WILLIS LANDMARKPOLKESTATE 1969 CALIFORNIA STREET
1969 CALIFORNIA WILLIS POLK LANDMARK ESTATE
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This historic sale presents a connoisseur’s opportunity to acquire San Francisco Landmark 260, a grand city residence with undisputed pedigree and architectural significance. The Tobin House, located at 1969 California Street, stands as the last remnant of the estate of Michael H. de Young, founder of the San Francisco Chronicle and leading voice in the city’s politics, culture, and urban development.
Designed by genius architect Willis Polk in 1915, this magnificent fivebedroom Pacific Heights residence epitomizes the grandeur of a time gone by, when the refinement and patronage of the city’s elite created the legacy of San Francisco’s architectural heritage. The strength of Polk’s architecture and his sensitivity to proportion over decoration are still irrefutably relevant over a century later. Balancing timeless elegance with modern sensibility, the acquisition of 1969 California Street is entrée into the lineage of a storied San Francisco landmark. “To form our taste, we must neither depreciate nor imitate, but we should understand and originate” — Willis Polk
AN INTRODUCTION
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MAIN FLOOR 1969 California Street commands a grand street presence through the mastery of classical proportions and scale by Willis Polk, one of the most important architects of the early 20th century. The Gothic Tudor style façade is unadorned by decoration and visually supported by the strength of the home’s exterior concrete plaster. The home’s signature slate-clad gables are dramatically crowned by five copper chimney stacks. The central, two-story bay window facade lends an elegance to the building’s overall visual appeal and act as a foil to Willis Polk’s unrealized half arch passageway.
The residence has a dual stage entry through a handcrafted, iron security gate that leads to a short stairway into the home through a carved box patterned, copper detailed front door. The main floor gallery immediately sets a peaceful and refined tone for the home with its gracious 11’ ceilings, classically detailed pilasters and moldings, rich hardwood flooring and arched, double doors. Through the gallery, the ambience of the grand living room elevates the senses with a light filled series of five diamond patterned, leaded glass windows and the south garden beyond. This public room enjoys an enchanting wood burning fireplace accented by a carved stone surround. A connecting hallway passes by the kitchen and connects to a sitting room with floor-to-ceiling French doors. This comfortable room leads to the rear yard’s spacious terrace that steps down to a landscaped garden area. This private outdoor paradise is well suited for entertaining and family living.
The gourmet kitchen is an active hub on the main floor. This large room enjoys a built-in banquette for meals, a large center island, marble countertops, below/above counter cabinetry, two dishwashers, restaurant grade four-burner/grill range, and multiple refrigeration units. This ‘heart of the home’ enjoys direct access to the carport, interior staircase, and public rooms for inspired daily living. For formal entertaining, the kitchen can be closed off with double-swinging doors for catering staff to service guests. For informal entertaining and family living, the kitchen is close to the family room that opens directly to the south terrace and garden. The grand dining room is positioned along the front of the main floor and bathed in light from a gracious, box paned bay window. This formal entertaining room is visually anchored by an architecturally dramatic, wood burning fireplace lending atmospheric gravitas. The room is currently independent of the kitchen, but a connecting door can be reinstalled along the south wall. A lounge with powder room and coat closet completes this floor.
KITCHEN & DINING
ADDITIONAL FLOORS
The residence’s private quarters are graciously planned over three additional levels. Up a barrel-vaulted staircase from the gallery, the second floor is comprised of three en suite bedrooms. Along the garden side of the floor, the master suite measures over 1,000 square feet. The suite is elevated by a wall of south facing windows, wood burning fireplace, walkout terrace, and a large library/sitting room wrapped with bookshelves and an entertainment center. The luxurious master bath is fitted with a marble double vanity, bathing tub, glass steam shower, and an adjacent walk-in closet. Along the opposite side of this floor are two additional en suite bedrooms. The third floor of the home has a vaulted, skylit sitting room with architectural shelving, a homework desk, and a large walkout terrace. There are two adjoining en suite bedrooms, one with twin loft beds and a sunny view terrace. The double stacked washer/dryer laundry room is located on this level. The residence’s lower level can be accessed directly from California Street or internally from the kitchen. This part of the home can serve as a stand-alone apartment with full bath, family office, entertainment bungalow, or a gym/recreation room. Additional storage, wine room and garden access complete this level.
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LANDMARK #260
Michael H. de Young (1849-1925 ) was the patriarch of one of the most powerful and influential families in San Francisco history. He arrived in San Francisco from Baltimore with his mother and brother Charles during the Civil War. The brothers founded the Daily Dramatic Chronicle , which changed its name to the Daily Morning Chronicle and soon established their dominance in the newspaper industry. By the 1870s their paper was so influential and widely read that the de Youngs could make or break a politician, policy, business deal, or any other matter of importance in Northern California.
During these years, de Young had accumulated enough wealth to build the family mansion in one of the most fashionable neighborhoods of 1880s San Francisco, at 1919 California Street. In August 1911 , he deeded the lots adjacent his estate to two of his daughters, Helen M. Cameron, wife of George E. Cameron, and Constance M. Tobin, wife of Joseph O. Tobin , an executive at Hibernia Bank and member of one of San Francisco's oldest and wealthiest families. de Young also offered to build homes on these lots for his daughters and their young families, but both the Tobin and Cameron families chose instead to live on the Peninsula. In 1914 , family matters prompted Constance and Joseph Tobin to take up her father on his offer to build them a house directly adjacent to his mansion. One of the most influential architects in the Bay Area, Willis Polk , designed the new house at 1969 California Street in the Tudor Gothic revival style. At the time of construction, the Tobin House stood out as the most modern structure on the street. Polk achieved beauty largely through form and materials rather than applied decoration. In addition, the San Francisco Examiner noted that the residence's modern features made it a model of home technology and sanitary living, two important issues in domestic architecture of the Progressive Era.
HOUSETOBINTHE
It is not clear how the house was used or by whom, but the Tobins did not sell 1969 California Street at this time. M. H. de Young's four daughters maintained his Victorian estate next door for family gatherings until the late 1930s.
The setting of the Tobin House changed dramatically during the 1940s, but the architectural significance of the house grew proportionately. de Young's four surviving daughters had their father's mansion demolished in 1940. At this time, Constance de Young Tobin purchased a portion of her father’s property that is now the driveway and upon which the single-story addition now stands. The parcel also included one concrete lamppost base that is the last surviving remnant of M. H. de Young's residential estate. That same year, Helen de Young Cameron sold the property directly to the west of the Tobin House, thus ensuring that Willis Polk's mirror-image design would never be completed on the vacant lot.
Constance and Joseph Tobin lived with their family in this house for twelve years, from 1915 to 1927 . Shortly after M. H. de Young died, the Tobins relocated to the Peninsula, where both Constance and Joseph had sisters who were living on estate properties.
Gualtiero Bartalini (1898-1994) bought 1969 California Street from Constance Tobin in 1943 . He was a colorful figure –– a flamboyant man, trained opera singer and artist who for forty-five years operated the house as a residential hotel catering mostly to people in the preforming arts. He sold the property in 1988 , and since, it has had six owners. Ultimately, the home was brought back to its original use as a single-family home in 1998 . Under the current ownership, the Tobin House has regained its iconoclast grandeur through meticulous stewardship. In 2008, the property achieved the designation of San Francisco Landmark #260, then was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 .
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Willis Polk was at the height of his talents and career during the commission for the Tobin House. In addition to overseeing various aspects if the 1915 Panama-Pacific International exhibition, Polk was employing his considerable design dexterity with concurrent projects for the Bourne family at their Woodside estate, Filoli (above) and the cutting-edge, glass curtain wall Hallidie Building (below) in downtown San Francisco. Taking on these diverse projects during his peak years underscores an École des Beaux Arts foundation as a guiding light for his iconoclast viewpoints and architectural designs.
WILLIS POLK Willis Jefferson Polk (1867–1924) was an American architect best known for his work in San Francisco. Willis Polk's early career included work with McKim, Mead & White, as well as Bernard Maybeck. In 1889, Polk joined the office of A. Page Brown in New York and moved with Brown’s firm to San Francisco, subsequently taking over the Ferry Building project following Brown’s death. From 1903 to 1913, Polk was the West Coast representative of D.H. Burnham & Company, during which time Polk designed several of his most notable structures, including the Merchants Exchange Building, the tallest building in San Francisco upon its completion in 1903. By 1910, Willis Polk was recognized as one of the most influential architects and urban planners in the city. In 1914, Polk was again credited for designing the tallest building in San Francisco when his Hobart Building was completed. In 1915, Polk oversaw the architectural committee for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition. When the exposition concluded, Polk led the effort to preserve Bernard Maybeck's Palace of Fine Arts. A tour de force of technical and inspirational architecture, the Greco-Romanesque rotunda and pastoral grounds became a link to the city’s past glories and a point of pride, cementing Willis Polk’s reputation for elevating the importance of civic preservation. One of Polk's most influential commissions came in 1916, when he was tasked with designing the Hallidie Building. Its glass curtain wall facade was a precursor to modern skyscraper development. It has been argued to be the most important modern building in San Francisco. Polk was a versatile architect, with particular skill in combining classical styles with environmental harmony. He was regarded for his elegant residential work, mainly in mansions and estates, in the Georgian Revival style for wealthy and prominent San Francisco residents.
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The designation of Lafayette Park sparked one of the most celebrated and longestrunning land title disputes in the city’s history, pitting attorney and socialite Samuel Holladay (1823-1915) against the city for nearly seventy years. The land title disputes resulted in a park that divides distinctly into two parts: a nineteenth-century style landscape of formal paths and designated recreation areas on the western half, and a less formal eastern half where Holladay maintained his personal residence until his passing.
Developer Louis Lurie acquired the Holladay property in the 1920s. After vehement opposition to his development schemes by neighborhood residents and the Park Commission, led by Herbert Fleishhacker, he finally abandoned his plans and sold the property to the City and County of San Francisco in 1935. Serendipitously that same year, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration, which paved the way for the city to receive federal funds to develop the park. Lafayette Park underwent over $89,000 worth of improvements, representing over 100,000 hours of labor between 1936 and 1938.
LAFAYETTE PARK Lafayette Park is just a short walk from 1969 California Street. It is beloved citywide for its 11.5 acres of expansive open spaces, recreational areas, and cityscape framed bay views. It embodies San Francisco’s formative urban design ideals and the powerful forces that shaped this city block, Pacific Heights park in the early 20th century.
Lafayette Park had undergone few significant changes since the WPA period until San Francisco residents designated over $10 million of the 2008 Clean and Safe Neighborhood Parks Bond for park improvements. Completed in 2014, the new park enjoys renovated infrastructure and expanded amenities to provide greater public use and enjoyment. Today, Lafayette Park is truly a crown jewel of the city’s recreation and park system.
In 1851, the City of San Francisco introduced legislation to settle land claims that led to the Van Ness Ordinance, San Francisco’s first attempt at city planning. In addition to establishing the streets from Larkin to Divisadero, the Van Ness Ordinance led to the creation of nine parks, including the originally named Lafayette Square. With the eventual creation of the Board of Park Commissioners in 1900, formal development of the city parks finally commenced.
CONTENTS THE RESIDENCE THE TOBIN HOUSE THE PROPERTYLAFAYETTEARCHITECTPARKDETAILSFLOORPLANS
A generational opportunity to own San Francisco Landmark #260. One of the city’s exceptional examples of classically proportioned, Gothic Tudor residential architecture.
Lower level has flexible uses including independent apartment with direct access from California Street, home family office, entertainment suite, or exercise room. Conditioned storage spaces, wine room, and mechanical rooms finish this level.
five bedrooms | six and one-half baths | two car parking
Interior living space of 8,990 square feet
Formal dining room with wood-burning fireplace. Centrally located, eat-in kitchen accented with marble counters, butcher block island, abundant cabinetry, and storage.
WILLIS POLK LANDMARK ESTATE
Estate style living with 47’ x 139’ double lot that delivers gracious indoor-outdoor living with direct access to terrace and landscaped garden through French doors. Home to one of San Francisco’s most impressive living rooms with 11.5’ ceilings and seven Gothic style, diamond patterned windows overlooking the south garden.
Two car, tandem exterior carport with direct access to kitchen and service stairway. Extra secure main residence and carport gates with multi-camera and alarm system. Proximity to Lafayette Park and the boutique shopping and restaurants of Fillmore Street.
Second floor is comprised of 1,000 square foot primary suite with bookshelf-lined sitting room, gracious bedroom with fireplace, Italian clad marble bath with tub and steam shower, exceptional closet storage. Two additional en suite bedrooms. Top floor is outfitted with a vaulted ceiling entertainment room with operable skylights, terrace, architectural shelving, homework desk. Two additional en suite bedrooms with direct terrace access and one with two bunk beds. Dual stacked W/D laundry room.
Designed by architect Willis Polk in 1915 for Joseph and Constance Tobin, née de Young, scions of two of San Francisco’s most influential and wealthy families.
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MAIN FLOOR Gallery Entry Hall Grand Living Room Formal Dining Room Gourmet Kitchen Family Room Powder and Coat Room
SECOND FLOOR Primary Suite & Bath Sitting Room & Private Terrace En Suite Bedroom Two En Suite Bedroom Three
THRID FLOOR En Suite Bedroom Four Bedroom Four Loft Beds En Suite Bedroom Five Sitting Room and Terraces Laundry Room
& GROUND FLOOR Flexible Options Including: En Suite Guest Apartment Home Office Family or Recreation Room Independent or Interior Access
Two-Car Motor Court Motorized Parking Gate Formal South Garden & Terrace
SITE PLAN
Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier
CAENLUCIER is a boutique advisory partnership founded in 1999 at Sotheby’s International Realty. Stacey Caen and Joseph Lucier are San Francisco natives distinguished for their expertise in fine architectural and historic properties in the city's prime north side markets. With over two decades of thoughtful brand curation, the market arrival of each CAENLUCIER home signals a notable event. The reception is wellfounded, for our market position is known for representing “best in class” listings. Our passionate commitment for delivering meticulous and memorable homes to the market is reputed in the city’s established neighborhoods. With a welcoming approach to new relationships, Stacey and Joseph look forward to the opportunity to discuss your residential needs.
"Our love of San Francisco’s history, beauty, and architecture inspires the work we do every day."
ElliottWillis
Sotheby’s
PROPERTY WEBSITE 1969California.com VIDEO PRODUCTION Open Homes Photography PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT Jacob
© MMXXII Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material is based upon information which we consider reliable but because it has been supplied by third parties, we cannot represent that it is accurate or complete and it should not be relied upon as such. Buyer encouraged to independently verify interior livable square foot measurement. Sotheby’s International Realty and the Sotheby’s International Realty logo are registered (or unregistered) service marks used with permission. Real estate agents affiliated with Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. are independent contractor sales associates and are not employees of Sotheby’s International Realty, Inc. Equal housing opportunity. Stacey Caen DRE: 01939000 | Joseph Lucier DRE: 1260976
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1969 CALIFORNIA SOTHEBY'S INTERNATIONAL REALTY 117 Greenwich Street, San Francisco CA 94111 LISTING REPRESENTATION
Polk Landmark Estate Published on the occasion of the sale
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