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Van Bergen's last large residential commission was his grandest design. A lavish estate for John De Blois Wack has 8,400 square feet of living space. A unique feature of this wonderful design is the massive stone fireplace under the laminated fir beams and chestnut panels of the 48' x 27' Studio-Music Room. Over the stone lintel is a mosaic of marine fossils cut from the same quarries which provided the Santa Maria stone from which the entire house is built. The roof is covered with Yosemite slate 2" thick tiles.
All under one roof, the house consists of ten rooms, six fireplaces, four and one half baths, a two bedroom guest suite, a three car garage, two servant's rooms, a lanai, a screened porch and balcony and a full finished basement with 8 storage rooms and a wine cellar. The floors are cherry wood, fumed oak, black walnut parquet and slate.
Originally on seven and one half acres the estate was fully landscaped by Van Bergen with a swimming pool, a Japanese garden and three natural cascading pools. According to local lore this house was reputed to have "more stone masonry in residence, terraces, walls landscaping, and driveways than any other modern house in the United States.
This is a truly amazing architectural achievement at the end of a great career.
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