As we first wrote about 615 Buena Vista Avenue back in 2008:
615 Buena Vista Avenue was born a single-family home in 1906; was chopped up into a five unit building and sold as such for $3,500,000 in 2006; and is now back to being billed as a single-family residence plus “legal” one-bedroom on the lower level.
We’re big fans of the Arts and Crafts exterior, and equally so of the beautifully modern Haus Martin next door (a fantastic juxtaposition which we wish more would embrace).
On the market for $3,895,000 at the time, 615 Buena Vista sold for $3,706,666 that June.
Having since been remodeled a bit but still without a garage, the six-bedroom home with “au pair quarters on the lower level” has quietly been on the market for a month asking $5,500,000 with a two-level “pent-room” above and room to remodel even more:
∙ Listing: 615 Buena Vista Ave (6/5) – $5,500,000 [615bv.com]
∙ The Circle Of Life: From One To Five And Back Again (615 Buena Vista) [SocketSite]
∙ Haus Martin And Cass Calder Smith Architecture [SocketSite]
Wow, what’s with everything suddenly being for sale in this neighborhood?
What a beautiful house. My first rental in SF was in the pre-renovation garage with a unit on top immediately to the left (I think perhaps this was originally built as the garage for the house, before a lot split but I’m not sure). For what it’s worth, parking is easy up there. There is a lot of vertical, so the “89” walk score is a tad misleading, but that’s just a minor gripe about the way walkscore calculates without considering topography.
hmmm; are these the same owners who were very much opposed to the modest vertical addition recently proposed to the little modern house next door? And is this their response to said addition being approved or did they always intend to flip it?
Wow, if true, truly stupid to have sold off the garage lot. I do love the house, but the front door is so overpowered. Should probably be a double door.
A beautiful structure overall. Not liking the pent-room sliding windows, tho.
Cool house, a simpler 3’6″ front door would be nice but a double on a A&C has no basis in the design profile.
Someone needs to call Add A Garage.
Georgeous! …and ‘priase Jesus’! Finally a good stager that didn’t demand they paint out all the orignal woodwork. This was either perfectly preserved from the many incarnations or expertly restored…. talk about stairporn.
I want a house with an inglenook. Cause I love that word…
Personally I love houses that haven’t had a garage stuffed into their facades. So much so that I would like the city to allow property owners to buy exclusive rights to the curb in front of their property without having to go through the expense and ugliness of putting in a curb cut and a garage, just because it would better preserve classic houses.
Yes Alai, a garageless facade looks better but please no to privatizing street parking. Selling just one parking spot would preclude expanding traffic lanes on that block. Parking is needed but it need not be on the street.
Surely some architects have figured out how to integrate a facade garage door in an aesthetic pleasing way. I’ve seen plenty of clean modern facades where the garage doesn’t detract from the design. But those get away with it because a big blank garage door melds well with the clean lines and low detail of the rest of the facade. How about more ornate facade like this? Anyone succeeded in including a garage door that fits?
That doesn’t seem like much of an issue. Just include a clause that allows the city to buy it back for the same price– or better yet just make it an annual fee.
As for the aesthetics, the best are probably those that have the garage door partially or entirely below ground level, preferably with a very steep driveway so it doesn’t present a large expanse of concrete. ‘Course you’ll still have to tear out the greenery.
The sale of 615 Buena Vista Avenue closed escrow today with a reported contract price of $5,500,000.