Peek into the soulful space of Dave and Kristen Druker, designed by local architect Howard Anderson

As she flipped through the Los Angeles Times Home Magazine in 1974, Kristen Druker was struck by the cover story “Space Magic.” The pages revealed a voluminous Olde Del Mar house tucked among the Torrey pines. Even the photography had star cred: the legendary Julius Shulman. 

Long before “manifesting” was a thing, she manifested her dream home. So, years later when she and her husband — Del Mar Mayor Dave Druker — were house-hunting, it was kismet when they crossed the threshold of 157 10th Street. Here, they discovered a rooftop shangri-la with sweeping ocean views stretching from La Jolla to Dana Point.   

“The whole beauty is going up the stairs and being surprised. You’re not really ready for it,” says Kristen, founder of the Del Mar Rose Society, whose rooftop garden is award-winning. “It’s like being in heaven with my roses.”

Designed to reflect the refined, rustic spirit of Olde Del Mar, this is no ordinary property. On the market for the first time in 38 years, this three-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom house invokes a timeless treehouse feeling, appearing to dissolve into the trees on 10th Street. It also carries legacy as the de facto campaign headquarters for Druker, the  longest serving Del Mar council member whose five-time mayoral tenure is tied with Tom Pearson.  

Architect Howard Anderson was a 26-year-old maverick when he designed the three-story house in 1973, leveraging lot size and erecting a sprawling 982-square-foot roof deck. Given today’s building codes, it would be impossible to replicate. Like many architects from his era, Anderson was drawn to Del Mar’s topography and, at the time, a lack of design codes. 

“Del Mar was this beautiful place for architects to practice,” says Anderson.

Blending Sea Ranch minimalism with San Diego warmth, Anderson’s floor plan is alive with light, space, and graphic elements. High ceilings and a massive fireplace create an intimate, cocooning atmosphere rooted in nature. 

Today, Anderson’s original design remains miraculously intact. It’s a fitting tribute given Dave’s mayoral contributions. He set out to preserve Del Mar’s semi-rural character — no sidewalks, no street lights, and low-scale development. Dave’s political legacy also includes saving the Gothic design of Torrey Pines Bridge. 

“The vision has always been keeping Del Mar as this livable, walkable community,” says Dave, who takes daily runs on the nearby bluff trail and beach. 

The couple is downsizing, enlisting Rande Turner Collective of Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty to list the property. Like Dave, Turner is fluent in all things Del Mar. The house is inexorably linked to its place. Even the stained glass window radiates with local lore, designed by Claus Von Wendel, the same artist who created the windows at Bully’s, the shuttered local landmark. 

Up on the roof deck, that treehouse feeling floods in. There are no neighbors at eye level, only birds. The landscape includes a landmark Torrey pine, a mythical Banyan fig tree, Canary pines, and an orchid tree that lures hummingbirds year-round. 

“On a clear day, you can see San Clemente and Santa Catalina islands,” says Druker. “It’s just been an incredible life for us here.”