Del Mar resort is “still relevant for today’s beach front living”

This luxury waterfront resort is located in a small gated community along the northern beaches of Del Mar, just across San Dieguito Lagoon from the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Built in 1950 and designed by noted La Jolla–based architect Russell Forester, the 2883-square-foot home at 2938 Sandy Lane has been updated several times over the years but retains most of the original structure and design elements popular in the mid-century modernist period.

The compound is composed of several buildings, including a garage facing the gated off-street parking, a three-bedroom residence on the ocean side of the property, and a separate guest house opposite a grassy lawn and pool area with both shaded and sun-drenched patio areas.

Features include an extended galley-style kitchen with a wet bar and buffet open to the dining room. The master bedroom and living room, which features an large fireplace that wraps around a corner, both have direct ocean views through picture windows. Dual stained-glass doors open from the dining room to the pool and lawn area.

A second outdoor entertaining area directly faces the waterfront, with a private staircase to provide access to the sand just beyond the seawall.

The home is marketed as an opportunity to “refresh an original Russell Forester built in 1950 and yet still relevant for today’s beach front living,” or to rebuild, as many neighbors have done in recent years. The home’s lot, at just over a half acre in size, allows for the construction of a new residence with up to 6925 square feet of living space.

Public records indicate the home’s current owners are the family of Robert Driver, who, beginning in 1925, built what was at one time the largest insurance business in the San Diego region. Driver died in August 1999, and by 2001 his company was acquired by the national firm Alliant Resources Group.

The home appears to have been used as a rental in recent years, with records indicating it was marketed for $9500 per month in 2007, again for as high as $42,000 per month in 2009, and for $11,000 monthly in 2013. A previous attempt to sell the property began in October 2011 with an asking price of $25 million, which was eventually lowered to $21.5 million before the listing expired two and a half years later in March of 2014.

The most recent listing period for the Sandy Lane property began in early June, with a solicitation for offers between $17 million and $20 million. That price remains unchanged four months into the listing.