American Institute of Architects San Francisco

Call for 2020 San Francisco Living: Home Tours Proposals Open!

Extended Deadline: Thursday, April 30, 11:59 PM PST

Submission Process

  • Submit a project  by creating an account and completing the submission form;
  • Submissions are open to all AIA Members;  JOIN or RENEW your membership
  • Project must be located in the city and county of San Francisco;
  • Proposals will be reviewed and selected by AIASF’s Housing sub-committee and all applications will be notified of status of acceptance or decline no later than June 2020. There is no application fee to submit a proposal;
  • Take a look at  previous San Francisco Living: Home Tours for inspirations.

About San Francisco Living: Home Tours

Started in San Francisco in 2004, AIASF’s Home Tours program is the first tour series of its kind in the Bay Area to promote a wide variety of architectural styles, neighborhoods, and residences — all from the architect’s point of view. Projects are showcased via an open house format and tour participants have the opportunity to see some of the region’s latest projects from the inside out, meet design teams, explore housing trends, and discover design solutions that inspire unique ways of living.

This is an excellent opportunity for architects and homeowners to showcase the positive impact of great residential design in San Francisco and demonstrate the ways design contributes to an improved quality of our daily lives. Members and nonmembers are encouraged to apply.

Specifically, the tour aims to:

  • Celebrate great design in the region, revealing ways it continues to contribute to our unique quality of life.
  • Promote the awareness, understanding, appreciation, and experience of excellent design.
  • Engage the community in a conversation about residential design and connection with the surrounding environment.
  • Provide insights into the design process with pre-tour lectures and opportunities to interact with architects and designers on-site during the tour.
  • Demonstrate the positive impact of great design as it contributes to our economy, environment, and community identity.
  • Highlight the innovative talent of our local design community and inspire a new generation of architects to explore the field.

Presented by AIA San Francisco and the  Center for Architecture + Design , the annual  San Francisco Living: Home Tours program is an open house event featuring a select number of modern residences. As the first tour program in the Bay Area to promote residential design from the architect’s point of view, this popular event showcases a variety of architectural styles, neighborhoods, and residences, including single-family homes, multi-family complexes, affordable housing, and contemporary renovations. Tour participants see some of the latest residential projects from the inside out, meet design teams, explore housing trends, and discover innovative design solutions that inspire unique modern living.

Annabelle Udo-O’Malley Manager, Public Programs [email protected]

sf home tour

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Sausalito Floating Homes Tour

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Tour a Dream San Francisco Home That’s All About Great Marble

By Rachel Gallaher

Photography by Michael Clifford

Tour a Dream San Francisco Home Thats All About Great Marble

When a young San Francisco couple—a venture capitalist wife and tech executive husband, who met at a startup more than a decade ago—purchased their first home together in 2015, the small Laurel Heights condo was perfect for just the two of them. Looking to create a special first place together, the couple hired interior designer Lauren Nelson of Lauren Nelson Design to help them remodel the space with contemporary interiors anchored by a palette of blue, gray, and white. In the years following the renovation came an engagement, a marriage, and the couple’s first child—a baby girl.

“Fast-forward to 2020,” the wife says, “[and we are] now married, trapped indoors with a one-year-old in said condo during COVID. We longed for more space and a backyard and began the search during lockdown.”

The couple had always dreamed of owning a home in Presidio Heights—a family-friendly neighborhood that borders the Presidio: a 1,500-acre national park at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. So, when a property with a classic 1930s Colonial Revival–style house became available just two blocks from the park, they jumped on the chance to view it. “When we saw this house come on the market, on the same block our family friends live on, and a few short blocks from my sister and her family, we just had a feeling this was our house,” the wife recalls.

The home’s stately exterior would remain, but the interiors needed a reconfiguration. “It hadn’t been touched in decades,” the client says, “and needed quite a bit of work not only due to general upkeep but also some bizarre design choices—like a tiny primary bathroom with one sink and then a random ‘bonus’ sink in the primary closet.”

“The language of the house was good, but the scale of the rooms wasn’t great,” explains architect Stephen Sutro, who, with Melissa Kim of Sutro Architects , helped Nelson and the clients rethink the layout. “Our goal was to design a home that would serve the functional interests of a growing family—when the children are little, you need more visual control of them, but as they grow up, they can have a separate space in the house to retreat to with their friends,” Sutro explains.

Nelson tapped into the client’s love of French design to create a sophisticated but non-fussy aesthetic. “We appreciated the home’s classic architecture,” Nelson says, “and we didn’t want every room to feel like a white box—we wanted something a bit more traditional balanced by modern details. Each room has its own identity.”

What started as a nip here and a tuck there turned into a full-gut remodel, with the design team opening up the back of the house and adding glass-and-steel bifold doors in the kitchen to establish a connection with the backyard and allowing in more natural light. Plaster, marble (nine different varieties), and patterned wallpaper bring color and texture to every room, creating a rich background for a mix of custom, vintage, and ready-made furniture.

“The search for stone was our biggest challenge,” Nelson says, noting that she and the client shopped locally for material and also flew to New York, which is where they ultimately found the Calacatta Turquoise marble used for the custom bi-level, cantilever island, backsplash, and counters in the kitchen. “We said, Let’s not rush, we’re not going to buy anything unless we’re in love with it. The client’s sister found this stone, and it ended up being a diamond in the rough.”

The ground-floor public zones—living room, dining room, and kitchen—are anchored in detail, such as decorative moldings, parquet oak flooring, and a selection of Benjamin Moore paint that brings in the client’s love of color. A family room connected to the kitchen has built-in seating backed with mountain-themed Zoffany wallpaper. The dining room—one of the client’s favorite spaces in the home—was previously located at the back of the house, but Sutro moved it toward the interior, as “this tends to be where people spend the least amount of time,” she says. Rounding out the space are custom, hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, a Lindsey Adelman chandelier, and a custom stone table. The original fireplace remains in the formal living room, but Nelson paired it with a modern marble mantle and vintage wrought-iron stools.

“Lauren said that the key was layering different periods and styles so nothing felt too ‘one-note,’” says the client, “and you wouldn’t instantly associate the home with a particular decade. This is how we’ll be able to stay in the house for 5, 10, or 20 years without it feeling dated.”

Upstairs, the primary suite is a study in softness—the plaster walls and soft gray and lavender tones inspire relaxation, while a custom mohair-upholstered bed frame adds whimsy. The client’s preschool-aged daughter helped choose the color scheme for her and her little brother’s rooms—purple and blue, respectively. The formerly unfinished basement is now a dramatic lounge, painted in a deep, jewel-toned green, with a custom, curving mohair-upholstered sofa. It’s a slight nod to the couple’s previous apartment, which had a more overtly glamorous look.

“It was fun to see this house evolve in style compared to their last one,” Nelson says. “It’s a more grown-up version of the condo, but it still captures their well-traveled, sophisticated personalities.”

Aside from a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore paint Shoreline for the walls and Boothbay Gray for the trim and shutters the...

Aside from a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore paint ( Shoreline for the walls and Boothbay Gray for the trim and shutters), the exterior of this 1930s home in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights neighborhood remains mostly untouched. Inspired by the wavy iron balusters seen throughout the French countryside, the homeowners opted for a similar detail on either side of their entryway stairs.

The reconfigured central staircase creates a strikingly dramatic curve in the entryway. A Rachel Doneth Wave chair is a...

The reconfigured central staircase creates a strikingly dramatic curve in the entryway. A Rachel Doneth Wave chair is a nod to the balusters leading up to the front door. Ochre Eucalyptus wall lights give the space an organic touch.

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The homeowners a married couple with two small children wanted a formal living room in addition to the more relaxed...

The homeowners, a married couple with two small children, wanted a formal living room in addition to the more relaxed sitting area near the kitchen. Located at the front of the home, it takes inspiration from classic Parisian design with a mix of vintage and custom pieces. Travertine coffee tables from Form Los Angeles balance wool sheer window treatments and velvet upholstery. The original fireplace has a modern Arabescato Apuano mantle.

An alcove in the living room serves as a nook where the homeowner sorts mail and writes thankyou notes. An Arcade chair...

An alcove in the living room serves as a nook where the homeowner sorts mail and writes thank-you notes. An Arcade chair by Design Frères is upholstered in a mohair fabric by Opuzen .

Done up in custom de Gournay wallpaper the dining room is anchored by a custom stone table around which sits a set of...

Done up in custom de Gournay wallpaper, the dining room is anchored by a custom stone table, around which sits a set of vintage Giuseppe Scapinelli dining chairs. “I’ve long dreamed of a dining room with hand-painted de Gournay chinoiserie wallpaper,” the homeowner says, “and I just love the combination of old and new with the vintage dining chairs, modern light fixture, vintage-inspired cabinet and wallpaper, and showstopping custom marble table—which required seven [people] to carry inside!”

In the ground floor powder room more custom wallpaper—this one by Anna Glover—makes its mark bejeweled with a set of...

In the ground floor powder room, more custom wallpaper—this one by Anna Glover —makes its mark, bejeweled with a set of vintage Murano sconces. Waterworks burnished brass fixtures and a vintage Italian brass wall mirror round out the room.

“The client wanted a cantilevered allstone island” says interior designer Lauren Nelson of the Calacatta Turquoise...

“The client wanted a cantilevered all-stone island,” says interior designer Lauren Nelson of the Calacatta Turquoise structure. “She wanted to make it a statement piece. In the beginning, it seemed like a simple task, but it was a matter of fine-tuning the thickness and the depth to make sure everything fit proportionally.” Plaster walls in a dove-gray hue soften the space, and a John Pomp Calla Mobile chandelier in satin brass adds elegance.

“I love the kitchenfamily room” the homeowner says of the dualpurpose space. “We cook breakfast and make coffee in the...

“I love the kitchen/family room,” the homeowner says of the dual-purpose space. “We cook breakfast and make coffee in the mornings while our kids jump on the built-in couch and get their toys in and out of the built-in drawers.” In this cozy nook Nelson painted the ceilings with Simply White and the cabinets with Nimbus (both Benjamin Moore colors). The artful Sansui wallpaper by Zoffany adds depth, while the David Weeks Treble sconce is a modern detail.

A calming retreat for the parents of two young children the primary bedroom features plaster walls and a customdesigned...

A calming retreat for the parents of two young children, the primary bedroom features plaster walls and a custom-designed bedframe upholstered in Opuzen mohair. “The happiest surprise of the demo stage was discovering that the ceilings in the primary bedroom had originally been much higher,” the homeowner says, “and being able to capture some of that additional space, giving us the ceiling height we needed for a gorgeous vintage Murano chandelier.”

To lean into the clients French inspiration Nelson convinced her to stray from her beloved honeystained oak flooring  in...

To lean into the client’s French inspiration, Nelson convinced her to stray from her beloved honey-stained oak flooring (seen throughout the home) in favor of a darker finish. To balance the look, the shower is Calacatta Monet marble from Pietra Fina .

The double vanity in the primary bathroom allows the couple to get ready together. Nelson suggested a piece without rows...

The double vanity in the primary bathroom allows the couple to get ready together. Nelson suggested a piece without rows of drawers for a lighter look, but the clients worried about sacrificing storage space. The designer’s solution was a trio of custom mirrors that hide tall medicine cabinets. The hardware and plumbing fixtures are brass.

The preschoolaged daughter had a lot of input about her room. “She was such a joy to be around and she has so much...

The preschool-aged daughter had a lot of input about her room. “She was such a joy to be around, and she has so much personality!” says Nelson. “She had a lot of opinions when it came to her room. Purple and butterflies were the theme.” Benjamin Moore’s Affinity and a Stark Harlow Rug bring in the girl’s beloved color.

The purple theme continues in the daughters bathroom with Ann Sacks Provençal Field tile in the shower. Glass cabinet...

The purple theme continues in the daughter’s bathroom, with Ann Sacks Provençal Field tile in the shower. Glass cabinet knobs from Rejuvenation add a touch of glam.

In the sons room whimsical aviationthemed wallpaper by Lee Joffa pairs with Allied Maker lighting for a youthful look...

In the son’s room, whimsical aviation-themed wallpaper by Lee Joffa pairs with Allied Maker lighting for a youthful look that’s not too precious.

The basement is now a lounge done up in jewel tones. The custom sofa is a piece for which the couple both had strong...

The basement is now a lounge, done up in jewel tones. The custom sofa is a piece for which the couple both had strong opinions: She wanted style, he wanted comfort. Upholstered in deep-green mohair and with plenty of room to spread out, the finished piece checks all the boxes. More Calacatta Monet marble makes an appearance, and doors are bordered with hand-painted Porter Teleo Matrice wallpaper .

In the downstairs powder room dark blue plaster walls are a backdrop for the playful Shape Up pendant from Ladies ...

In the downstairs powder room, dark blue plaster walls are a backdrop for the playful Shape Up pendant from Ladies & Gentleman Studio and a vintage Reverse Teardrop Italian mirror.

Inside a ’70s-Style River Island Home Outside Portland, Oregon

By Michelle Duncan

Tour a Sophisticated Atherton, California, Home With a Storybook Guesthouse

By Mayer Rus

Tour a Glimmering Historic Home on Gramercy Park

By David Sokol

Tour an Artful Manhattan Home That’s All About Peace and Serenity

By Troy J. McMullen

Peer inside some of the grandest private Victorian homes in San Francisco

A woman in a white dress and hat sits on a white sofa in a Victorian home filled with antiques.

  • Copy link to this article

There’s nary a nightclub in San Francisco’s Alamo Square, but on Sunday evening, lines stretching for more than two blocks prompted passing cyclists and cars to ask the same question: What was everyone waiting around for? 

The grand attraction was a holiday home tour of five of the city’s stateliest Victorians—private homes not typically open to the public—festooned with elaborate Christmas displays that took days to prepare.  

People stand in line outside on a city block where there is an open garage.

“There was a lot of pent-up demand,” said Joe Mallet, president of the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco , which organized the tour. 

While the group has organized numerous home tours in the past—typically in October—this is the first holiday-themed tour and also the first since the pandemic. 

Nearly 1,000 people turned out to peer inside the spectacular homes, with the $50 price of admission benefiting the Victorian Alliance. The group has raised and given away nearly $500,000 since its founding, said member Jim Warshell, who opened his home at 700 Hayes St., known as the Fisk House , for touring. 

An antique wooden bed has a collection of antique objects on it, including vintage dolls and Christmas decorations.

“It’s about education,” he said, and “getting people inside so they are more interested in preserving them.” 

The other goal, Warshell said, is raising money to preserve and restore Victorian structures. A fleet of docents, many of them dressed in period costume, was on hand to guide tourgoers and introduce the cluster of five historic homes on the self-paced walk. The long lines—people waited upward of 30 minutes to enter 712 Steiner St., the Blue Painted Lady of Alamo Square —had the upside of encouraging people to make new friends and even share some vodka. 

“Every house has a surprise,” said Adam Klafter, the alliance’s vice president. “They all have something different to offer.” 

A person walks down a flight of stars.

Multiple houses had still-functional gas light fixtures, with living rooms illuminated by the flickering glow of yesteryear. Others had operational coal stoves. At 700 Hayes St., the owners set the dining table with a place card for every previous owner. Another house—813 Grove St.—had the owners pouring deliciously strong eggnog. 

But the most astonishing of the homes was the Italianate confection at 824 Grove St., known as the Brune-Reutlinger House. Longtime homeowner Richard Reutlinger, who died in 2019, collected an impressive array of Victoriana over his more than five decades in the house, and the current owners are continuing his legacy. There’s a walnut Eastlake table that seats 22 people, a bedroom set previously owned by long-ago San Francisco Mayor Adolph Sutro and a player piano with vintage audio effects including hoof beats and pistol shots. 

A old suit hangs from a mannequin.

“He worked his butt off for 54 years,” owner Robert Pritchard said of Reutlinger. “He poured his blood into this house.” 

Though the tour was dizzying in its ornamental detail—from Limoges china to extinct mahogany, taxidermied squirrels to Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper —the lasting impression of the tour is not the fine furnishings but the ephemera as reflections of the personalities of the inhabitants, like San Francisco native Maurice Duran. 

Gallery of 6 photos

A window facing the street with pots, flowers, and a little Santa on the coutner.

Duran loves Christmas, and his house at 908 Steiner St. proves it—he travels every year to a small town near Yosemite to collect his 11-foot silvertip fir tree, and then decorates it with glass icicles and vintage bubble lights, ornaments that are on theme with the midcentury cookie jar collection that decorates the kitchen. 

“I grew up in the Excelsior, in the worst house on my block, and now I live in the best house on my block,” he said. “This is San Francisco.” 

Julie Zigoris can be reached at [email protected]

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SAN FRANCISCO LIVING: HOME TOURS

Aia san francisco and the center for architecture + design present the annual san francisco living: home tours , an open house event, featuring five outstanding modern homes. this popular program showcases a variety of architectural styles, neighborhoods, and residences -- including single-family homes and contemporary renovations. this is the first bay area tour series to promote residential design from the architect’s point of view., san francisco living: home tours, september 30, 2017, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm   last entry to homes at 3:45 pm.

Ticket pick-up at Home Tours Headquarters: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Cambria Gallery, 1045 Bryant Street

$70 AIA Member

$85 General Admission

$50 Full-time Students*  $50 Bicyclists*  

ONLINE SALES ENDED; WALK-UPS ONLY AT HOME TOURS HEADQUARTERS

   

Home Tours Happy Hour 4:00 – 6:00 PM

Free Admission:  Home Tours ticket holders 

General Admission: $10

After enjoying the San Francisco Living Home tours, participants are encouraged to join us back at the Home Tours Headquarters at Cambria Gallery to socialize, enjoy a happy hour of light refreshments, and talk about highlights of the day.

Architects' Forum

September 28 6:00 - 9:00 pm.

Free Admission:  Home Tours ticket holders [RSVP required by 5 PM, Tuesday, 9/26 ; limited capacity; ticketholders will be

notified with details]

Join this evening discussion featuring a presentation by the architects with projects on this year's San Francisco Living: Home Tours.

+ Throughout the day, participants can pick up or purchase tickets to the San Francisco Living: Home Tours at this year's Home Tours Headquarters at Cambria Gallery. 

+ Tickets are transferable but are nonrefundable. Tour proceeds rain or shine.

+ AIA San Francisco members must have a valid AIA member ID# to receive the member rate.

+ Residences are located throughout San Francisco. We encourage you to plan your day ahead of time.

+ Due to the hilly nature of the terrain, this tour is not ADA accessible. There will be multiple stairs and steep inclines and declines at several of the homes.

+ Because of limited street parking at the homes, some amount of walking may be required.

+ Tickets for students are $50 must be purchased in person (with a valid I.D.) at the AIASF office or on the day of the event.

+ Tickets for bicyclists are $50 must be purchased in person on the day of the event only.

+ Tickets can be picked up at the AIASF office starting Tuesday, September 26th or on the day of the event at Home Tours headquarters. Tickets will not be mailed.

+ No children under 12 years of age are permitted on the tours. Only infants that can be held in a carrier that is strapped onto an adult will be allowed inside of the homes.

sf home tour

AIA San Francisco Housing Committee

Paul Adamson, FAIA, 2017 Chair

2017 Home Tours Advisory Subcommittee

Vivian Dwyer, Principal, Dwyer Design

Robert Edmonds, AIA, Edmonds + Lee Architects

John Lum, AIA, Principal, John Lum Architecture

Barbara Shands, Principal, Shands Studio

Sarah Willmer, AIA, Principal, Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture

San Francisco Living: Home Tours is supported by AIA San Francisco’s Housing Committee which aspires to engage and educate members and the community through discussion, events, and informal sharing of expertise.

sf home tour

Cut Out House

Fougeron architecture.

The Cut Out House is a 2500 square foot, two bedroom complete remodel of a Victorian built over a century ago and previously untouched since the 1920s. In order to create a modern home, the existing interior structure had to be completely reorganized. The original flow was reversed, turning the back of the site into the main living area. Each floor is placed between three slots so that the home connects vertically rather than horizontally. Traditional Victorian homes often are poorly lit and are disconnected from floor to floor but by suspending floors, there is brightness and fluidity throughout the Cut Out House. In this exceptionally narrow lot (65 feet x 25 feet), solar orientation and natural light diffusion were paramount for making sure the home felt warm and open. By reconceptualizing the entire space itself and reversing the program orientation of the home, a traditional house is reinvented.

Images © Joe Fletcher

sf home tour

Glen Park Residence

Ccs architecture, cass calder smith.

The house was created for everyday living, intimate meetings, and occasional entertaining.  It’s meant to be a ‘place’ to share ideas with others and foster a sense of community. Architecturally, the building is designed to capture the views, bring in the daylight, and establish a sense of calm through simplicity and open space. Since the views progress from great to amazing as one moves up through the house, the main living space is at the top, which is the fourth floor. This space opens up on both ends – with the living room to city views one way and with the kitchen to the terraced yard at the other. Within this main space are three notable design elements: the floating fireplace wall, the polished stainless steel ceiling over the dining table, and the steel/glass/wood staircase, which drops down thru all of the floors and acts as a vertical counterpoint. Overall, it’s restrained white minimalism balanced with wood, color, and the city beyond.

Image © Eric Laignel

sf home tour

Hidden House

This house for an entrepreneur and an artist began with a negotiation. Impacted by powerful neighborhood groups that restricted its envelope and appearance, the house wears a mask to hide the architectural freedoms within. The mask achieves a blankness by abstracting the ubiquitous San Francisco bay window and covering the entire front face with a dense cedar screen. However, the cedar boards twist at the bay window to allow a glimpse of the internal complexity beyond. Behind the mask, the house has a split personality. Vertical circulation is efficiently stacked on one side, opposing varied horizontal living on the other. A skylight emphasizes this split by creating a rift between these two zones. The two zones have different characters, underscored by the exclusive use of raw materials on one side while the other side is drenched in pastel blue paint. Each personality reflects a distinct spatial dynamic: fluid, varied extension in a horizontal plane versus vertical and vertiginous twisting.  

Images © Hufton + Crow

sf home tour

Noe Street Residence

Malcolm davis architecture.

The goal of this Noe Valley renovation and expansion was to maintain a connection to the neighborhood context, while maximizing access to daylight, the garden and the views beyond. The existing front façade remains virtually unchanged, with only subtle cues hinting to the transformation that has taken place within.Skylights, strategically placed along the northern walls over existing exposed framing, animate the original volume of the house with a changing play of light and shadow throughout the day. The floor plan and interior volumes were completely reworked and expanded. A single sloped roof, paired with 11' tall multi-slide doors, defines the addition at the rear. The doors frame views to the East and allow the living spaces and kitchen to open directly on to a generous deck that welcomes indoor-outdoor living. This MDa project celebrates the house’s “old bones” and collaborates with the surrounding context of existing structures. Reinterpreted and expanded in a modern vocabulary, the house is now a relaxed and inviting family home.

Images © Joe Fletcher

sf home tour

INTERSTICE ARCHITECTS

T o keep pace with a family’s growing needs for smarter space and better views in South-Beach San Francisco,  a poorly planned, closed-in 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment is transformed into a flexible and spacious 3 bedroom/3 bath,  two-story SOMA Loft. Through the careful use of transparency, dynamic furnishings, fold-away walls, and glass partitions, the space is opened up to breath light deep into the apartment, allowing all the rooms to share the dramatic views of the Bay and Bridge. The unified expression of bleached woods and indirectly glowing edges sets an open stage for deft insertions of distinctly sophisticated, high performance elements each with a rich yet understated materiality:  frameless plate glass, Eramosa limestone, textile walls, pickled white oak plywood, and a giant two story light fixture cabinet, create an airy interlocking space,  that is made private by a subtle system of remotely controlled  blinds that respond to control and divide the space visually.

Radiant hydronic ceilings provide comfort throughout, while beds fold out of walls to create a guest room from the spacious living room – Every surface participates in the architecture to accommodate, contain, illuminate, and seamlessly absorb program behind tactile dynamic surfaces.

Images © Cesar Rubio

sf home tour

sf home tour

WELCOME TO THE HAAS-LILIENTHAL HOUSE

HLH frnt1.jpg

 A NATIONAL TREASU RE

D esigned by architect Peter R. Schmidt for William and Bertha Haas, and constructed in 1886, the 11,500 square foot  Haas-Lilienthal House embodies both the ambitious spirit of San Francisco’s pioneers and its grand Victorian-period architecture.   

Surviving the 1906 earthquake and fire, it remained in the family until 1973, when the three adult children of the recently deceased Alice Haas-Lilienthal entrusted the House to a new architectural preservation organization, The Foundation for San Francisco's Architectural Heritage (now SF Heritage ).

After some preparation, the H-L House eventually became their new headquarters, and they quickly converted it into offices, a house museum featuring docent-led public tours, as well as a sophisticated venue for private events . SF Heritage also developed a highly successful educational program designed for third graders to learn more about architecture, preservation and 19th century living.

Today, this exuberant Queen Anne style home survives as a site of national cultural and architectural significance.  In addition to being on the National Register of Historic Places and San Francisco Landmark #69, the House was designated a National Treasure in 2012 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

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  • Haas Lilienthal House

Haas Lilienthal House: Visit a Historical Victorian in San Francisco's Pacific Heights

Jill on a windy day at the Golden Gate Bridge

by Jill Loeffler   •

Updated: November 16, 2023

The Haas Lilienthal House is temporarily closed due to financial concerns. They estimate that they will reopen sometime in the spring of 2024. 

The Haas Lilienthal House is a historic beauty in San Francisco's Pacific Heights neighborhood. This Queen Anne is the only Victorian House in SF regularly open to the public for tours.

William Haas, a local merchant, built the house for his family in 1886. Three generations of the Haas family lived in the home until 1972.

The remaining family gifted the house to the San Francisco Architectural Heritage Organization, who continues to maintain it to this day.

The outside of the Haas Lilienthal House in San Francisco.

Disclaimer : I receive a small commission from some of the links on this page.

Visiting the House

The Haas Lilienthal House will be open for tours on Saturday and Sunday and select Wednesdays.

Admission and Hours

The Haas Lilienthal House tours are offered at three times depending on the day. The entire tour runs about an hour.

  • Saturday & Sunday : 12 noon, 1 pm and 2 pm
  • Second and Fourth Wednesdays : 12 pm, 1 pm and 2 pm

Tickets are only available on site and no advanced tickets are for sale. 

General admission is $10, seniors (60+) and kids (6-12) is $8, kids 5 and under are free.

*The venue is closed at times due to private events. Make sure to check their site for current prices and opening dates .

Haas Lilienthal House Tour Details

Your tour begins in this area with an overview and history of the Haas Lilienthal family. Here you will also learn a little more about the house and the standard elements of a Queen Anne Victorian.

After this brief discussion, you will head outside, so you can enter through the front door.

This grand staircase is one of the first things you see when you enter.

The Grand Staircase in this Queen Anne Victorian

You will then walk through the main level of the house including both the dining room and the kitchen.

A dining room in an old Victorian House

From here, you will head to the second floor. On this level, you get the chance to see the unique curved windows.

Curved windows in a Queen Anne Victorian

Along the way, you will continue to learn more about the family and see several family photos. You also get the chance to find out more about their furniture and the other pieces they collected throughout their lifetime.

The San Francisco Archeological Heritage did a great job in keeping the house and furniture in the manner the family left it. The family collected all of the pieces inside the house while they lived there between 1886 and 1972.

After finishing on the second floor, your tour heads back to the starting point on the ground level. Here you get a sneak peek at the train room.

The train room in the Haas Lilienthal House in SF

The entire tour is just over an hour long. If you've always wanted to see inside a Victorian, you will love this tour.

The most famous Victorian Houses in San Francisco are near Alamo Square. Often dubbed the "Seven Sisters", these colorful houses are a beautiful site. You can even capture a postcard moment with a view of downtown SF behind them. See pictures and read more about them here .

How to Get Here

You will find this Queen Anne Victorian at 2007 Franklin Street.

A map showing the location of the Haas Lilienthal House

From Union Square

The fastest way to get here from Union Square is to take the Powell Hyde Cable Car . Pick it up at Powell and Post Streets (instead of waiting in the long line at the cable car turnaround near Market Street).

Take it to the stop at Hyde and Jackson Streets. From here you will walk west on Jackson Street and take a left on Franklin.

This option includes a five block walk from the stop to the Haas Lilienthal House. 

This option will take you about 25 minutes.

From Fisherman's Wharf

It's easy to get here from Fisherman's Wharf . Simply hop on the 28-Daily City bus at the corner of Powell and Beach Streets.

You will take this six stops to the corner of Van Ness and North Point. Here, you will transfer to the 49-City College bus.

Take it to the corner of Van Ness and Jackson.

Walk up the hill one block to Franklin and then south a couple of houses until you see the entrance sign. This route takes about 25 minutes. 

Parking Near the Haas Lilienthal House

If you plan to drive for your visit to the Haas Lilienthal House, you will find that parking on the street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood is challenging. I recommend heading straight to one of these lots that is just a few blocks away.

Holiday Inn Parking Lot : This is your best option as it's a safe and secure spot for your car. It's about a five block walk away and partly uphill, but it's one of your best options. It's at 1500 Van Ness Street. 

Old First Parking Garage : This lot is an indoor lot at 1725 Sacramento Street. Look for it's bright blue and yellow sign. It's about four blocks away from the Haas Lilienthal House.

Haas Lilienthal House Tours

Comments? Questions? Suggestions?

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It's a great place to interact with me and others who know the area well.

You can ask questions, get advice for your upcoming stay, and then share your photos and advice with others when you return home. It's a great community and the fastest way to get answers to those nagging questions about your visit!

Come join the fun here !

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Bay Area Historic House Museums has member-houses in seven San Francisco Bay Area counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma. To be included, the historic site must contain a house.

Each House is independent and has its own hours, programs and amenities.

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The Sausalito Floating Homes Tour

Located just across San Francisco Bay, Sausalito, CA, offers some of the best views of the Bay Area and some of the highest property values. Some of the most valuable and desirable homes here can be found along the Sausalito waterfront, and some of the most interesting are found on the water. These floating homes are some of the most innovative homes you’ll find anywhere, and, each September, many of the homeowners open up their homes to the public during the Sausalito Floating Homes Tour. The (mostly) self-guided tours offer a very unique opportunity to see how these homeowners get the most living space out of some of the most unique homes in the world.

Docents are on hand in many of the homes to provide insight into how and when the home was built and the innovative features found within structure. They answer questions about the home and the unique aspects of living on the water all year round. While the date for the tour varies from year to year, it is always open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on a Saturday near the end of the month. Each year, the tour has a different theme chosen by the Floating Homes Association.

Like many Bay Area festivals, this tour also features a public space where food vendors offer great cuisine, musicians entertain participants and artists showcase their work in a variety of styles and disciplines. If you’d like to go, it’s best to plan early, as tickets routinely sell out long before the tour. Tickets are available online through the Association’s website at http://floatinghomes.org/ for $35 each. In the unlikely event that it doesn’t sell out in advance, you may be able to purchase tickets for $40 on the day of the tour, but don’t count on it.

If you’re a Bay Area resident who has always wanted to go and/or you are expecting guests from out of town this September, you should definitely plan on attending this event. You and your guests will have a rare opportunity to walk inside these remarkable homes, and everyone will enjoy a unique Bay Area experience that they will never forget!

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See the real sf, sightsee780139, tripadvisor.

Such an interesting deep dive into the Castro and Mission neighborhoods, for which we had an incredibly sunny warm summer day. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable, having grown up in the area, and pointed out not only historical places, but beautiful murals, homes and fun nooks and crannies (like hidden stairways to streets) that we never would have seen on our own. We definitely came away with much more of an appreciation for Castro and the Mission (love Dolores Park!) and will seek out other neighborhoods on our next trip!

I had the most amazing time, as a solo traveller doing a small group tour is perfect. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. He gave us lots of fun facts along the way and the whole experience was very interesting. Bring your walking shoes we started at 10 am and finished at 6 pm, I highly recommend you do this tour. We went to places tourist didn’t go.

Jamie Sarkozi

My Boyfriend and I booked an all Day SF tour with Christofer and had an amazing time! He knew a ton of history which we loved and we were able to see a ton. We loved it as it had been our first time visiting. Would highly recommend to anyone wanting to be shown around the city.

Edgar Wallace

Did a wonderful tour with these guys while I was in San Francisco on business. I’d also done a tour with the sister company in Los Angeles several years ago. Kevin, who was the guide, was great and it was so nice to be outside. We learnt tons about SF. Definitely recommended!

Our guide Damien was so very knowledgeable about the area and history of SF. We experienced different methods of transport (avoiding those big hills!) and areas we would not otherwise have known about.

Damien was the best! Friendly & very informative. He took into consideration our interests & made it very enjoyable. Great exercise- best way to see SF. Liked Haight Ashbury the most.

Campanilla2014

We had a two day layover in San Francisco, so we wanted to make the most of our time there. It’s always been somewhere we wanted to visit and on this tour we got to all the places we most dreamed of going – downtown, Nob hill, Castro, Haight Ashbury, painted ladies, Lombard St, North beach and Chinatown. It was only a small group and the guide was amazing. It wasn’t tiring at all and we had a great time jumping from trains to buses to cable cars. AWESOME DAY!!!

Tour Calendar, Map & Video

All the public tours for which we’re taking bookings are listed in the calendar above, or you can view the tours in a list format by clicking the button below. If you don’t see any scheduled for when you’re going to be in San Francisco please don’t contact us, just check closer to the date(s) that you want to book.

If you need to find out what the weather will be like during your tour  check this website . No matter what though be sure to wear layered clothing, our weather can be very changeable.

If you have any questions that you don’t see answered in the tour descriptions please check our  FAQ’s .

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