In the spring of 1983, not long after John Sculley became CEO of Apple and then orchestrated the removal of Steve Jobs, the co-founder of the company, the former PepsiCo executive paid about $2 million for an opulent home in Northern California. A little over three decades later, the house has quietly gone up for sale off-market, asking just under $23 million. Sculley sold that home to Samuel Maslak, co-founder of the ultrasound manufacturer Acuson, for $3.4 million about seven years later, before stepping down from his position in 1993.
Originally constructed in the early 1930s for his wife’s family by renowned modernist architect Gardner Dailey, the 1.5-acre property in the affluent Silicon Valley community of Woodside underwent extensive renovations and restorations over several years during Maslak’s tenure. The property features an English Country-style manor with six bedrooms and nine bathrooms spread across 10,000 square feet of living space. Beautiful views of San Francisco Bay, East Bay Hills, Mount Diablo, and the nearby Menlo Country Club golf course are also available from the terraces and leaded-glass windows.
A gated driveway leads to a brick motorcourt and four-car garage tucked off to the side of the house, with a secure pedestrian entrance opening to a stone walkway that passes through a spacious courtyard holding a swimming pool and custom-designed bench wrapped around a centuries-old oak tree before emptying out at a charming speakeasy front door. Once inside, a foyer displaying green-hued marble floors, a mirror-lined arched alcove and staircase with carved balustrade railings greets and flows to a large wood-clad living room sporting a coffered ceiling, fireplace and cozy seating nook.
An adjacent office space equipped with bookshelves and a wet bar flows to a duo of multi-purpose sitting rooms, and other highlights include a formal dining room topped by a Murano Venetian-style crystal chandelier, as well as a European-inspired kitchen outfitted with tiled countertops and walls inlaid with decorative accents, a granite island, built-in desk, and high-end Bosch, Wolf, Sharp, Sub-Zero and U-Line appliances, plus an adjoining dining area and sky-lit family room.
A separate one-bedroom apartment with its own entrance, living room, kitchen, and bathroom is located elsewhere, as is an upstairs primary bedroom suite complete with a private balcony, a stand-alone office, and two dressing rooms and bathrooms. Outside, the beautifully landscaped grounds are dotted with 24 different kinds of fruit trees and feature a greenhouse and multiple raised vegetable beds. In addition, there is a full basement with lots of storage, a four-car attached garage with an EV charger pre-wired in, and a 2.8-acre lot next door that can be purchased separately in case the next owner wants more seclusion or a chance to develop.
“The time, care, attention and love that went into every corner of this house throughout its entire existence is truly remarkable,” says listing agent Erika Demma of Compass. “The history of being built by a legend in both landscape and architecture for his personal family is amazing in itself. But then to add this extensive 10-year restoration and remodel, it has created the most gorgeous timeless estate that is perfect for today and always.”
