FYI: This Surreal Victorian in SF’s Dolores Heights Is Stunnin’

Constructed in 1900, the house was among the few residential homes in San Francisco to survive the 1906 earthquake

Don’t get us wrong, we love Alamo Square Parks’s Painted Ladies. (This drone footage that goes inside the sister at 712 Steiner street has only deepened our fascination with the city’s architectural landmarks.) However, more often than not, they hog the spotlight away from other residential gems in San Francisco — like the gorgeous John Welsh-designed flats at Capp and 22nd streets.

Case in point: Y’all ever hear about or seen the fantastically blue, 121-year-old Victorian at 3919 20th Street? We hadn’t. But that all changed though, thanks to Instagram’s algorithm.

Looks like one of the neighbors also found the home’s blue paint scheme attractive, as evidenced by the like-colored staircase and roof siding. (Photo: Screenshot via Google Maps)

The 19th-century single-family home — that, inside, has four bedrooms and three full baths — hasn’t been up for sale in over 25 years, after being purchased in 1996 for just over $380,000. (Yes… there was a gilded era of San Francisco real estate where homeownership was, in fact, somewhat attainable for the masses.)

Should it come onto the market soon, it’s estimated the house would sell for a throat-closing $3.5 million.

The two-story domicile features a completely wooden structure, and its outdoor sidings are also made from timber — which in more recent years has been given a blue makeover. Though built just after the second wind of the Gothic Revival style period, the home’s era-specific ornamentation gives it a simultaneously haunting, yet inviting presence. (The facade’s top floor also appears to overlay small single shingles, which was a common design element in the late 19th century but, due to maintenance cost, is a rare find in San Francisco these days.)

Our gaze could comb this house for hours and still not notice all its idiosyncratic quirks and features.


Feature Image: Courtesy of Instagram via @sftourguy

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