A Hefty Price Hike When a Victorian Comes Back on the Market
When this house sold in 2011, it fetched $1,345,000. Now, it's back on the market, but this time it's asking for $2,595,000. Anywhere else, that might seem like a bit much; but in San Francisco, where some real estate agencies report prices up 40 to 50 percent in the last four years, it's pretty much par for the course.
The house has a lot going for it, but because of its aesthetic mix, it will attract people who prefer a transitional style (a mix of classic and contemporary.
What $2,600/Month Rents You in San Francisco
Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what one can rent for a set dollar amount in various San Francisco neighborhoods. Is one man's studio another man's townhouse? Let's find out! Today's price: $2,600.
↑ In the Outer Richmond and directly across the street from Golden Gate Park is this 1-bedroom loft asking $2,599/month. Highlights include a vaulted ceiling and a wood burning fireplace. The location also means Golden Gate Park is your front yard and Ocean Beach is only a few blocks away. No pets, but parking and laundry is in the building.
Eight Times a Week, the Grandest Chandelier in SF Falls Down
Photos by Adam Brinklow
Every major Broadway musical comes with technical challenges, but only one calls on the crew to take a 1,500-pound piece of scenery that shoots fire and suspend it over the audience's heads.
The Phantom of the Opera, back at the Orpheum through October 4, came with a highly singular design challenge when it was conceived almost 30 years ago: The French novel on which it's based featured a scene where a gigantic chandelier crashes onto an unsuspecting theater audience. How to recreate such a spectacle onstage? Well, how about building a gigantic chandelier, hanging it high in the theater, and actually dropping it every single night? That's what the show's original producers decided to do, and the effect became the centerpiece of its success, every bit as much a star as the leads.
Housing Activists Say Sue the Suburbs, Starting with Lafayette
A rendering of proposed housing, via O'Brien Homes
San Francisco magazine is reporting that the East Bay community of Lafayette could be in the legal crosshairs of the pro-housing San Francisco group, San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation (SFBARF). According to the magazine's website, the unfortunately acronymed organization is trying to drum up plaintiffs and funding to sue Lafayette, a city of less than 25,000, for not creating more housing. Why would they care, you may ask? The group contends that by not building more homes, suburban communities are contributing to the housing shortage and higher rents throughout the region.
Which of These California Homes is the Most Out There?
Imagine you have around a bag of money to spend on a place and you've narrowed it down to two pretty out there California homes. How do you make up your mind? Why not throw them in the ring, hand each one a metaphorical weapon, and see which one pleases you more when forced to fight to the death—that's right, readers: it's time for Real Estate Death Match, wonky California home edition!
Houses: Mojave Desert Saucer House/Bay Area Flintstone House
Prices: $650,000/$4,200,000
Beds, Baths: 2, 2/2, 3
Prices: $650,000/$4,200,000
Beds, Baths: 2, 2/2, 3
Curbed's Guide to Architectural Tourism Across the Country
Courtesy One World Observatory
You can scan social media and admire great architecture and design from afar, but there's something to be said about seeing a great work in its natural environment. With Labor Day weekend nearly here, summer may be drawing to a close, but you can still get site-specific with pilgrimages to architectural masterpieces, or make time for urban innovations during your next long weekend out of town. We've assembled a list of some of the best tours, sites and buildings for architecturally-minded travelers to add to their itinerary.
Stunning Drone Footage of Apple's New Campus
Via YouTube
Some call Apple's mammoth new campus a doughnut, some call it a spaceship—but whatever you call it, it's taking shape in Cupertino. The Verge, one of Curbed's sister sites, published a new video from drone pilot and photographer Duncan Sinfield that shows how the campus began and how it's growing, and the footage is mesmerizing.
Some call Apple's mammoth new campus a doughnut, some call it a spaceship—but whatever you call it, it's taking shape in Cupertino. The Verge, one of Curbed's sister sites, published a new video from drone pilot and photographer Duncan Sinfield that shows how the campus began and how it's growing, and the footage is mesmerizing.
Also fascinating are the stats. According to The Verge, the new building will contain: 2.8 million square feet, room for 13,000 employees, a 1,000-square-foot auditorium, and 300,000-square-feet worth of R&D space. The building, designed by Foster + Partners, will generate 100 percent of its own power from renewable sources and is scheduled to open in 2016 or in early 2017. Total building costs are estimated at $5 billion.
Developer Carmel Partners has been chosen to build up to 600 new units on a site currently owned by the city at 30 Van Ness, at the corner of Market. A tower of up to 400 feet is expected to rise, but not any time soon—the current building can't come down until at least 2019 when the city agencies that now occupy it vacate. The sale of the site will help the city pay for the construction of new offices nearby at the big mixed-use development taking shape on the Goodwill site. [SF Business Times]Own an Island in the San Francisco Bay, Asking Price: $5M
If you dream of owning your own island within an easy commute, now is your chance. The price for Red Rock Island, a six-acre isle in the waters just south of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge has been slashed to $5 million. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, it first listed for $22 million in 2012, and when you put it that way, it seems like a bargain.
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Say Farewell to 'Million Dollar Listing SF', At Least for Now
Last night, we bid farewell to Million Dollar Listing San Francisco's debut season in a flurry of shouting matches, deals, and attempted emotional closings. And while the episode provoked the usual amount of eye-rolling at the dramatics of its star agents, it also inspired a few genuine giggles (although not ones that could challenge Justin's signature cackle). There were no new properties on the finale episode, so we had to focus on all of the drama this time around. San Francisco's Median Rent Hits Yet Another New High
It's time again for the ever-terrifying monthly rental report from rental website Zumper, and the news for tenants is, as always, not so good. During August, San Francisco continued its reign as the most expensive city in the country by a wide margin. The median rent for a one-bedroom, based on Zumper's listings, hit a new record high at $3,530, up 0.9 percent over the previous month and 13.9 percent over August 2014. However, San Francisco isn't alone in its big annual rent increases—fourteen cities saw double digit growth over the past year. Another Drone Video Reminds Us Why We Love San Francisco
via YouTube
We admit, we are suckers for a good drone video of San Francisco. The latest to come across our screen is from Blue Mantle Media, and it's one of those things that makes you feel good about living here. It's done by Holly and Matt Coakley and their daughter Cecilia; a trio that travelled across the country this spring and summer making aerial videos of cities they visited. They shot this piece back in April and May over the course of four days using a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter. On their website, Holly writes: "I hope I was able to do the city justice." We think they nailed it.
Glass House Sculpture Gallery Restoration Preserving a Philip Johnson Masterwork
An archival photo from 1970 shows the interior of Philip Johnson's Sculpture Gallery, the largest building on the Glass House site. Its design was inspired by the Greek Islands. All photos by Horst Hahn and images courtesy the Glass House.
It would be fair to say the Sculpture Gallery at the Glass House estate has always stood in the shadow of the main residence, Philip Johnson's most famous work and one of the country's pre-eminent modern homes. But a new restoration of the asymmetrical, white brick studio shows the intricately designed project, with a unique roof that creates an arresting display of light and shadow within, is worthy of its own spotlight. Johnson himself supposedly once expressed a desire to live in the Sculpture Gallery full time, eventually rejecting the idea of relocating with the question, "Where would I have put the sculpture?"
A New Guide Points to Buildings That Unlock SF's Secret Past
No one knows San Francisco like John King, the San Francisco Chronicle's Urban Design Critic for the last 14 years. Not only has he covered the massive changes brought about by development, he's written his second guidebook to SF's architecture. Cityscapes2: Reading the Architecture of San Francisco is a must for anyone who loves design, architecture, and history. Our favorite section is Clues, a chapter that looks at buildings that carry information about the city's past. "The longer you do a column like mine, looking at individual slices of the city, the more you see," says King. "The links between buildings aren't necessarily related to size or style or age, but the marks left by cultural trends or even the way that old building reveals different aspects as the neighbors around it change." Hillsborough's Flintstone House On Market, Asks For $4.2M
The landmark Flintstone House is indeed on the market for $4.2 million dollars, but unless you are a serious buyer, don't expect to visit. According to listing agent Judy Meuschke of Alain Pinel Realtors, there will be no open houses or agent tours; and only serious buyers for the 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom dwelling need inquire.
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- EditorMary Jo Bowling
- Associate EditorTracy Elsen
- Features EditorSara Polsky
- PhotographerPatricia Chang
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