A piece of Bay Area rock’n’roll history has just hit the market. Janis Joplin, Jerry Garcia, and Grace Slick are among the storied singers who played and partied at The Church in San Anselmo when it was a recording studio from the 1960s to the 1980s. 

After the studio shut down, it was converted to a home that is on the market for the first time in more than a decade, asking $4.4 million.

Doug Penman, a former branding exec turned VC, and his wife, Samantha Lyman, a retired interior designer, have renovated every inch of the 4,200-square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bathroom property at 1405 San Anselmo Ave. since they bought it in 2014. 

That includes design references to its origin as a Presbyterian church, including a custom fiberglass-and-steel steeple, made in Texas, that was trucked out and craned onto the building. 

“The whole neighborhood all came out when the steeple was getting put on,” Penman said. “It was great.”

That’s not the only time the unique property — made up of two church-like buildings with a square-shaped connector in the middle — has attracted attention. In fact, the couple said, pretty much every time they walk out the front door, someone stops them to ask about the house or to reminisce about a party during its rock heyday. 

“They wouldn’t tell us what happened, though,” Penman said.

Still, the owners found plenty of undeniable evidence of the home’s history when they opened up the walls and saw old concert posters and band stickers, some of which they were able to salvage and frame. Sadly, the 6-foot-tall Jimi Hendrix poster that used to loom over the primary bathroom could not be rescued. 

“When you sat down to use the toilet, Jimi was playing 18 inches away from you,” Lyman recalled. 

Kelly is the one who informed the owners that the Beatles stored all their gear at the property for their final show at Candlestick Park in 1966. He’ll be telling more tales at the property during a book signing of his memoir “Fat Tire Flyer” Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a traditional open house to follow from 1 p.m. to 4. 

Listing agent Chris DeNike of Sotheby’s has already held one weekend of well-attended open houses, as well as several private tours for serious buyers. Depending on how this weekend goes, he may set an offer date for after Memorial Day or take offers as they come. 

DeNike’s wife and business partner, Lisa, was responsible for prepping the property for market and said it’s rare to find a Marin home with the same combination of beauty, history, and spirituality, wrapped inside a contemporary design — not to mention the “spectacular” acoustics.

“I mean, it’s just cool,” she said. 

The $4.4-million list price is based on its location, size, and renovated interiors, DeNike said, not its connection to rock or biking lore.

“The home is priced for the home,” he said. “All the historic value is free.” 

The history and unusual architecture were certainly part of the appeal to the sellers, especially Lyman, who always regretted not buying and renovating the old Carnegie Library in Mill Valley when she had the chance. 

As soon as she saw the former church, especially its 22-foot ceilings, she promised not to make the same mistake twice and jumped at the opportunity to move her family from a more traditional home in Ross. 

When the steeple went on, their youngest child was in kindergarten. Now he’s a teenager, and the couple decided it was time to relocate to Penman’s native Australia. They hope the next owners will get as much joy from the home as they did. 

“It’s an intensely fun place to live,” Lyman said. “I hope whoever’s there is a little bit creative or adventurous and enjoys it.”