The Eclectic Architectural Styles of San Francisco

Buying in San Francisco is not your average home purchase experience. San Francisco’s architecture tells the unique story of the city and its people. The stylistic variety of homes is a result of San Francisco’s unique topography (those hills!), phases and trajectory of its historical development, and the city’s rebuilding after the devastating fire and earthquake of 1906. This city’s distinctive architecture showcases numerous classic architectural styles: Italianate, Painted Ladies, Art Deco…you may even see all of them on the same block!

City residents take enormous civic pride in their homes and neighborhoods. San Franciscans seeking a luxury home have a wealth of timeless architecture to choose from, updated to meet even the most discerning buyer’s modern convenience needs. An experienced professional Realtor can work with you to find your dream home.
When you are looking to buy a new home, you may want to become more knowledgeable about what sets one architectural style apart from another. Read on to see more about San Francisco’s unique architecture styles.

Gothic Revival

Most Gothic Revival style homes are inspired by medieval styling and constructed from masonry using patterned brick. When you spot dramatic stone carvings (such as gargoyles or birds), a steeply pitched roof, and pointed arches on a home, you have found yourself a Gothic Revival. San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral and the Saint Francis of Assisi Church are excellent examples of this style.

Victorian

Victorian architecture sub-categories include Victorian Italianate, Victorian Stick, and Queen Anne. Homes in these styles generally were built prior to the 1906 earthquake and fire. Although these styles have similarities, each has its own signature features.

Victorian Italianate

Although once ubiquitous in San Francisco, a home in this particular Victorian style is now a rare gem, most of which are located in the Mission’s southwest quarter, west of Divisadero and south of 20th street. Built of wood, many of these buildings burned down in 1906. You will know you’ve found one if you spot hooded doors and windows, octagonal bays, and the signature Italianate roof brackets.

Victorian Stick

Stick-style homes seamlessly meld Gothic and Victorian architecture. Their most prominent feature is long, thin pieces of redwood applied to the corners to create decorative patterns. These homes may include elaborate gables, porches, or projecting bays. A stick-style home typically has an ornate roof. These homes are generally located in neighborhoods like the Western Addition, Noe and Eureka Valleys, the Mission and Potrero Hill.

Queen Anne

Queen Anne is the mother of Victoriana, and she is one of the most popular (and the most flamboyant) of the Victorian styles. These homes are opulence come to life. They feature bright and flamboyant colors, gold detailing, elaborate gingerbread trim, bay windows, and turrets. The most well-known homes of this style are probably the celebrated Painted Ladies, which many people perceive as the embodiment of San Francisco luxury.

Shingle Style

This post-Victorian style was inspired by the East Coast, rather than from across the Atlantic. It features shingles that cover the home’s entire façade. Compared to the flamboyance of the Queen Anne style, these homes appear relatively informal. These homes are found throughout the city.

Tudor Revival

This intricate home type is one that cannot be mass-produced. Discerning buyers will find both large-scale mansions as well as smaller, more modest homes produced in this style. Tudor Revival homes feature asymmetrical styling, steep roofs and intersecting gables, long rows of windows, and decorative half-timbering.

Edwardian

Edwardian architecture is the younger, less flamboyant sibling of the Victorian style, as many Edwardian homes were built post-earthquake. The exterior of these homes blend Art Nouveau, Victorian, and Georgian features. To recognize an Edwardian house, look for domed rooftop pavilions, light colors, and relatively simplistic Victorian details. The interior structure of homes in this style fits in well with today’s open-concept home renovations, with fewer interior walls and larger great rooms. Many homes of this style can be seen in SOMA, downtown and the Mission neighborhoods.

Mission Revival

The romantic styles of Spanish mission homes, with their stucco facades, limited decorative embellishments, and decorative adobes, evoke nostalgia for the Western frontier. These homes are distinguishable by their patterned clay roof tiles, arched windows with balcony railings, and cantilevered balconies. They often feature gardens. Mission Revival homes are often found in Glen Park, the Richmond, the Sunset, Outer Mission, and Noe Valley.

Craftsman

Craftsman-style homes countered the rapid industrialization of the early 20th century with their insistence on construction by skilled craftsmen. The calling card of these homes is this craftsmanship, evident in its features. These homes feature round columned porches, gable roofs, wide eaves, and exposed rafters. Many of them have been restored or updated to include modern conveniences while retaining the period details.

Art Deco and Streamline Moderne

For the home-buyer looking for an exclusive aesthetic, look no further than the Art Deco style. The limited number of homes of this style are found in Pacific Heights, the Sunset, the Marina and Sea Cliff. They feature decorative geometric patterns and are composed of modern materials such as chrome, steel, or glass.

For those wanting the Art Deco aesthetic in other neighborhoods, you would do well to search for a Streamline Moderne home. This streamlined style relies heavily on long silhouettes, horizontal detailing and rounded corners. This type of home can be found in Excelsior, outer Mission, and Noe Valley, with the best residential examples located in the Sunset District.

Mid-Century Modern

What is old is new again. These homes capitalized on technological advances to build in previously inaccessible areas of San Francisco. They feature modern open-concept floor plans and lots of glass. Their seamless indoor-outdoor transitions are perfect for today’s outdoor entertaining trend. It is not uncommon to find these homes in Diamond Heights, Twin Peaks, and Golden Gate Heights.

Postmodern

These homes showcase the free-spiritedness of the 1960s counterculture, and can be found in areas like the Sunset, Golden Gate Heights, Diamond Heights, and Bernal Heights. A postmodern home juxtaposes more than one architectural style to produce whimsical, often surprising (and always unique) results.

Conclusion

You surely have a wish list of features you seek in your new home. Consider enlisting the help of an experienced Realtor to help you navigate San Francisco’s storied architecture. Whichever kind of house you choose to live in, you will become part of its legacied history.

Mike Plotkowski has years of experience and numerous contacts to help you find that perfect needle-in-the-haystack home that checks all the boxes on your wish list. Contact him today and let him help you find the luxury San Francisco home that is right for you!