2090%20Vallejo%202013.jpg

Of the 119 newly listed homes for sale in San Francisco last week, the most expensive is 2090 Vallejo which has just been listed for $10,950,000, roughly seven million less than the $17,800,000 price at which the property had been listed in 2007 without a sale.

Designed by Clarence Tantau for City of Paris founder Benjamin Schlesinger in 1919 and restored by European craftsman in 1993, the listing for the classic Georgian home had boasted an “exquisite jewel-like interior including lavish wall panels, columns, extraordinary three-dimensional moldings, impressive Frescos and opulent 24-carat gildings” six years ago. The furniture within this property is similar to those from antique stores such as Antiques World as well as others.

2090%20Vallejo%20Dining%202007.jpg

The less gilded and lavish dining room today:

2090%20Vallejo%20Dining%202013.jpg

By the numbers in 2013: seven bedrooms, six full baths, five fireplaces, four floors, a three car side-by-side garage, a couple of great views, and approximately 10,563 square feet inside.

2090%20Vallejo%20Living%202013.jpg

11 thoughts on “A Classic San Francisco Georgian Returns A Little Less Gilded Inside”
  1. This will come off as pedantic, but I am sincerely curious about architectural terms at least here in America.
    This house is being called “Georgian” but it was designed and built after 1919, well after the Georgian era.
    For example Is it normal to call buildings “Georgian” instead of “Georgian style”? “Tudor” instead of “Tudor style” etc…

  2. Yes, it should properly be called Georgian style, but I think that’s generally understood in California, where there is no way it could be authentic Georgian.
    And since we’re having a lesson in architectural history, during the first several decades of the 20th century there was a great boom styles from the early Republic (historians usually date the revival to the 1876 celebration of the American Centenary). It’s much more prevalent on the east coast than here, but Georgian, Greek Revival, Colonial, etc were all very popular for both civic buildings and residences. Georgian Revival in particular became one of the favored styles in education…this house pictured here could easily be on the campus of Harvard or some prestigious New England prep school.

  3. wc1, this comes up all the time. E.g., the Italianate Victorian at 3664 22nd St:

    …It’s not a Victorian if it has been built after the passing of Queen Victoria. I would say it is an Latter Elisabethan.

    And you can find similar comments about S.F. Edwardians, even ones that aren’t recently constructed.
    Also, you have to keep in mind the way that real estate gets described on socketsite seems to be influenced heavily by what gets in the MLS, and thus the way that real estate agents use terms, which might not be the way that you’d see property described in, say, Architectural Record.

  4. I doubt the trim was gilt…. The paint was clearly necessary if the owners (who I think had rented out the place for the past couple of years) truly want to sell. Unless the ghosts of Michael Jackson or Saddam Hussein were actively looking for a San Francisco residence, I can’t imagine a buyer emerging if the house remained in its former state of faux-opulence. It was so laughably incongruous to the decidedly English exterior.
    I think the new look and new realtor can move this property. The location isn’t as prime as 2898, but that place was a fightening dump. 2100 is a double lot, but it’s still a good comp at 11. It’s now been totally gutted. I expect this place to be gutted as well.

  5. I saw this on tour today and rest assured, curmudgeon, the bathrooms are fabulous, especially the Pink Granite Bathtub.
    M.R.

  6. With the exception of the kitchen, it would be criminal to gut this house. The wood detail alone makes this property so unique.

  7. While the original interior was excessively exuberant, I think they toned it down too far. Nor am I sold on the “artwork.” Hopefully some of the interior is merely staging. And the cylindrical chandelier in the living room? pppllllleeeeaaassseeee. It’ll look gauche and out of date in a few months. Not to mention it’s not really accent material for a period room. It looks like they decorated in a hurry at Ikea on a tight, tight budget, and threw in a few classic modern arm chairs at the last minute.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *