The 1.7-acre landmark overlooking the San Diego Bay was built for fast-food mogul Robert O. Petersen
Introduction by Geoff Page
There is a very unique home in upper Point Loma that was designed for the founder of Jack in the Box, Robert O. Peterson, by architect Russell Forester. During some research on Peterson, a story popped up about that home in Mansion Global, a digital site for all things mansions. The home is on the market valued at $16.9 million.
For those not necessarily familiar with Peterson, his other claim to fame was his fourth marriage to Maureen O’Connor, who went on to become the first female mayor of San Diego from 1985 to 1992. Peterson was 61 years old, O’Connor was 26 when they married.
It was a bit ironic when Peterson’s partner, Richard Silberman, was almost married to a woman mayor, the political rival of O’Connor, Susan Golding. He was married to Golding, but, Golding dumped him right before the mayoral election when Silberman went from being an asset to being a huge liability. The money-laundering conviction was the problem.
This writer was inside this home in 2019 for an informational presentation. It is quite amazing, the landscape alone probably requires an army of gardeners. The unobstructed view to the south and southwest is spectacular. What is interesting about this story comes at the end where there is a brief mention of property taxes and historical designation. Something to think about.
By Chava Gourarie / Mansion Global / May 30, 2025
A Japanese-inspired midcentury home built for the founder of the Jack in the Box in San Diego, California, has come to market asking $16.9 million.
The home, on a 1.7-acre estate overlooking the San Diego Bay, was built by the post-war architect Russell Forester, a notable modernist who was at the height of his career when he designed the home in 1965. The main house features classic post and beam construction, plentiful glass, pagoda-style roofs and an Asian-inspired garden with a koi pond and floating tea house.
“It’s post and beam so it’s all glass; it’s amazing,” said listing agent Elizabeth Courtier with Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty. “You’re really one-on-one with nature.”
Forester, who would go on to become an acclaimed artist, was commissioned by fast-food mogul Robert O. Petersen after he created the first Jack in the Box hamburger stands—helping popularize the concept of the drive-through restaurant.
The estate on Gage Lane is in the wooded section of Point Loma, a peninsular arm off the coast of San Diego, sandwiched between the bay and the Pacific Ocean.
“You’re at the top of the point and you’re looking down on the bay with views all the way down to Mexico,” Courtier said. “It’s a very storied place to be.”
In addition to the main home, which spans 7,195 square feet, there is a two-bedroom guest house, a guard house that’s been converted into a studio for the house manager, a one-bedroom pool house and a four-car garage.
The various structures are linked by lush landscaping and water features, including the koi pond and reflecting pools, and mature trees, such as a large banyan tree that presides over the koi pond and the Japanese tea house. The outdoors also include several seating areas, a kitchen, a pool and hot tub, and pickleball courts.
The home is invisible from the road, except for the metal front gates, which are actually subway grates from New York City.
The home has been designated as a historic place due to its architecture on the local, state and federal levels. “You can’t tear this down, thank God,” said Courtier.
One benefit of its historic status is that it comes with a massive tax break, reducing annual property taxes from close to $200,000 per year to under $10,000, according to Courtier.
Peterson was married four times and died in 1994. His wife at the time was Maureen O’Connor, who became the first female mayor of San Diego in 1986 and served two terms. She sold the home to the current owners, who helped secure its inclusion in the California Register of Historic Places in 2010. They listed the home with Courtier last week, and could not immediately be reached for comment
