Architecture Wednesday: San Francisco Italianate Victorian

956 South Van Ness is a historic grand Italianate Victorian built in 1872 by noted architect Edward Leodore Mayberry. Nearly 150 years later it was the subject of an extensive 2-year restoration and renovation that honored its history & artistic accents while upgrading the interior for modern living and fully upgrading all systems including the foundation, electrical, & plumbing. This is now a truly unique home, unlike any other on the market where high design meets functionality and quintessential San Francisco living.

The main level is an entertainer’s dream with grand living and dining rooms—all with soaring ceilings—a chef’s kitchen and family room combination and a sun-filled walkout garden. Up the original preserved staircase are three bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom, and a large, finished attic with its own full bathroom, offering space for a rec room, media room, or guest bedroom.

The lower level was completely built out for additional living space—a bedroom and full bath or a future ADU with plumbing for a small kitchen. Additional features of this spectacular, fully-detached home include a two-car side-by-side garage, an 800-bottle wine room … I’m in heaven … two laundry rooms and abundant storage.

I love the glitz and glamor of the interiors and the fabulous tiles used in the baths; normally I don’t like dark trim and light walls but in this house it works. Things I don’t care for? No elevator. If I’m on the second floor and want a bottle of wine, am I schlepping down and then back up two flights of stairs? Well, of course I am but I’ll be kvetching about it the entire time. I am also unhappy about the garage being placed right in front of the house—though I know that was the only space for it—because it masks that fabulous black exterior.

One more quibble … the four bedroom, five-and-one-half bathroom, 5,158 square foot home sold for $4.5M … before I could scrape together my coins!!!

Dwell