Considered a hybrid of modern and vernacular styles,[1] the tradition was codified by the design works of Donlyn Lyndon, Charles Moore, Marcel Sedletzky, and William Turnbull.

[3] According to San Francisco's planning committee, characteristics of a Third Bay Tradition house include "wood shingle cladding, plain wood siding, square bay windows, asymmetrical massing, ribbon windows, and shed roof forms".

[4] The Esther M. Hill House blends geometric forms with natural materials found in the American Craftsman tradition.

The residence has an open plan and is an example of the Third Bay Tradition style.

[5] A repository of plans from the tradition are housed at the Environmental Design Archives at the University of California, Berkeley.