1100 Oak Grove Avenue

John L Severance Estate/John A McCone House, features 9BR/15BA spread over 3 structures: The John A McCone House, by Eggers & Wilkman, 1957; the original staff quarters above the main 4-car garage, by Johnson, Kaufmann & Coate, cir 1921; & the 2BR/3BA pool house, conceived by the same architects; & later expanded. The 3 structures are thoughtfully sited on the gated 5.5ac estate & are connected by formal gardens, specimen Engelmann Oaks, lighted pathways, 50' pool & original aquatic park w/multiple streams, waterfalls & 'tidal pools' that meander through NE acres of the property. Designed by renowned landscape architect Paul Thiene & featured in the 1931 publication, California Gardens, the Severance Aquatic Park, has miraculously continued in existence for nearly 100 years. After philanthropist & Standard Oil magnate, John Severance, the estate passed to John McCone, a year before he was to Chair the US Atomic Energy Commission under Pres Dwight D Eisenhower & was later appointed Director of the CIA under Pres John F Kennedy. Having previously employed Coate to update the original home, in 1957 McCone decided to build a new single-level Neoclassical main structure that possessed cutting edge design, security & engineering, yet showcased the same opulence & elegance as the origin