Belvedere House Made of Lava?!?!
Austin Klar narrates a Bay Area history anecdote about a seatbelt‑manufacturing entrepreneur who, more than fifty years ago, bought four adjacent parcels on the ultra‑exclusive Belvedere Island in Marin County with the goal of building a massive mansion. He entered a long, contentious battle with the Belvedere Planning Commission, repeatedly seeking permission for ever‑larger homes—including a 31,500‑sq‑ft, seven‑car‑garage mansion—while covering the vacant shoreline with piles of lava rocks as a spiteful statement. After years of legal wrangling he finally secured approval for a 16,000‑sq‑ft residence, but chose not to build it, leaving the land empty. One half of the shoreline was later sold to a developer who built a $24.5 million home; the other half remains an empty, lava‑rock‑strewn lot. Klar ends by inviting viewers to follow him for more Bay Area history.
