3235 Pacific Avenue
With a Presidio Heights lot that was purchased with a $20 down payment in 1908, Edwin Stadtmuller and his wife Elisabeth hired architect William Knowles to build the two-bedroom home at 3235 Pacific Avenue which is now on the market for $4,200,000.
3235 Pacific Kitchen
The original porch became the breakfast room, the coal scuttle became the garage. And from 2000 to 2006 the house was renovated and remodeled, including new custom cabinetry in the kitchen and the addition of an Amdega conservatory off the back.
3235 Pacific Conservatory
While currently only two bedrooms, there’s roughly 3,000 square feet of living space. And of course, there are plans for a two bedroom expansion.
∙ Listing: 3235 Pacific Avenue (2/3.5) – $4,200,000 [3235pacific.com]
Stadtmuller House History [victorianalliance.org]

20 thoughts on “3235 Pacific Ave: Purchased With A $20 Down Payment (In 1908)”
  1. This reminds me of the Julia Morgan in Forest Hill, but with a grander kitchen. Real beauty thanks for the Friday real estate porn editor.

  2. So, what do people think about conservatories in the City? I’d like to add one, I think. Do they get too hot? Do they stay too cold? Does the urban soot make them a nightmare to keep clean?

  3. Whoever painted all the woodwork should be held to account. And the cabinetry is all wrong for the house.

  4. Given that the second bedroom is a small below grade basement room located off a laundry/service area, this is undoubtably the finest one bedroom home in San Francisco.

  5. @BobN: Conservatories, designed in the more classical, traditional sense can be really nice in the city. Stay away from those cheap pre-fab aluminum greenhouse additions. Some of the English brands are the best, and not cheap.
    A good conservatory will have insulating glass, operable sections at the top for ventilation, a ventilation fan with thermostat, shade control for heat, and be well built.
    They can really warm up nicely even with just a little bit of sun out, but can be great to sit in during a foggy day too.

  6. That first (exterior) phot is shite. Use a tilt-shift lens instead of correcting perspective in photoshop. The home currently looks to be about 3 feet wide.

  7. Thx, futurist. Yes, the good brands seem to be the English ones, which makes sense, of course. I just hope I don’t find myself staring up at a sooty window and getting the compulsive urge to go clean it. Sometimes I look up at the glass canopies on some buildings downtown and just think, “ewwwwww”.
    And considering the price of a conservatory, staff is out of the question…

  8. @anon: We’ll take a second to set the record straight on this one, as you and I share a common sentiment regarding the practice of computer-manipulated perspective.
    Image was shot at full-frame with a Canon TS-E 17mm, shifted upward 4mm to capture the peak of the roof. No Photoshop foolery here; just a tall peak at the edge of a wide tilt-shift lens.

  9. JE Photo – Thanks for the tech followup. I think that the complaints about computer manipulated T-S (perspective correction) effects aren’t because they were done on a computer but rather that they distort the image beyond what the human eye would normally experience. In particular people tend to object to T-S manipulations that make a room or building look larger than it is.
    At the low resolution of photos posted to property websites, the behavior of an optical T-S lens is indistinguishable from the computer equivalent manipulation. At least that’s the excuse that I use for not lugging around the two extra pounds that a $2000 T-S lens weighs in at 🙂
    I’d be interested to know why you feel that a computer enhanced T-S effect is inferior to its optical equivalent, at least for these lo-rez photos. I can see how it would make a difference for a large print. But that’s a totally off topic question.

  10. In this particular instance, with dense trees lining the sidewalk directly in front of the home, the human eye would “normally experience” very little of the façade at all. A wide angle T-S combo made the unobstructed perspective possible.
    Regarding Lens Correction: Interior and architectural design clients usual require perspective-corrected images printable at very high resolution. When not shooting MF, standard format T-S lenses are your best option, and well worth the extra weight.
    If your only output is web, I agree that the differences would be nearly indiscernible. Though when shooting in tight spaces, capturing the extra bleed that is required for a PS perspective correction is not always an option.
    You should check out the property in person. It’s a very interesting piece of architecture, though perhaps a bit larger than its “3 [foot] wide” photo rendition might lead one to believe. 😉

  11. Under Asking! Look out below. They should have priced this at $3M so they could have received 50 bids and got $4.5. But seriously, $1400/psf and there is a 2 bedroom expansion on the way. Crazy.

  12. Is no one going to mention the house on Fillmore that sold for $3000 per foot or do I have to do it?

  13. I know there has been a flurry of off market activity but the 3000/psf whale on Fillmore is not one that I’m aware of…. So I’d love to hear it.

  14. I had not realized this one was on the market. Nice find. The owner passed away this earlier so they didn’t wast much time getting this deal done. This was always an interesting lot / home. $11M is a lot of money but it has a very unique / almost direct vantage view of the bridge that only a few other homes on Russian hill have.

  15. I visited Uncle Ed several times and alway enjoyed the house, especially the second story Library.

  16. Edwin Stadtmuller was my great uncle, and he
    and my great aunt lived in this home until their
    deaths in 1958 (Elsie) and 1969 (Ed). I was
    lucky enough to see the home again in 2001, when
    it was under construction. The original interior
    was very Victorian, with bookshelves, a dumb waiter, and an old fashioned telephone. Uncle
    Ed even had a butler that we had to place a calling
    card on his silver tray when we visited! I have
    such fond memories of that time.

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