STATELY HOMES OF SAN FRANCISCO
Sharing my passion for San Francisco's rich history and architectural heritage.
Originally designed by architect Emil A. Hermann in 1894 for Captain Hermann Meyer and his wife and eight children, the Queen Anne at 2724 Pacific occupies one of the largest residential lots in San Francisco, and was once owned by City of Paris owners, Paul Verdier and his sister Suzanne, Countess de Tessan.
Photo courtesy of Steven Gothelf, Pacific Union International
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All photography courtesy of Jack Ryder and StatelySF unless otherwise noted.
A Comprehensive Guide
For the last eight years I have attempted to assemble a comprehensive guide to San Francisco's most compelling residences; past and present. The last time a book was published spanning decades of architectural styles in San Francisco was Roger Olmstead's great collection entitled, Here Today: San Francisco's Architectural Heritage, which was published in 1968 by the Junior League of San Francisco.
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Currently Convent of the Sacred Heart school, the Classical Revival mansion at 2200 Broadway was built as a second home for dry goods titan Joseph Donohue Grant in 1867 by Hiss and Weekes. As of 1 January, 1896 according to the list of members of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, it was home to former SF mayor, Hon. & Mrs. William Alvord.
The Queen Anne Revival Victorians
The peak period of the Queen Anne Revival style in America was 1880-1900, although the style persisted for an additional decade. The style was named and popularized in England by architect Richard Norman Shaw (1831-1912). The term inaccurately implies an aesthetic association to the reign of Queen Anne (1702-1714). However, its language was actually based on much earlier English buildings, mainly those constructed during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras (Elizabeth I reigned 1558–1603; James I, 1603–1625).
Distinctive features of the American Queen Anne style (rooted in the English style) may include an asymmetrical façade; dominant front-facing gable, often cantilevered out beyond the plane of the wall below; overhanging eaves; round, square, or polygonal tower(s); shaped and Dutch gables; a porch covering part or all of the front facade, including the primary entrance area; a second-story porch or balconies; pedimented porches; differing wall textures, such as patterned wood shingles shaped into varying designs, including resembling fish scales, terra cotta tiles, relief panels, or wooden shingles over brickwork, etc.; dentils; classical columns; spindle work; oriel and bay windows; horizontal bands of leaded windows; monumental chimneys; painted balustrades; and wooden or slate roofs. Front gardens often had wooden fences.
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The Great Homes of Van Ness Avenue
Prior to the 1906 earthquake and fire, Van Ness Avenue (named for San Francisco's seventh mayor), was lined with eucalyptus trees and enormous mansions. Many of the homes were dynamited ostensibly to create a fire break, though the fire did not reach the western side of Van Ness. The Italianate mansion with Second Empire mansard roof at 1801 Van Ness was built for James B. Stetson in 1870. A pioneer of the gold rush, Mr. Stetson was president of the California Street Cable Railroad Company after he and local banker, Antoine Borel purchased the line from Leland Stanford in 1884.
Bay Area Architects
Bakewell & Brown * H. C. Baumann * Bliss & Faville * Arthur Brown, Jr. * A. Page Brown * Frank Chamberlain Clark * Ernest Coxhead * William F. Curlett * Curlett & Cuthbertson * Clinton Day * Frederick J. DeLongchamps * Charles W. Dickey * James F. Dunn * Albert L. Farr * Havens & Toepke * Louis P. Hobart * John Galen Howard * Brainerd Jones * George Kelham * William A. Knowles * G. Albert Lansburgh * Edgar A. Mathews * Bernard Maybeck * Ida McCain * C. A. Meussdorffer * Frederick H. Meyer * Miller & Pflueger * Julia Morgan * Newsom & Newsom * Percy & Hamilton * Timothy L. Pflueger * Albert Pissis * Willis Polk * Reid & Reid * John Reid, Jr. * T. Paterson Ross * Andrew Skurman * William H. Weekes * Weekes & Day * Charles F. Whittlesey * Edward E. Young
Photo courtesy of Malin Giddings and Neal Ward, Compass
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"Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves."
Julia Morgan
