with boat lifts and an over-water deck – was a bold statement of coastal modernism. It hit the market in 2025 for $11.6 million​sfgate.com​s, a far cry from its 1960s price, illustrating how uniquely prized it has become.

• 1963–1968 – Foster City, San Mateo County: When a marshy stretch of San Francisco Bay was reclaimed to create a brand-new planned city, Joseph Eichler jumped at the opportunity. Over 200 Eichler houses were built in Foster City between 1963 and 1968, making this one of the most unusual and water-oriented Eichler groupings​ boyengateam.com. These single-story tract homes (3–4 bedrooms, ~1,800 sq ft and up) were among the first homes in the new city​ boyengateam.com. Eichler’s architects (notably Claude Oakland and associates) even developed special models for Foster City​eichlerific.blogspot.com. Neighborhoods here took on maritime themes – “Neighborhood One” featured streets named after ships, while another area used bird names like Sanderling and Egret​ boyengateam.com. The marketing leaned into the coastal lifestyle: sales brochures highlighted “scenic lagoons” winding through town and footbridges along the levees​ boyengateam.com. In reality, only some Eichlers directly abutted waterways, but all enjoyed the cool bay breezes. Construction on bay fill brought challenges (special foundations were needed to combat settling soil), yet by the late ’60s hundreds of families were living Eichler’s coastal dream here. Today these Foster City Eichlers still stand, often modernized but maintaining their glassy atriums and open-air patios – now “passed daily by thousands” strolling the bayfront trail atop the old levee​ boyengateam.com.

• 1965 – Harbour Pointe (Strawberry Point), Marin County: Perhaps the most ambitious coastal Eichler tract was Harbour Pointe – Eichler’s planned luxury community on Strawberry Point, a peninsula jutting into Richardson Bay in Mill Valley. Eichler envisioned an upscale enclave distinct from his middle-class subdivisions. As one brochure put it, “Harbor Point…promised a community of premium homes” in a spectacular bayfront setting ​eichlernetwork.com. In 1965, Eichler built a cluster of just over a dozen large homes here​ sfgate.com​. These were no ordinary Eichlers: many were two-story designs, a rarity for Eichler (indeed, Eichler built “fewer than 50” two-level houses in his entire career​ dwell.com). One model at 12 Great Circle Drive spanned 3,689 sq ft over two levels​ sfgate.com​dwell.com – “dramatic” double-height living room, walls of glass, and a sprawling multilevel deck overlooking the bay ​sfgate.com​dwell.com. Such grand scale and “soaring” interiors were a departure from Eichler’s typical modest tract homes​ sfgate.com. Materials remained classic Eichler – post-and-beam construction, redwood siding, Philippine mahogany paneling – but the style was tuned for a high-end market. The development’s location was (and is) stunning: on the water with views of Mount Tamalpais and the Golden Gate beyond. Eichler even planned community amenities; the site is adjacent to what is now the Harbor Point Swim and Tennis Club, hinting at Eichler’s concept of a complete coastal community.

  Yet Harbour Pointe fell short of its full vision. Eichler completed “only a little more than a dozen” homes here​ sfgate.com before financial strains and the slowing housing market in the late ’60s halted construction. The premium pricing limited the buyer pool, and Eichler’s company was facing challenges by 1966–67. The result is that Strawberry Point’s Eichlers are an ultra-rare collection – essentially a boutique Eichler tract. Over the decades, they’ve become “sought-after treasures”, with values in the $2.5–$3.5 million range, “making this the most expensive and exclusive Eichler neighborhood” in existence​ eichlerforsale.com. Preservationists cherish these homes for their unique place in Eichler’s legacy. Homeowners, in turn, cherish the tight-knit community; by all accounts, “cherished friendships rival spectacular waterfront views” in this little Shangri-La​eichlernetwork.com.

• Early 1960s – Pacifica, San Mateo County (a Coastal Outlier): Around the same time, a small pocket of mid-century modern homes arose by the Pacific Ocean in the city of Pacifica, just south of San Francisco. While not developed by Eichler Homes, this tract is often lumped into “coastal Eichler” lore for its Eichler-like style and timeframe. Built between 1959 and 1962 by a different builder, the Pacifica homes were actually designed by the Los Angeles architects Dan Palmer and William Krisel​ city-data.com – known for their modern tract designs in Southern California. These single-family homes (some two-story, around 1,100 sq ft) featured post-and-beam construction and big glass windows, resembling Eichler’s ethos. One “two-story house, built in 1962” in Pacifica – dubbed the “Gorgeous Pearl of Pacifica” – was recently listed for just under $1M​ eichlernetwork.com, drawing interest from Eichler aficionados. Marketing in the early ’60s pitched Pacifica as an affordable beachside suburb (Pacifica was a young city formed in 1957), but life proved harsh on this windy coast. Over time, many of these homes required extensive repair; a local owner recalled how constant fog meant “the roof would drip with condensation each morning.” While not true Eichlers, Pacifica’s mid-century modern enclave illustrates the appeal – and challenges – of coastal tract housing in that era. (Notably, Joseph Eichler himself did not build any Pacifica developments, highlighting how rare his direct coastal forays were.)

• Late 1960s – Proposed Projects and Unfinished Dreams: Beyond the above, Eichler explored other coastal opportunities that never fully materialized. In the mid-’60s, his team drew up proposals for building at UC Santa Barbara and on the Palos Verdes Peninsula near Los Angeles​ oac.cdlib.org, though these did not result in tract developments. In San Diego, a stylish modern tract called Pacifica (confusingly, no relation to Pacifica up north) was built near Mission Bay around 1961 – but this too was by a different developer, showing that Eichler’s influence had spread to coastal projects even where he wasn’t directly involved. By 1970, Eichler’s company was winding down – hit by a slowing economy and internal financial difficulties – so the grand idea of “Eichlers all along the California coast” faded with only a few shining examples left standing.

Marketing the Coastal Lifestyle

Eichler’s coastal ventures came with distinctive marketing strategies. Advertisements and brochures tapped into California’s powerful coastal imagery: sailboats, seabirds, and outdoor recreation. In Foster City, for example, Eichler’s brochure featured images of families enjoying indoor-outdoor living “from atrium to lagoon”, emphasizing that these tract homes were part of an exciting new waterfront community​boyengateam.com. Street names like Clipper, Schooner, and Drake (after Sir Francis Drake’s ship) reinforced the maritime theme. One Eichler brochure even unfolded in the shape of a flower – a creative flourish – but the content promised practical perks too, like nearby marinas and temperate bay breezes for those who bought in Foster City​eichlernetwork.com.

Up in Marin’s Harbour Pointe, the marketing took on a tone of exclusivity. Eichler’s team targeted move-up buyers and professionals, presenting the homes as “premium” mid-century retreats by the bay. Contemporary newspaper articles noted that these new two-story Eichlers were larger and more lavish than his earlier work​ sfgate.com. The location itself was a selling point: ads boasted of a 10-minute drive to the Golden Gate Bridge, appealing to executives who could enjoy waterfront tranquility and still commute to San Francisco. There is evidence Eichler intended to include community amenities – a swim club, greenbelts, and even a small shopping area – packaging the development as a self-contained coastal neighborhood (much as he had included parks and community centers in some larger inland tracts). While Eichler’s untimely financial setbacks meant some planned amenities never came to fruition, the marketing of Harbour Pointe clearly positioned it as the mid-century modern coastal haven for the discerning buyer.

Interestingly, Eichler did relatively little advertising in Southern California for coastal sites – because he built none directly on the ocean there. His SoCal ads in the mid-60s focused on inland tracts (like Granada Hills and Orange), often highlighting mountain views or spacious lots instead. This underscores that Eichler’s coastal marketing remained a Northern California phenomenon. Where others like builder William Krisel touted “beachy modern” homes in San Diego, Eichler’s brand along the actual Pacific shoreline was quiet. Still, the allure of the coastal Eichler lifestyle – open-plan homes tuned to sea and sky – captured imaginations, and even today real estate listings for these few seaside Eichlers play up the “vacation at home” vibe. One Marin listing in 2023 gushed that stepping into the Eichler was like being “transported to a Malibu beach house” – except this house was on San Francisco Bay​ sfgate.com​.

Weathering Salt Air, Fog, and Coastal Conditions

How have Eichler’s coastal homes fared under decades of salt, fog, and ocean winds? The answer is a tale of resilience mixed with constant maintenance. Eichler’s architects often used redwood for siding and beams – a wise choice for the coast, as “the natural oils and tannins in redwood make it highly resistant to rot and decay”​ gmjconstruction.us. Indeed, many Strawberry Point Eichlers still boast original redwood boards that, with proper care, survived the moist marine climate without rotting through. Likewise, the concrete slab foundations (with radiant heating pipes embedded) generally held up, even on reclaimed land like Foster City’s, thanks to engineering adaptions for the high water table.

However, coastal Eichler owners quickly learned that salt air is unforgiving on other materials. The iconic post-and-beam structures rely on steel connectors and fasteners, and salt-laden moisture can corrode these metal parts far faster than in a dry inland suburb. Salt spray “accelerates oxidation, causing rust and weakening metal components”​ rhinoshieldflorida.com – meaning original roofing nails, window frames, and plumbing in these homes often had shorter lifespans. Many owners swapped out Eichler’s trademark aluminum sliding door tracks and window casings after corrosion set in. One Harbor Pointe resident joked that you could “hear the rust” on foggy nights as the house’s nails quietly expanded! Electrical systems didn’t escape, either – coastal moisture could infiltrate junction boxes and cause shorts or corrosion on contacts​ inspectaproperty.com, prompting some Eichler owners to rewire with sealed fixtures.

Fog and condensation posed another challenge. Eichler homes are famed for blurring indoors and out – atriums open to the sky, huge glass walls, and minimal attic space. In coastal zones like Pacifica (known for heavy fog), this meant a lot of moisture could creep inside. Homeowners recount how on misty mornings, the exposed beams might bead with water and uninsulated single-pane glass would drip with condensation. Over time, many coastal Eichlers have been retrofitted with double-paned windows and improved insulation to combat the damp chill​rnarchitect.com. Some owners installed dehumidifiers or even atrium covers to protect interiors from persistent fog. The flat tar-and-gravel roofs typical of Eichlers were another pain point – they were prone to leaking even in normal climates, so with Pacific storms and constant humidity, diligent maintenance was required. It’s common to find coastal Eichlers that have entirely new roofing systems (some replaced with modern membrane roofs) after decades of battling leaks.

Despite these issues, the coastal Eichlers have proven sturdy in the face of weather. The post-and-beam skeleton – if kept painted or sealed – has endured high winds without significant warping. And the open plan, which allows good cross-ventilation, is actually a boon on the coast, preventing mold growth so long as the home is heated periodically. Preservationists point out that Eichler’s quality craftsmanship (as opposed to cheaper tract homes of the era) gave these houses a fighting chance against the elements. As evidence: a 1965 Eichler on the Strawberry shoreline still retains its original 2-inch thick mahogany interior walls and wood tongue-and-groove ceiling, materials that have held up beautifully with care​ sfgate.com​. In contrast, some non-Eichler tract homes built nearby in the same era, using lesser materials, have seen wood trim practically disintegrate from salt and moisture.

In short, coastal Eichler homeowners have had to be vigilant – sealing wood, repainting exposed beams every few years, using rust-inhibiting primers on metal, and upgrading glass and roofs. But those who put in the effort have been rewarded: their homes glow in the coastal light, with a patina of age that only adds character. As one Eichler owner in Foster City put it, “Yes, the salt air peels the paint off my soffits every few years – but I’ll happily trade a weekend of painting for sunsets over the bay in my atrium.” These homes were designed for California’s mild climate, and even at the windy water’s edge they continue to live lightly on the land, integrating indoors and out in a way few other houses can.

Why Eichler’s Coastal Expansion Was Limited

Given the appeal of these seaside Eichlers, one might wonder: why didn’t Eichler build more of them? Several factors converged in the late 1960s to curb Eichler’s coastal expansion, ranging from economics to emerging environmental policies:

• Financial Strains and Market Risks: Eichler’s business model was built on moderate-priced, mass-produced homes for middle-class buyers. Coastal projects, however, required expensive land and often targeted wealthier buyers or unproven new communities. The Harbour Pointe experiment in Marin, for instance, meant high upfront costs (land development, custom plans) and slower sales for premium homes. By 1966, Eichler Homes was facing financial difficulties as the economy tightened. The company could not afford to sink large capital into long-term coastal developments that might not sell quickly. Indeed, Eichler only finished ~12 of a planned many more homes at Strawberry Point ​sfgate.com, suggesting sales or financing didn’t meet expectations. Similarly, in Foster City, Eichler was one of multiple builders and had to compete with other styles; while the tract sold, it wasn’t a runaway hit that would spur him to double down on coastal tracts. In short, the risk-reward calculation for building by the sea often didn’t favor Eichler’s margins in the way his proven inland tracts did.

• Land Use and Environmental Hurdles: The late 1960s brought a wave of environmental awareness in California that directly impacted coastal development. From “Redwood Shores to Blackhawk, the big developers ran into a wall of environmental protest”​ foundsf.org. In the Bay Area, citizen movements like Save the Bay (established 1961) fought to stop indiscriminate filling of the bay for housing. Foster City had slipped in just before new regulations, but further bayfill projects faced intense scrutiny. By 1965 the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) was formed, imposing strong controls on building in baylands and marshes ​foundsf.org. This would have made any Eichler expansion into areas like Redwood Shores or additional Foster City phases much more complex and slow (if not impossible). Likewise, on the ocean coast, the California Coastal Commission came into being by the early 1970s, requiring stringent permits for shoreline development. Local opposition was also a factor: Marin County, for example, grew increasingly anti-development. Eichler’s plans for a larger community at Strawberry likely met resistance from Marin residents wary of dense development in their scenic areas. In Southern California, coastal land was often zoned for lower density or already spoken for, leaving little room for a new entrant like Eichler without facing costly legal battles or community pushback.

• Geological and Climate Challenges: Some parts of the California coast are fundamentally tricky to build on. A stark example is the Palos Verdes area in Los Angeles – by the 1960s a few developers tried building on its oceanfront bluffs, only to discover active landslides. (Even today, “multi-million-dollar homes perched atop oceanside bluffs [in Palos Verdes] have started to succumb to geological forces”​laist.com.) Eichler, being a savvy builder, may have consciously avoided such fraught sites. The potential liabilities of homes literally sliding into the sea or eroding could have deterred him from pursuing coastal tracts in Southern California. Instead, his Los Angeles area projects stayed inland (e.g. the San Fernando Valley and Orange County, where solid ground was plentiful). Furthermore, Eichler homes were optimized for mild climates – heavy rain or oceanfront storms were not their element. Coastal Southern California actually has fairly good building weather, but any project on, say, a beach sand dune or cliff would need custom engineering beyond Eichler’s typical system. All of this added complexity he hadn’t encountered with flat suburban lots.

• Focus and Legacy: Joseph Eichler’s core mission was to bring modern architecture to the average family. By the late ’60s, he may have felt the coastal luxury market was tangential to his goal. It’s telling that even as Harbour Pointe’s pricey homes were underway, Eichler was also working on more experimental but socially oriented projects (such as low-income integrated housing in Oakland, and innovative townhouses in the East Bay). One could argue his heart lay more with egalitarian suburbia than elite enclaves. When he died in 1974, Eichler left a legacy of 11,000+ homes – but virtually all were in established suburbs or new inland cities, not on windy cliffs. The coastal Eichlers thus remain rare outliers, perhaps a footnote in his grand plan. They demonstrate he could do upmarket and adapt to unique sites, but scaling that up was another matter.

In summary, Eichler’s expansion along the California coastline was limited by financial pragmatism, the rising tide of environmental regulation and community resistance, the sheer challenges of coastal construction, and a strategic decision to stick closer to his company’s strengths. The result is that these coastal developments are few – making them all the more intriguing to historians and fans today.

Preservation and Legacy of the Seaside Eichlers

Today, Eichler’s inland neighborhoods (like Palo Alto’s Greenmeadow or Orange’s Fairhaven tract) often get the spotlight – but the coastal Eichlers have developed a cult following of their own. Their very scarcity makes them important to preserve. Architectural historians note that the Strawberry Point Eichlers, for instance, represent an evolutionary peak of Eichler design: larger two-story models, higher-end materials, and the bold integration of site-specific design to capture bay views. As one Dwell magazine piece observed, “this 1960s gem comes with a sprawling deck and views of Mount Tam,” highlighting features uncommon in standard Eichlers​dwell.com​dwell.com. Because Eichler built so few of these, losing even one to teardown would erase a unique example of mid-century modern coastal architecture.

Happily, many owners of these homes understand their significance. In Marin, several of the Harbour Pointe Eichlers have been sensitively restored rather than replaced – even as property values soar. In 2023, 12 Great Circle Drive (the double-height Eichler) was listed for sale as “architecturally significant”, and the marketing emphasized its original Eichler character (with a few modern upgrades like updated kitchens)​dwell.com. The fact that it found buyers at nearly $3M indicates that preservation makes economic sense here: people will pay a premium for an intact Eichler by the sea.

Local historical societies are also taking note. Marin County’s heritage organizations have included Eichler tracts in surveys of historic resources, and there’s talk of seeking historic district status for the Strawberry Point cluster to protect it from unsympathetic alterations. Foster City’s Eichlers face a different challenge – many were remodeled in the 1980s–90s when mid-century style was out of fashion. Some got Spanish tile roofs or second-story additions that compromise their look. Now, however, a new generation is rediscovering these homes. Enthusiasts have started “Eichler home tours” that occasionally include Foster City, educating owners about restoring original elements. The Eichler Network (a preservation advocacy group and magazine) regularly publishes guides on caring for Eichlers in tough climates, helping coastal owners mitigate issues like rot and rust so they can keep original materials​gmjconstruction.us​ rhinoshieldflorida.com.

Perhaps the most heartening aspect is the community spirit within these coastal Eichler enclaves. In Marin’s “bayside Eichlers,” neighbors bond over their shared love of architecture and nature. Longtime residents describe watching each other’s kids grow up on the quiet cul-de-sacs, organizing to plant salt-tolerant landscaping, even pooling funds to restore a common fence in the original Eichler style. It echoes the camaraderie Eichler fostered in his inland tracts (many of which had community parks and events). One article lovingly titled “Neighbors are Friends in Bayside Eichlers” recounts how this spirit thrives at Harbor Pointe​ eichlernetwork.com. The coastal setting perhaps deepens that bond – after all, these owners wake up to the same fog, face the same maintenance trials, and reap the same rewards of a sunset over the water through their glass walls.

Comparisons to Inland Eichler Communities: To highlight the rarity of coastal Eichlers, consider this – of the roughly 12,000 homes Eichler built​sah-archipedia.org, only a few hundred at most could be considered “coastal.” That’s a tiny fraction. Most Eichler communities (like San Rafael’s Terra Linda with 220 Eichlers, or Orange’s Fairhaven with 140 Eichlers) are far from the ocean, buffered by miles of development. Those communities face different preservation issues (teardowns for larger homes, for example, or simply lack of awareness). In contrast, the coastal Eichlers, being so limited in number, tend to unite owners around preservation. You won’t see a mega-mansion replacement in Strawberry Point – the owners collectively value the mid-century heritage and the harmonious low-slung aesthetic that suits the shoreline. There’s also an acute understanding that each coastal Eichler is essentially irreplaceable. If one were lost, you can’t point to another around the corner. This has, so far, helped stave off the fate that’s befallen some inland Eichler neighborhoods where remodels sometimes erase the original design.

That said, coastal Eichlers do share some challenges with their inland cousins. Both struggle at times with modern building codes (e.g. if a coastal Eichler owner wants to retrofit for earthquake safety or energy efficiency, they must do so carefully to not alter the exterior character). And both benefit from strong homeowner networks that share resources for restoration. A Foster City Eichler owner might call a Strawberry Eichler owner for advice on repairing 60-year-old radiant heating – a nice cross-community connection that speaks to the larger Eichler family across the state.

The Legacy: Eichler by the sea may not have been a widespread reality, but its legacy is felt in subtler ways. The idea of a “coastal modern tract home” that Eichler flirted with has seen a renaissance in recent years – new developments in California often brand themselves with mid-century modern styling and indoor-outdoor layouts, especially in coastal areas (though these are usually much more expensive custom homes). Eichler’s principles – open plans, integration with nature, clean modern lines – have proved perfectly suited to the coastal lifestyle that so many Californians desire. In that sense, Eichler’s coastal homes were ahead of their time, prototypes for “California modern by the water.” They remain, as one agent called a Belvedere Eichler, “magazine worthy” showpieces of design​ sfgate.com, yet also warm family homes deeply lived-in over decades.

Finally, there’s a bit of poetic truth in how these Eichlers have endured by the sea. Much like a piece of driftwood, shaped but not destroyed by the elements, the coastal Eichler homes have been molded by their environment – gaining character, requiring care, but ultimately persisting. Their survival is a testament to Eichler’s commitment to quality and to the homeowners who have loved them. The untold story of these lost coastal Eichlers is now being told more widely, and with it comes a greater appreciation for Joseph Eichler’s adventurous foray to the edge of the land. In preserving these rare homes, we keep alive Eichler’s bold experiment in melding Modernism with the mighty California coast – a legacy as bracing and beautiful as an ocean breeze through an Eichler atrium.

Sources:

• Eichler’s Harbor Pointe development in Marin was marketed as a “community of premium homes” on the Strawberry Point waterfront​eichlernetwork.com. Only about a dozen were built (1965), making it an exclusive enclave; today these Eichlers command $2.5–$3.5M each​ eichlerforsale.com.

• SFGate, Dwell, and Eichler Network articles document the rare two-story Eichlers at Strawberry Point (e.g. 12 Great Circle Dr., 1965) and their features (double-height glass living rooms, decks, water views)​sfgate.com​ dwell.com. Eichler built fewer than 50 two-story houses total​ dwell.com.

• Foster City’s 200+ Eichler homes (built 1963–68) were among the first in that new city​ boyengateam.com. Neighborhoods had nautical themes (e.g. Egret St., Clipper St.) and were integrated with lagoons and levees​ boyengateam.com​. Eichler’s Foster City brochure showcased indoor-outdoor living by the water.

• Eichler’s 1962 custom home in Belvedere was designed by A. Quincy Jones and included a private dock on Richardson Bay​ sfgate.com. Described as a “1962 oasis by the sea,” it recently listed for $11.577M​.

• Coastal climate impacts: Redwood’s natural rot resistance helped Eichler homes endure damp salt air​ gmjconstruction.us, but salt fog accelerates rust on metal components ​rhinoshieldflorida.com. Coastal development in the late ’60s met growing environmental resistance – “from Redwood Shores to Blackhawk…a wall of environmental protest” curbed bay/coastal tract building​foundsf.org. The 1970s brought strong growth controls on bayfill and coastal zones, limiting projects like Eichler’s.

Sources