The Gilded Age Gems of the Dean of American Architecture, Richard Morris Hunt
Clockwise from top left: The Biltmore Estate, theColumbian Exposition Administration Building, the Stuyvesant Apartments, The New York Tribune Building.
"The first thing you've got to remember is that it's your client's money you're spending. Your goal is to achieve the best results by following their wishes. If they want you to built a house upside down standing on its chimney, it's up to you to do it."
Not surprisingly, one of the men most associated with Gilded Age mansions and design, Richard Morris Hunt, made that observation about the role of an architect. And while that quote may be interpreted as deference to the whims of wealthy clients, Hunt, and his very eclectic body of work, was about much, much more than ostentatious displays of wealth. And while mansions and homes for the wealthy remain his best-known works, his breadth of styles, as well as range of projects, make him an important contributor to urban design as well as some of the country's best-loved landmarks.
East Bay Home with History Hits Market, Asks $2.895M
Photos via Alain Pinel
According to an East Bay historian, this Piedmont home was "quite the showplace" when it was built back in 1941, finished just two days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Oakland Cultural Heritage Survey's Gail G. Lombardi says that house at 2 Lexford Road was designed by prominent architect Irwin Johnson for Dr. Harrison J. Kolb, a serious collector of Asian art. The doctor's love for the style is evident throughout in details that must have made the home very personal to him.
Dated Hayes Valley Days Inn Could Make Way for Bigger Hotel
Photo via Google MapsIf you've walked through booming Hayes Valley recently, you may have thought that the Days Inn on Grove Street looks a little out of place in an increasingly upscale neighborhood. The 47-room motel has been around since 1960, when it was a roadside motel convenient to Central Freeway. Now, the freeway is long gone, and the Days Inn may be on its way out, too. Preliminary plans have been filed to tear down the motel and replace it with a five-story, 158-room hotel.
Pacific Heights Home Mixes Elegance, Playfulness, and Color
Welcome to House Calls, a recurring feature in which Curbed tours lovely, offbeat, or otherwise awesome homes in the Bay Area. Think your space should be featured next? Here's how to submit.
Photos by Patricia Chang
You could say that Kim Bachmann's San Francisco home mirrors the clothes she creates. The fashion designer behind Kim and Proper is known for dresses that are, in her words, equal parts "tradition, modern, practical, and glamour." She's designed her home to reflect the same easy and elegant style. "The dresses are meant to be thrown on with confidence and then forgotten while one lives their life," she says. "My house is the same way. I love the way it looks, but I don't want to feel like it's a stage set or something too precious."
Photos by Patricia Chang
You could say that Kim Bachmann's San Francisco home mirrors the clothes she creates. The fashion designer behind Kim and Proper is known for dresses that are, in her words, equal parts "tradition, modern, practical, and glamour." She's designed her home to reflect the same easy and elegant style. "The dresses are meant to be thrown on with confidence and then forgotten while one lives their life," she says. "My house is the same way. I love the way it looks, but I don't want to feel like it's a stage set or something too precious."
Queen Anne Done Up in Designer Style Looks for $2.695M
From the outside, the Queen Anne at 179 Carl Street is completely true to its Victorian origins. Inside, however, modern designer touches mix with the home's period details in a carefully curated blend. The updates are among the most interesting we've ever seen, in fact. The dining room in particular stands out. Its built-in shelving and tiled fireplace have been complemented with dramatic metallic yellow wallpaper, a modern light fixture, and furniture that looks so specifically made for the room that it's a shame to imagine it won't come with the place. Super Bowl Gridiron Gridlock Starts Today in San Francisco
NB Embarcadero open. Only SB closed around Super Bowl City. pic.twitter.com/3vI6ZYldHy
— Kristen Sze (@abc7kristensze) January 25, 2016
Judging by field and news reports, you may be reading this on a crammed bus, a packed train, or a filled ferry. If so, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. As we reported last week, street closures began today as San Francisco readies itself for the city's part of the big game, including Super Bowl City, an entertainment venue centered in Justin Herman Plaza. Last week, we speculated traffic might be a mess, and that prediction seems to be coming true.El Niño Is Threatening to Pull These Houses Off Pacifica's Cliffs
Photo via WikipediaEl Niño is delighting snow-seekers and filling reservoirs, but its strong rains and powerful waves are also threatening to cause several apartment buildings in Pacifica to go tumbling down the city's bluffs. The weather and waves have been eroding the cliffs along Esplanade and Palmetto avenues, and the city officially declared a state of emergency on Friday.
California Ski Areas Have Already Received Twice as Much Snow as They Did Last Winter
Give thanks to El Niño, Ullr the snow god, or your local weather forecaster: the Lake Tahoe region and the Eastern Sierra have already received twice as much snow this winter as they did last winter. We're not saying that the California drought is over (this year's record-breaking El Niño can't solve that), but even an average year at this point would be amazing for California skiers and snowboarders.
Is This Bernal Fixer Really Looking for Just $599K?
Bernal Heights is one of the most flip-friendly neighborhoods in San Francisco, with fixer-upper homes selling for lots of cash just to be renovated and then sold for even more money. A tiny cottage with plywood walls went for $1.2 million last year, and we'd expect the three-bedroom at 120 Brewster Street to be looking for at least a few hundred thousand dollars more than the $599,000 price it's asking. 
POPULAR
Piecing Together the Past and Present at Lenox Stained Glass
John Lenox uses Old World techniques to restore old stained glass windows and create new ones; photos via Patricia Chang
Lenox Stained Glass has been at its current location at 1840 Clement Street for over three years, but it still looks like they are just moving in in. "Every year I tell myself I'm going to straighten the place up. Every year I say, this is going to be the year," says owner John Lenox.
Lenox is a packrat by nature. The further back in the studio you go, the more there is. He knows he ought to do something about it, but he has years upon years of treasure here, rare and finely crafted glass of species and styles that they simply don't make anymore.
Neighborhood Groups Oppose Whole Foods at Lombardi Sports
Photo via Lombardi SportsWhen Whole Foods announced that they were planning one of their new, lower-cost 365 Markets for the former Lombardi Sports at Polk and Jackson Streets, we wondered if neighbors would react with the same level of disdain that they showed for a Target proposed for the site last year. Now, the Middle Polk Neighborhood Association and Polk District Merchants Association have voiced their opposition in a letter to Supervisor Aaron Peskin this week that argued that there are already enough grocers in the area.
Local Storms and East Coast Snow Make For a Mess at SFO
SFO is expected to get hit with rain and wind this afternoon; photo via NYC Aviation
Earlier this week, we reported that more El Niño storms would be blowing through today. So far, it's the trickle down effect from the massive winter storms poised to hit the East Coast that are causing bigger problems. According to a report on SFGate, San Francisco International Airport was reporting around 100 cancelled flights and predicting delays of up to three hours later in the day.
Elegant Edwardian Condo in Pacific Heights Asks $1.899M
At first glance, 2243 Franklin Street appears to be a grand old home. In fact, it is a few grand old homes (plural). There are three full-floor condos behind the elegant doors of this Edwardian building, and one of them is for sale—specifically, the one on the top floor. The exterior of this building is richly ornamented, with a zig-zag dental, a pair of Ionic pillars, and several plaster medallions. Some of those kinds of details also appear on the interior.
Get Ready: Super Bowl Street Closures Start Tomorrow
Image via SFMTAThe Super Bowl isn't until February 7, but if you thought you had a few more weeks until the city went nuts, think again. Street closures start tomorrow as downtown shuts down to begin setup for Super Bowl City. And if you're hoping to avoid the madness by taking Muni, biking, or even walking, you're out of luck. The detours and closures will affect everyone headed downtown, and probably even those who stay away from the heart of downtown won't be immune.
A Charming Cow Hollow Home has Curb Appeal, Asks $2.9M
Let's be clear: This isn't one of those colorful Victorians that inspire tourist postcards. Rather, this is a sweet Victorian cottage. However, the house at 113 Pixley Street has some brawny exterior molding that surely makes passersby do a double take. The sawtooth trim that lines the gable of the roof and makes a peak over each window on the front exterior gives the place an appealing character.
SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
FOLLOW CURBED SF
Follow On
- They Like Eich: How Midcentury House Designer Joseph Eichler Made a Comeback
- A San Francisco Architect Is Reframing Design for the Blind
- SF Housing Activist-Poet Tackles Gentrification in Verse
- How Julia Morgan Gave California Women Space for Leisure
- Laura Crescimano's 'Pipe Dream' Is to Redefine Architecture
- Inside San Francisco's Most Mysterious Castle
Your answer to the question, "Where should I stay in the Bay Area?"
NEWS BY NEIGHBORHOOD
MASTHEAD
- EditorMary Jo Bowling
- Associate EditorTracy Elsen
- Features EditorSara Polsky
- PhotographerPatricia Chang
- PublisherVox Media
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
All archivesFROM OUR PARTNERS
PREFERENCES
Open external links in new tabs?
Get daily updates and breaking news alerts from Curbed SF delivered straight to your inbox:
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave a comment-- or suggestions, particularly of topics and places you'd like to see covered