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The area around Lafayette Park if full of beautiful Victorians and old mansions. The fire following the quake of 1906 burned much of the eastern part of San Francisco, but Van Ness Avenue was established as a fire line that did contain the fires and saved these buildings west of Van Ness. Van Ness had been lined with mansions too, many of which were supposedly intentionally destroyed to stop the fire from crossing Van Ness Avenue. Again I am “borrowing” the walking tour shown below.
Walking Tour:
Pacific Heights preeminent perch has long housed San Franciscos wealthy and distinguished.The area also boasts landmark buildings, shopping chic, and a dizzying dance of Victorian ornamentation. Once known as Golden Gate Valley, the area west of Van Ness Avenue began to lure builders in the 1870s. Soon this patchwork of nurseries, vegetable farms and open fields sprouted homes.The most opulent were erected on the upper crests of the ridge, commanding excellent views of the Bay. Starting from downtown, board a Muni 27-Bryant bus northbound on Cyril Magnin Street (5th St.North), directly above the San Francisco Visitor Information Center, located on the lower level of Hallidie Plaza at Powell and Market Streets. Disembark at Jackson Street and Van Ness and walk one block west on Jackson to Franklin Street. The Haas-Lilienthal House [1], 2007 Franklin Street, a fully-furnished, 1886 Queen Anne-style home, is the headquarters of the Foundation for San Franciscos Architectural Heritage. Visiting hours are noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday; docent-led tours depart every 20 to 30 minutes.Turn right (west) on Washington Street and ascend to Lafayette Park, on the left. The Baroque Period mansion at 2080 Washington [2] was erected in 1912 for sugar magnate Adolph Spreckels. Turn right (north) on Laguna Street and walk one block to the massive, red sandstone edifice at 2090 Jackson [3], built for William Frank Whittier in 1896. Next beat a path left (west) on Jackson, and right (north) on Buchanan Street to Broadway. Fish-scale shingles, slanted bay windows, rosettes, dentils, and spindle work form the architectural palette along the way. Turn left (west) on Broadway and amble past some of the Citys most enviable addresses. Look to the left at Webster and admire the 1896 Georgian abode at 2550 Webster [4], which claims a common creator with the Peninsulas palatial Filoli: architect Willis Polk. In kitty-cornered proximity, the Sacred Heart Convent [5] assimilates three of Broadways most interesting homes: the 1905 Hammond Mansion (2252), the 1912 Flood Mansion (2222), and the 1910 Grant Mansion (2200). Continue along Broadway to Fillmore and turn right (north), pausing along the way to soak in the exhilarating views of the Bay. At Union Street [6], turn right (east). Nicknamed Cow Hollow after a once-flourishing dairy trade, the Union Street area has evolved into a distinctive restaurant and retail core. Among its inviting alleys and courtyards is Charlton Court [7], on the south side of the 1900 block of Union, said to have been a milk wagonloading yard. At the corner of Union and Gough, the 1861 Octagon House [8] testifies to a once popular, now rare, mid-19th century architectural form. The National Society of Colonial Dames takes credit for its perfect preservation and shows off its collection of Colonial and Federal period antiques on the second and fourth Thursdays and second Sundays of the month from noon to 3 p.m. Continue on Union and turn right (south) on Van Ness. The Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral [9] at Van Ness and Green was built in 1909 following the destruction of the original cathedral on Washington Square in 1906. Combining Baroque and Byzantine elements, the Cathedrals bell tower holds a 5000-pound bell cast in Moscow in 1888, a gift from Czar Alexander III. Retrace your steps to the corner of Union and Van Ness, where the Muni 45-Union-Stockton bus stops to bring you back downtown.
Distance: 22 blocks.
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