Features
The Legendary Sausalito Waterfront Estate
Features
The property being offered is 201 Bridgeway (Valhalla) and 206 Second Street. Exterior siding is complete, as well as most systems, and approved permits are in place ready for the new owner to complete construction in a timely manner. Please inquire with the Listing Agents for further details.
Strategically located at the Southern tip of Sausalito, this is a unique location in that it is one of the closest residential properties in Marin—the first exit after crossing GoldenGate Bridge
Total lot size is 19,800 square feet; 3,300 for 206 Second Street and 16,500 square feet for Valhalla; at 0.45 acres, this is the largest waterfront compound in Sausalito
The property has been through the City of Sausalito planning process since 2012 tocurrently be zoned as residential and approved for ~8,225
of residential space for 201 Bridgeway
Total square footage of living space is 9,525 with a total of 11 bedrooms, 7 baths, 4 powder rooms and 1 outdoor shower
~4,000 square feet of terrace and 1,020 square feet of covered veranda
8 car parking
201 BRIDGEWAY
MAIN RESIDENCE
The original structure has been framed with rough plumbing and heating. For a detailed description of the current condition of the property and a detailed list of items to complete the project, please inquire with the Listing Agent.
- 6 bedrooms, 4 baths, 3 powder rooms, 1 outside beach shower, 3 family/ entertainment/ craft rooms, 4 car-garage
- Incredible 60’ wide Great Room with floating fireplace, kitchen stepping out to an ~720 square foot waterfront Veranda with stunning Water and Skyline views
- Direct access to the beach and expansive ~ ¼ acre yard
- Spectacular ~4,000 upper-level terraces with views sweeping from the San Francisco Skyline, Bay Bridge, as well as the Capri-like hills of Sausalito and Belvedere, to the sparking waters of the Bay
- Total of 7,080 square feet as per architectural plans:
- 1st Floor: 4,211
- 2nd Floor 1,290
- Craft/den/mudroom 803
- Garage 776
GUEST RESIDENCE
- 3 Bedrooms, including the charming loft-like mezzanine level bedroom, 2 baths, 1 powder room
-1,921 square feet of living space plus a 300 square foot veranda
- Direct stair access to boardwalk
- 2 car parking
- Estimated rent $10,000 per month
206 2ND STREET
STAFF QUARTERS/ INCOME PROPERTY/ SECOND GUEST HOUSE
- 2 bedrooms, 1 bath plus office
- ~1,300 square feet
- 3,300 square foot lot size; 30’ X 110’
- Artist loft/basement below
- 2 side by side parking spots
- Estimated rent $4,500 per month
THE HISTORY & THE LEGEND
Since its inception in 1893, Valhalla has seen a legendary history from the filming of Orson Welles timeless movie “Lady of Shanghai” starring immortal screen star Rita Hayworth to its 1950 re-opening by the well-known San Francisco character Madame Sally Stanford as a celebrity restaurant, bar and club scene attracting stars such as Marlon Brando, Bing Crosby and Lucille Ball- and two of its five owners over the three centuries have been mayors of Sausalito. Here is a fascinating history of this unique property…
Welcome to the historic Valhalla—a colorful piece of Sausalito’s past, and until recently the longest running restaurant establishment in Sausalito.
This structure was designed by San Francisco architect Wildrich Winterhalter and constructed in 1893 by Wheeler and Perry contractors for Joseph “Al” Lowder, a former owner of the Buffalo Hotel, located on the waterfront near present day Yee Tock Chee Park. Originally named Walhalla, it was designed as a German Biergarten, housing a large bar, restaurant and indoor dance with a covered outdoor dining terrace where food and beverage were also served. Lowder, and later lessee Henry Siems, both owned their own fishing boats which provided ample fresh seafood to serve their patrons. Siems continued running the establishment as a restaurant and bar until Prohibition was passed in 1919.
During Prohibition, Walhalla was a thriving point of in bootlegging trade. Small boats would row into Shelter Cove, usually under the cover of night or heavy fog and bury alcohol containing bundles in the sand under the building. Walhalla by this time was being run as a “Soft Drink Parlor” by Lowder’s wife, Annie. In 1921, Prohibition officers raided Walhalla after a report of a suspicious trap door in the floor of the building and a large number of small boats hidden among the pilings. In all, officers confiscated 478 quarts of alcohol and arrested Annie Lowder.
In 1932, Lester Joseph Gillis, infamously known as Baby Face Nelson, worked at Walhalla as a bartender while evading the law after committing numerous armed robberies. Another prominent bootlegging individual associated with Walhalla was Gillis’ partner, John Paul Chase of Sausalito who, along with Gillis, would later join the notorious John Dillinger gang.
With the repeal of Prohibition in 1933, Walhalla re-established itself as a legitimate bar establishment. It became a popular watering hole among all walks of Sausalito, and was colorfully remembered by locals as the “saloon with sawdust covered floors.” There were numerous rooms upstairs rented by local artists well into the 1940s.
During this period, two movies were filmed at Walhalla: “The Fishing Fleet” (1924) and “The Lady from Shanghai” with Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth (1948).
In 1946, the structure was purchased by Sally Stanford, a former San Francisco madam, who changed the name from Walhalla to Valhalla. Years of neglect had left the structure in a rather dilapidated state and Stanford rehabilitated it, extended and glassed in the original outdoor dining area into a large dining room. In 1975, a large private banquet room was constructed on the northeast side and the original clapboard siding was covered with cedar shingles.
Stanford, born Mabel Janice Busby on May 5, 1903, arrived in California in 1924. By 1940 was madam of one of San Francisco’s most elegant bordellos on Nob Hill. After being raided in the late 1940s, she retired to running Valhalla. Stanford would run for Sausalito City Council six times using her pseudonym Marsha Owen before winning in 1972 using Sally Stanford on the ballot. Stanford was appointed Mayor in 1976 after winning re-election by a landslide, and would serve a total of three terms on the Council prior to her death in 1982 at the age of 78.
After Stanford’s death, the property was sold and re-opened as the Chart House restaurant and bar, which closed its doors after nearly 15 years in operation.
CLICK HERE FOR THE ONLINE BROCHURE
* History courtesy of Seth Hodgson, Th!nk Sausalito- October 6th, 2011
Floor Plans
Neighborhood
Sausalito offers some the best views of San Francisco that Marin County has to offer. Stroll along the bayfront promenade on a weekend, and you'll hear the languages of visitors who come to Sausalito from all over the world. Tourists come for the Sausalito Art Festival, its hidden walks, its funky houseboat colonies, its seafood, and unforgettable views. But come during a weekday, and you'll likely have it all to yourself.
Sausalito’s Bridgeway is home to pleasant Dunphy Park, while the local library and Studio 333, a warehouse-sized art gallery, are a few blocks away. Food runs the gamut from Sushi Ran to Smitty's Bar -- where the bartender knows you your name and the kitchen serves up a delicious and unpretentious cheeseburger and fries.
Increasingly, Sausalito is home to new media and green-tech entrepreneurs who have traded in the Silicon Valley commute for a walk to headquarters along the Waterfront and Marinship District. Located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito boasts quick access to San Francisco by car, bus, ferry, or bike.
Sausalito offers some the best views of San Francisco that Marin County has to offer. Stroll along the bayfront promenade on a weekend, and you'll hear the languages of visitors who come to Sausalito from all over the world. Tourists come for the Sausalito Art Festival, its hidden walks, its funky houseboat colonies, its seafood, and unforgettable views. But come during a weekday, and you'll likely have it all to yourself.
Sausalito’s Bridgeway is home to pleasant Dunphy Park, while the local library and Studio 333, a warehouse-sized art gallery, are a few blocks away. Food runs the gamut from Sushi Ran to Smitty's Bar -- where the bartender knows you your name and the kitchen serves up a delicious and unpretentious cheeseburger and fries.
Increasingly, Sausalito is home to new media and green-tech entrepreneurs who have traded in the Silicon Valley commute for a walk to headquarters along the Waterfront and Marinship District. Located just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Sausalito boasts quick access to San Francisco by car, bus, ferry, or bike.