See extraordinary San Francisco seaside villa where Robin Williams raised kids — $18M sale
The San Francisco cliffside home where comedian and actor Robin Williams and his then-wife Marsha Garces Williams raised their three children has sold for $18.1 million.
The 11,000-square-foot, six-bedroom Italian Renaissance-style villa with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean and Golden Gate Bridge was originally listed for $25 million in 2023.
Located in the prestigious Sea Cliff neighborhood at 540 El Camino Del Mar, the corner lot is among the largest flat, walled and gated residential lots in the city, according to Compass real estate firm.
Sea Cliff has attracted a number of high-profile residents over the years, including photographer Ansel Adams and actor Sharon Stone.
The architect Earle B. Bertz designed the home, which was originally built in 1926 for the Olson family, a successful San Francisco dynasty that made their fortune in the lumber and shipping business, according to Compass. The home overlooks the mouth of the San Francisco Bay, which allowed the family to watch their fleet as it sailed in and out of the Bay before the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
“Marsha and Robin Williams took the house down to the studs and rebuilt it in the early nineties, updating all the major systems,” Compass agent Steven Mavromihalis said in an email when the property was listed. “They expanded the home to its current 10,598 square feet on three levels. However, they took great pains to preserve the rare and valuable building materials used in 1926, which are simply no longer available in the construction of modern homes.”
Robin and Marsha Garces Williams purchased the property in the early 1990s. The home’s asking price dropped to $20 million in September before being sold Jan. 23, 2025.
“This is one of San Francisco’s most remarkable estate properties, ... one that truly balances period elegance and luxurious scale with modern sensibilities, joy, and playfulness,” the property listing stated.
Among the home’s features:
▪ A dramatic entry with ornate carved archway, marble columns and oversized marble door trim detail.
▪ Graceful foyer leading to several grand formal entertaining rooms.
▪ Wide plank hardwood flooring, solid wooden French doors, patterned terra cotta tilework, handsome built-in cabinetry, elaborate crown molding details and exposed beamed ceilings.
▪ Period and contemporary wrought iron and copper metal work.
▪ South gardens with outdoor access from the library and whiskey room.
▪ Spacious media/billiards room, with wood wall paneling concealing a prohibition era bar
▪ Views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Marin Headlands and the San Francisco Bay from the eat-in chef’s kitchen
▪ A fitness center with a full bath and Helo Finnish sauna
▪ Wine cellar
“Sea Cliff has had some of the highest per-square-foot sales and highest overall prices in recent past,” Mavromihalis said in a statement Monday. “Some of the highest-profile and best-known tech entrepreneurs live in Sea Cliff. It’s an absolutely wonderful neighborhood and often people who buy my listings in Sea Cliff already live there. They can afford to live anywhere and they choose Sea Cliff because they know their neighbors and their kids go to school together.”
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