A recent obituary for architect Sim Van der Ryn, known as the “father of green architecture,” brought to mind his connection to one of the most historic homes in our community.
The Ameer was an old ark that had been converted into a houseboat when it was purchased by Phil Frank and his wife-to-be, Susan, in the mid-70s. Phil, who became a well-known local cartoonist, was also a founding father of the Sausalito Historical Society, active until his death in 2008. His widow Susan remains active in the Society to this day.
Phil penned a memoir for the Historical Society recalling that the couple, inspired by the B-grade movie Houseboat, decided to come explore the waterfront scene in Sausalito. Here’s how he described his discovery of the Ameer:
We threaded our way down the walkway and onto the deck of the old ark and looked through the window into the vacant boat. We stood there for a full minute staring into the boat in disbelief, until Sue commented that it looked like the set for the movie. It was sinking but that seemed insignificant.
We rented the Ameer for seven months before buying it. We salvaged a derelict barge, paid its back berthage, refloated the old ark and in the ensuing four years restored it to its former beauty.
When people asked the couple “why did you come to the houseboats in the first place?” Phil responded: “Cary Grant and Sophia Loren sent us here.”
In 1983, Phil and Sue sold the historic ark to architect Sim Van der Ryn and his wife, designer Ruth Friend. Ruth and Sim undertook a major remodel, raising the boat enough to add a lower floor by adding a concrete barge with substantial headroom.
A self-described “hippie with hubris,” Van der Ryn was naturally suited for the free-form waterfront lifestyle. According to his obituary, he practiced a form of outlaw building emphasizing hands-on experience and a blithe disregard for government codes and permits. The point was to liberate architects so they could reimagine what a dwelling or office building should be — in practical, earth-friendly terms. Those fringe theories began to go mainstream in 1975, when Governor Jerry Brown, known for his outside-the-box thinking and environmental advocacy, hired Van der Ryn.
While enjoying life on a floating home, Sym continued working as the president of Van der Ryn Architects, based on Gate 5 Road.
Eventually, he decided to sell the Ameer in 2005. Here’s how the Chronicle described it at a few years later:
Renowned architect Sim Van der Ryn installed bamboo floors and new interior siding when he renovated the houseboat in 1998, while retaining the exterior siding and detailing from its original construction. A concrete hull enabled the addition of a sitting room and master suite downstairs, while the upper level features public rooms and stained-glass windows in the kitchen. The houseboat includes decks at the front and back, as well as a floating dock for launching kayaks and other watercraft.
Snugly berthed at the end of South Forty Pier, the Ameer is the last ark still floating on Richardson’s Bay. In 2014, then owners Dana Curtis and Daniel Bowling put the Ameer on the FHA’s open homes tour. Here’s how we described it at that time:
The Bowlings have redecorated and repainted inside and out while retaining classic ark features such as the gently vaulted ceiling, redwood paneled walls, and the original water closet… The couple collects Japanese-style wood block prints, and oriental rugs.
Dana loves gardening, and enjoys the challenge of growing herbs, flowers and vegetables in pots on the Ameer and on the dock below.
Current owners Neil Weinstein and Annette Jensen bought the ark from the Bowlings in 2013, after renting two other homes on South Forty.
“We made an offer just before leaving for Cambodia to set up an educational non-profit,” Neil recalls. “Not the best timing, but we couldn’t let the opportunity pass.”
Adds Annette: “Knowing how special South Forty is, we knew we wanted to return there.”
Asked if they’d renamed the ark, Neil replied, “You don’t change a name that’s 100 years old.” He adds that a structure of that vintage requires a bit of TLC, “but we knew about that,” when they bought it.
Annette is particularly pleased with the indoor light and sweeping outdoor views the Ameer enjoys.
Looks like the old ark remains in good hands.