ABC Wednesday ~ V is for Victorian
As featured on A&E’s America’s Castles’ “Castles by the Bay,” this exuberant Queen Anne-style Victorian was built in 1886. It is the only intact private home of the period that is open regularly as a museum, complete with authentic furniture and artifacts. The House has elaborate wooden gables, a circular corner tower and luxuriant ornamentation. Volunteer docents lead tours through the House and explain the Victorian architecture of the exterior. A display of photographs in the downstairs supper-room describes the history of the home and the family that lived here until 1972.
The Haas-Lilienthal Family
From Victorian Sampler by Randolph Delahanty.
William Haas was born April 24, 1849, in the village of Reckendorf, Bavaria, to a family of modest means with many children…In 1865, sixteen-year-old William and an older brother, Abraham, sailed for New York City…He arrived in San Francisco on October 9, 1868, and joined the grocery firm of Leopold Loupe and Kalman Haas. His first recorded address, in Langley’s San Francisco Directory of 1869, was the Nucleus Hotel, on Third and Market. Please come take a tour to learn more about how William Haas built his life (and his home) in San Francisco.
William Haas entrusted Bavarian architect Peter R. Schmidt and contractors McCann & Biddell to build his home in 1886.
The house withstood the 1906 Earthquake with only slight damage. However, the home was threatened by the devastating fire, which followed the earthquake and destroyed about 40% of San Francisco. The Haas family watched the fire from the roof of their house, but was soon forced to evacuate by city authorities. So the family, along with most other San Francisco residents, went to the nearest public park, Lafayette Park, to camp out during the emergency. Later, they temporarily moved to a large house in Oakland while the City was reconstructed.
My husband was at a conference in San Francisco December 5th -9th. I met him there on saturday the 6th of December to celebrate our 34th wedding anniversary. On Sunday we went on a walking tour of some of the Victorian Homes in Pacific Heights. When we got to this home a lovely volunteer with the Foundation, Kaleene, told us about the Christmas Open House that was that very afternoon. Dear had to go to a meeting but I came back to the house for the event. While there I was given a mini-tour of the home. Here are some interior photos of this historic landmark.
Wine and food was served during the Open House.
Being Russian I was happy to see this great Samovar…
For more ABC Wednesday Posts visit the ABC Wednesday Blog. Thanks to Denise for hosting this meme.
Photobucket is holding all my photos from 2007 to 2015 hostage and has replaced them all with ugly black and grey boxes asking for a ransom to have them re-published. Such a frustrating bother as I go through each post to delete the ugly boxes.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 
this is a great reportage , its like I have been there myself, you showed us a grat way all about this Victorian Archetecture , a fantastic building too! what a beautiful HIGH ceilings and a BIG christmas tree too!
My V is a VIEW of FROST through a slideshow, watch mine here:
http://www.joannwalraven.blogspot.com
Bye greetings from JoAnn/Holland
Wonderful architecture. I love the stained glass windows. How fun that you happened upon such a lovely house on a day it would be open. I really love the fireplace in room where the food was served.
They certainly knew how to live in style!
I love touring homes like this. So beautiful. thanks for sharing it with us.
I love Victorian homes. Maybe we have become to practical. I find the Victorian excesses charming.
An Arkie’s Musings
Thank you for taking us on a tour in this grand stylish house. It has such a real Victorian atmosphere. Very wonderful.
Amazing pictures of amazing houses.
This house is just too beautiful for words. My best friend lives in an old Victorian house that was built a long time ago! I love the details. Such pretty architecture!
That’s what I call a HOUSE! Thanks for the tour Ellen B.!
Samovar…does that translate into “Coffee Pot”? It sure is perdy.
Hope your having a fun day!
🙂 Cori G.
Great house! Thank you for sharing this with us.
Wow. That is an impressive house.
what an absolutely beautiful example of victorian architecture. you really lucked out on the tour. such a lovely photographic tour. thanks for sharing
Oh this is just gorgeous! I’ve always wanted to live in a Victorian-style home, but who can afford it???
This is more than a home…it is stunning and so decked out to it’s true tradition! I love all the details in the kitchen!
Love that old stove~
The whole home is beautiful. Almost makes me want to live in a Victorian~
Beautiful! I am glad you went back for the house tour. I especially liked what it seemed to be the butler’s pantry where the floor-to-ceiling cream cabinetry is. Those red chairs are simply gorgeous too!
Very lovely, Ellen. Funny about SF and Victorian houses… I was visiting SF earlier this year and found some of the newer buildings on Union Street to resemble Bath, England! (You might be interested to check out my post entitled “San Francisco Weekend”). I’ve enjoyed all your Christmas posts and the very warm pictures of home and family (even though I’m an outsider). Have a blessed Christmas!
I LOVE old Victorian homes…thank you for sharing these lovely pictures! I just want to move in!
Now, that’s a house! I love these photos, too. How lucky you are to have gotten that tour.
Congrats on your anniversary, too. I can’t think of a better place to spend it than in San Francisco. Great city.
The Victorians really knew how to design a home. It is my favorite style in many ways….thanks for the tour!
ah the grandeur and elegance of victorian homes! i wish to build my own victorian house in the future!
mine is here: http://seasons.pinoyvibes.net/2008/12/17/v-is-for-vow/. hope you can visit too!
happy wednesday!
oh I just love it!! one day I’ll build my dream home….it’ll look a lot like that!
Gorgeous! Just gorgeous! My jaw is dragging the keyboard right now!
Thanks for sharing!
Oh, how I would love to have seen that when I was in SF earlier this year – but I had no idea such houses were available to tour!
Next time, perhaps!
Awesome, fantastic, great, excellent post!
I just referred my friend to this post because she loves all things Victorian.
It is so pretty. I could look at these pictures all day!