Exterior in March 2000 before the renovation began. Built in 1915, this neo-classical grand old lady was designed by Clarence Ward, a young Chicago-bred architect who came west after the Great Earthquake to rebuild San Francisco and became famous as the young maverick on the architectural committee of the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition. The house suffered from benign neglect as its previous (3 generations of the family who built it) owners aged; they deserted the 1st floor in the late 60s and made some very poor amendments to the 2nd and 3rd floors, in addition to an extension to the garage visible in this picture, which completed destroyed the symmetry of the facade. Nonetheless the house had good bones, a spectacular view, and a 140-yr-old American cherry tree in the backyard. I bought it in 1999 and spent a good deal of my life the next few years overseeing its rebirth.

Exterior in March 2000 before the renovation began. Built in 1915, this neo-classical grand old lady was designed by Clarence Ward, a young Chicago-bred architect who came west after the Great Earthquake to rebuild San Francisco and became famous as the young maverick on the architectural committee of the 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition. The house suffered from benign neglect as its previous (3 generations of the family who built it) owners aged; they deserted the 1st floor in the late 60s and made some very poor amendments to the 2nd and 3rd floors, in addition to an extension to the garage visible in this picture, which completed destroyed the symmetry of the facade. Nonetheless the house had good bones, a spectacular view, and a 140-yr-old American cherry tree in the backyard. I bought it in 1999 and spent a good deal of my life the next few years overseeing its rebirth.