New, sprawling, modern Northern California estate stands where train history was made
More than a half-century ago, trains traveling across rural Marin County delivered passengers to a ferry crossing in Tiburon where they could take a boat to San Francisco.
The trains crossed over what is now Tiburon Boulevard on the old Trestle Bridge — until 1967 when the rail service ended and the bridge was torn down.
Land under and around the bridge became known as Blackie’s Pasture, a public park. Later, the town turned the old railroad track into a popular running and walking path that offers incredible views of San Francisco and the bay.
Across from the historic Trestle Bridge site, a new 4.4 acre contemporary luxury estate at 5 Trestle Glen Circle has hit the market for nearly $10.8 million. It holds views of rolling hills and mountains and backs onto four more acres of protected open space.
Seller Arthur Giovara, who sold insurance for many years while also working full time as a San Francisco firefighter, has owned the house for 17 years, according to Compass listing agent Shana Rohde-Lynch. He navigated his way through a “challenging” approval process to create the newly constructed, stylish estate, according to Compass real estate firm.
“This is the most stylish and stunning home to grace the Tiburon Peninsula,” the property listing states.
Architects Miles Berger and David Holscher designed the home, which was completed in 2023.
Walls of glass highlight the residence, which showcases five ensuite bedrooms on one level. Spacious living spaces extend across the home, which boasts state-of-the-art finishes and a floating staircase.
The designers selected materials for a harmonizing color palette that connects both the indoor and outdoor living areas. The exterior features Portuguese limestone, while the interior combines Italian porcelain on the main level with white oak hardwood flooring on the upper level, according to the listing.
“The dramatic living room is an entertainer’s dream with floor to ceiling Weathershield sliding glass doors opening to an expansive entertainment terrace overlooking the stunning panoramas of the rolling hills of Ring Mountain and Mount Tamalpais,” according to the listing. “A custom-built bar and cocktail station make entertaining effortless.”
The entrance to the estate is stately. A dramatic circular driveway surrounds a 120-year-old European olive tree.
An outdoor 40-foot pool and spa surrounded by green lawn can’t be missed, either.
The residence is close to top hiking and biking trails in Marin County.
Rohde-Lynch knows the neighborhood well.
“This neighborhood path now called the Trestle, sees visitors daily, including my assistant Brittany, whose fiancé surprised her by getting down on one knee to propose to her from the top of the trestle,” she said in a email to the Sacramento Bee.
The Tiburon Trestle Bridge was built as part of the San Francisco and San Rafael Railroad. It was incorporated into the San Francisco & North Pacific Railroad and became operational in 1884, connecting the city of San Rafael with the town Tiburon west of San Francisco. Passengers and goods arriving at Tiburon by train were transferred to ferries that would take them across the Bay to San Francisco Bay.
The railroad service in Tiburon ended in 1967. The bridge was torn down and the space became known as Blackie’s Pasture, named after an old Cavalry steed who was stabled at the Presideo, became a rodeo cutting horse, and then retired to the fields there.
“For 28 years you couldn’t leave or return to Belvedere or Tiburon without passing a swaybacked horse named Blackie standing in a field that became known as Blackie’s Pasture,” according to destinationtiburon.org.
A life-size bronze sculpture of Blackie now stands in the pasture and near the 5 Trestle Glen estate that is for sale.
