In 1952, Berkeley home was built for physics pioneer; now listed for $1.425m

There are homes that are valued for their size, homes prized for their views, and homes that become significant because of the people who once lived within their walls. In Berkeley’s Thousand Oaks neighborhood, the Kip House belongs firmly to the third category. Tucked into a hillside on San Diego Road, the roughly 1,900-square-foot residence has had an unusually quiet history. Built in 1952, it remained with its original owners for more than six decades and changed hands only once before returning to the market in 2026. The asking price is now $1.425 million, reports Realtor website. According to the news report, the house was designed by Donald Olsen for Arthur Frederic Kip, a UC Berkeley physics professor whose pioneering semiconductor research helped establish scientific oundations for the computer and electronics revolution that followed. For Olsen, the commission came relatively early in his career.