Tour Bay Area home where rock band Green Day began. It’s gorgeous, and listed for $1M
Beyond the bright red door lies Green Day history.
A custom-built luxury home tucked among rolling hills in Richmond, California, is for sale for $1.1 million. Downstairs, a group of high school friends in the late 1980s held band practice there. They became the Grammy-award winning rockers known as Green Day, according to listing agent Don Adamson of Red Oak Realty.
John Kiffmeyer, the original drummer for the band, and his sister Katherine Mendoza are selling the gorgeous hillside residence, at 5360 Heavenly Ridge Lane, where Green Day was formed, Adamson said.
Both siblings live elsewhere in the Bay Area and have decided to sell the home of their parents, who recently died, Adamson said. The home was purchased in 1989 for $360,000 and hasn’t been on the market since, according to public record.
“Watch the hawks soar, and bear witness to magnificent sunsets from this exceptional hilltop retreat,” according to the official property listing.
The home spans 2,962 square feet of light, airy and inviting living space. The three-level house, built in 1983, has five bedrooms and four bathrooms and sits on .39 acres.
“From the warm wood paneled exterior to the vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows, there is a sense of comfort meddled tastefully with contemporary style,” according to the listing. “The vaulted ceilings expand the space upwards creating depth, which goes perfectly with the open, wooden beamed ceiling of the sunroom next to the modern dining room that allows natural light to pour into the home.”
Adamson calls the property “very unique” with “extraordinary views.”
“It really has extraordinary views of the North Bay, Marin County, Mount Tam,” he said. “It’s got great big spaces, a sun room and a fantastic master suite with a large soaking tub and a deck. And, you know, the deck is probably the best view in the house, because you’re looking right north so you really get a terrific shot of the Bay and (Mount Tamalpais).”
Richmond is a city of diverse neighborhoods. The median listing price for a home in April 2022 was $640,000, up 16.4% from a year ago. The median selling price was $775,000.
“The concept of nature and home was keenly kept in mind when designing this tasteful floor plan,” the listing states. “From the large windows in the den and grand living room that lets out onto a sunny rear deck to the romantic, upstairs primary room’s bay view balcony. Bear witness to the wonders of the landscape, and magnificent sunsets solo or with friends and family at your side.”
Kiffmeyer, a cinematographer and musician who was known as Al Sobrante, left the band in 1990 to become a full-time student at Humboldt State University. He was featured on the band’s first releases and debut album.
The band was originally named Sweet Children but changed its name in 1989 to Green Day to avoid being confused with another local punk band at the time, Sweet Baby, according to Adamson.
Current Green Day members include frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool. When Kiffmeyer left the band, his replacement, Tré Cool, first auditioned at the Richmond house, Adamson said.
This story was originally published June 23, 2022 at 8:57 AM.
