A Jewel of the San Francisco Peninsula: Strawberry Hill, Hillsborough, California
Presented on July 14 in Freeman’s European Furniture & Decorative Arts auction in Chicago, Property from Strawberry Hill: The Collection of Ada and Barrie Regan, Hillsborough, California, highlights the refinement of tastemakers across generations.
A Louis XVI Style Marquetry and Gilt Bronze Mounted Occasional Table
Lot 10 | A Louis XVI Style Marquetry and Gilt Bronze Mounted Occasional Table | Estimate $10,000 - $20,000
In 1912, Joseph D. Grant, the financier and San Francisco civic leader, commissioned architect Lewis Hobart to design and build "Villa Rose" on the San Francisco Peninsula. The 40-acre parcel in Hillsborough, California, remains one of the original historic Gilded Age estates, with lush gardens surrounded by wooded parkland. When Charles R. Blyth and his wife purchased the estate in 1936, they renamed it "Strawberry Hill," a reference to the home's pleasing pink color and a nod to Horace Walpole's Gothic Revival mansion in London.
Ada and Barrie Regan with Luciano Pavarotti at Strawberry Hill Residence
When Ada and Barrie Regan purchased the residence, it was in disrepair and required substantial attention to the interior and gardens. Once restoration was complete, Ada and Barrie Regan filled the home with wonderful Continental furniture and decorative objects.
Lot 34 | A Steinway and Sons Baby Grand Piano | Estimate $7,000 - $9,000;| Lot 37 | Carl Herpfer (German 1836-1897) A Gentleman and Three Ladies Taking Tea at a Window | Estimate $7,000 - $9,000
Their appreciation for the home's architecture and history is evident in the collection they assembled, offered as lots 1 through 102 on July 14 and as another sequence of lots in our July 24, 2026,Interiors auction.