Victorian Beauties

It occurred to me recently that I have been blogging for over a year, and have never blogged San Francisco! This is a gross oversight...I live only 120 miles away...and I set out to correct it recently. The City of course has many unique elements; its cultural diversity; great food; awesome scenery; a lively history; a cutting edge arts scene. And...the architecture. It tends toward the eclectic; all styles are represented from the mid 19th century to the present. Though the 1906 earthquake and fire destroyed much of the city...over 400 blocks...some survived. The home in the center of this pic, in Pacific Heights, is a superb example of Italianate architecture from the 1870s/80s. It's been lovingly restored. The house to the right, partially obscured by a tree, has not been treated the same; its Victorian facade was replaced by...shakes! Such architectural abominations were unfortunately common in the 1950s and early 60s.

The massive home on the left side of this pic is Queen Anne style, popular in the 1890s. This style is characterized by circular towers. Very cool, but I bet the curved windows are costly. Mansions have always been part of the San Francisco scene. The city first became prominent during the gold rush around 1850, and from that time onward San Francisco has tended to attract people probably more adventurous than most; more willing to take risks; and more willing to live it up when hitting it rich. That spirit has remained, from the 49ers to the dotcommers. They live in places like this.

It's neat to prowl around the Victorian neighborhoods and check out the cool woodwork. They don't do much stuff like this anymore. This panel is on the Queen Anne pictured directly above.