Beginning in the 19th century, the wealthy denizens of San Francisco flocked to Pacific Heights, where they built magnificent mansions on a short three-block stretch that, in the ensuing years, has come to be known as the Gold Coast and Billionaire’s Row. Rare in this prestigious location, superior-quality new construction commenced in 1999—incorporating impressively engineered concrete frame and steel—and was completed in 2004. The result is this peerless 11,600-square-foot manor, which comprises five levels and offers enviable outdoor space in the form of three terraces. Throughout, ceilings soar to airy heights; floors are finished in handsome hardwood, limestone, and marble; and storage is plentiful. Auspicious designs by Eric Cohler and Ken Folk contribute an ambience that is at once refined and relaxed, full of wit and whimsy. All of these factors combine in a home that is grand but eminently livable and perhaps the most significant property on the market in San Francisco today.
San Francisco, California | Deborah Svoboda, Sotheby’s International Realty – San Francisco Brokerage
A portrait hall with marble floors and hand-plastered walls creates a dramatic introduction in the home’s formal entryway. A spectacular serpentine staircase originates here, forming an eye-catching focal point for the home’s superlative interiors. Among the exceptional spaces are a generous wine cellar; a private fitness room; a music room or office; a formal living and dining room with cerulean enamel walls; a modern great room that includes the kitchen, informal dining space with a built-in banquette, a butler’s pantry, and a family room; a protected south-facing terrace off the great room; six bedrooms with specially chosen palettes; a library boasting a decorative fireplace fitted with a custom mosaic depicting the Union Jack; and a unique billiards room that includes an antique bar reclaimed from a decommissioned British pub.
The luxurious master suite boasts a bath with a soaking tub, a room-size walk-in closet and dressing area, a working fireplace, and a walkout terrace with a spa and a truly spectacular vista of the bay as it unfurls from the ocean, past the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin, to the Oakland Hills.
As would be expected in a superior home in the nation’s hub of technological innovation, the residence has been outfitted with smart home systems and an EV charging station in the four-car garage. An elevator provides a convenient alternative to the dramatic central stairway. The rarefied neighborhood is perched high above the city and the bay, and the home’s enviable corner lot at its crest affords light and air from the north, south, and west as well as the finest views available, which encompass the Presidio, the Palace of Fine Arts, Alcatraz, Angel Island, and the bay. The fashionable shops and esteemed restaurants of Sacramento Street are a few blocks away, as is the Presidio—a historic national park offering trails, picnic areas, art, and beachfront.
