Trav and I took ourselves on a walking tour of Pacific Heights last weekend. Pacific Heights is one of San Francisco's older, more affluent neighborhoods with a view of the bay and Golden Gate bridge. Here's a sampling of San Francisco's architectural heritage:
The Haas-Lilienthal House
This Victorian mansion is a proud manifestation of the American dream. William Haas was born on April 24th, 1849 in the village of Reckendorf, Bavaria to a family of modest means and many children. In 1865, sixteen-year-old Wiliam and his older brother Abraham sailed for New York City. Three years later he arrived in San Francisco and joined the grocery firm of Loupe and Hass where he made his fortune. The house is now open as a museum with weekly Saturday tours.
The Spreckels Manse
The Beaux-Arts Spreckels Mansion was built by sugar magnate Claus Spreckels for his lovely new wife, Alma le Normand de Bretteville. Alma, born poor, created a considerable name for herself; as a struggling artist and famous beauty, she had begun a career as a nude model. Her frame is actually commemorated in Union Square, where she served as the model for the triumphant, torch-hoisting libertine atop the Roman pedestal in the center of the square. Claus Spreckels and Alma Spreckels became San Francisco's de facto royal couple, hosting the elite in their new mansion overlooking the bay. Romance novelist Danielle Steele now lives in this 55-room, white limestone mansion complete with a Louis XVI ballroom.
The Bourne Mansion
This especially creepy-looking mansion sits next to the Italian Consulate, at the top of Webster Street.
William Bourne, built his Mansion in 1896. He made his money in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush. Bourne was on his way to England to study when he heard that his father had died. He turned back and took over his father's business. He never made it to England. Instead, he built up what eventually became Pacific Gas and Electric ("PG&E") and he owned the Spring Valley Water Company which provided the water to San Francisco.
The only person living inside the 27-room Bourn Mansion is Arden Van Upp, along with her white Chinchilla Persian cats. She's lived there for 25 years, a small-town girl from Vallejo who came to San Francisco and reinvented herself as a wealthy landlord and society eccentric.
According to San Francisco weekly, the Bourne Manison with its enormous second-floor ballroom, and two-story stained-glass windows, was an ideal place for throwing wild parties in the '70s. Celebrities showed up: the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, the Pointer Sisters. But that's all over now. The four-story Bourn Mansion stands in extreme disrepair. An estimated $2 million of work is needed to meet earthquake safety codes, more than the building is worth. The roof leaks and the wallpaper peels. Recent visitors say everything stinks of cat urine. The back yard is knee-deep in weeds, and garbage is heaped in a compost pile. Raccoons poke around in the filth. The party's over.
William Bourne, built his Mansion in 1896. He made his money in the aftermath of the California Gold Rush. Bourne was on his way to England to study when he heard that his father had died. He turned back and took over his father's business. He never made it to England. Instead, he built up what eventually became Pacific Gas and Electric ("PG&E") and he owned the Spring Valley Water Company which provided the water to San Francisco.
The only person living inside the 27-room Bourn Mansion is Arden Van Upp, along with her white Chinchilla Persian cats. She's lived there for 25 years, a small-town girl from Vallejo who came to San Francisco and reinvented herself as a wealthy landlord and society eccentric.
According to San Francisco weekly, the Bourne Manison with its enormous second-floor ballroom, and two-story stained-glass windows, was an ideal place for throwing wild parties in the '70s. Celebrities showed up: the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, the Pointer Sisters. But that's all over now. The four-story Bourn Mansion stands in extreme disrepair. An estimated $2 million of work is needed to meet earthquake safety codes, more than the building is worth. The roof leaks and the wallpaper peels. Recent visitors say everything stinks of cat urine. The back yard is knee-deep in weeds, and garbage is heaped in a compost pile. Raccoons poke around in the filth. The party's over.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.
Not just the title of a movie and New York Times best seller - the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill are for reals! They are red masked parakeets, also called Cherry Headed Conures. The birds came from escaped and deliberately released pets in the 1990s, and they apparently quickly found an ecological niche. The flock started out with a single breeding pair, and by 2005, the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill had exceeded 200 birds.
We took this shot over by Coit Tower - the 210 foot Art Deco monument to San Francisco's firefighters built by the eccentric heiress Lillie Coit in 1933 (somehow we didn't get a shot of that though)
A view of the bay - and my head - from the atop Pacific Heights
A passing street car...
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