San Francisco’s $25 Million Red Rock Island Finally Lines Up a Buyer—So, Who Snapped Up the Iconic ‘Oasis’?

San Francisco Bay’s only private island may have finally found a buyer after eight months on the market.

The iconic Red Rock Island was most recently listed for $25 million in December 2023. The place has traded hands six times since 1969 and now appears to have found yet another buyer.

According to the Realtor.com® listing, the “exclusive and breathtaking oasis” is pending sale, although the identity of the buyer—or buyers—has not yet been revealed. It is also not yet known whether the sellers snagged their full asking price.

The private plot of land is nestled in the Bay and offers incredible panoramic views of the city and the area’s most famous sights, including Golden Gate Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, Belvedere Island, and Mount Tamalpais.

Red Rock Island also comes complete with a storied history.

While Spanish pirates are said to have used the 5.78-acre island as a safe haven to hide their treasure, it was first inhabited in 1812 by Russian and Aleut fur hunters who camped there while looking for otters.

Only one owner has actually lived there. Selim Woodworth, a former California senator and son of the 19th-century poet Samuel Woodworth, lived on island while maintaining a hunting preserve.

It is now owned by Brock Durning, who inherited the island from his late father, Mack Lewis Durning. Over the years, the Durning family would camp on the isle while fishing and hiking.

Who will lay claim to the island?

“While bound by confidentiality agreements, I can share that the island garnered considerable interest from a discerning global audience,” says listing agent Chris Lim of Christie’s International Real Estate.

He was tasked with appealing to billionaire buyers to seal a deal.

“The inquiries spanned a wide variety of interested buyers, from those with a vision for development to individuals who recognized the unique opportunity to conserve the island in its current natural state,” Lim explained. “We had numerous tours, including a prospective international buyer from Miami represented by Suzanne Santos of Fortune International Realty.”

Plenty of work awaits the property’s next owner: There’s no water or electricity on the island, and it could be difficult to develop on.

“Red Rock Island occupies three separate Bay Area counties because it was established as a triangulation point by surveyors in 1850 and, per the seller, San Francisco is zoned residential, Contra Costa is zoned industrial, and Marin is zoned general use,” Lim told us last year. “Structures can be built on the island, but the future owner would have to navigate permitting in those jurisdictions.”

Once in a lifetime?

Lim notes the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to own this private oasis is ideal for a buyer for a prestigious investment full of natural beauty and historical significance.

“The determination of the asking price was a carefully considered process, reflecting the island’s unique attributes, its exclusivity, and the broader market for extraordinary properties,” he says. “Although I cannot delve into specifics, I can confirm that the interest was both robust and diverse, reflective of the island being the only private island in the San Francisco Bay. I’m also able to reveal that the [seller’s] family is extremely happy as they are able to use the proceeds to provide support for their ailing mother.”

What the next owner plans to do with the property with “endless potential” remains to be seen.

“We have not done any feasibility studies to determine what’s possible for the island—we’ve left that investigation up to the future buyer,” Lim says.