Cantilevering 16 feet in the air is a significant piece of Mid-century modern architectural design history: 6630 Heartwood Drive, built for jazz legend Dave Brubeck and his wife Iola by architect Beverley D. Thorne.

It was the Brubeck family home from 1954 until 1960 when they moved to the East Coast. The current owner purchased the home in 1974 and in the years since it has been out of the public eye, until now.

The bold design is noted for the architect’s innovative use of steel framing in residential construction. Five steel beams project in two directions allowing the house to "float" above the challenging hillside lot, while preserving the natural beauty of a site that commands a magnificent panoramic view of the San Francisco Bay.

Constructed around the pinnacle of a rock outcrop that projects through the center of the house into the music room; that same rock supports a curved sheet of glass that served as Brubeck's work desk. It is here that the Dave Brubeck Quartet practiced, and where monumental hits like “Take Five” and "Blue Rondo à la Turk" were composed.

Dave Brubeck and his "tree house" were widely featured in publications of the day and Thorne's ambitious design captured the imagination of the post-war American public. TV great Ed Sullivan was so captivated, that he brought his New York City-based show to Oakland to film an episode featuring the quartet performing at the house. Bethlehem Steel showcased the house in its catalog for architects and designers promoting structural steel construction in houses. The resulting attention catapulted architect Thorne into national acclaim and later led to his participation in the renowned Case Study House program.

A Modernist masterpiece, 6630 Heartwood Drive is the intersection of both the architectural and the jazz greatness of the era.