F I R S TP R E V586NEXTLAST

Victorians, Alamo Square
One of your can't-miss photos in San Francisco is a row of Victorians on Alamo Square. With the downtown behind them, every shutterbug goes home with a nice photo. But what many tourists fail to take in are the other Victorians that surround the park. Alamo Square features a number of the city's Victorian architectural styles including Gothic Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne, Stick-Eastlake, Renaissance Revival, and Romanesque.

Surprisingly, the original Victorians were painted drab white, black, and brown, it wasn't until 1960s that colorful 'Painted Ladies' style became fashionable. Today exterior painting often features a dozen colors or more, plus gilding and the cost can reach into tens of thousands of dollars. But most owners happily bear the expense for the joy of living in these narrow, but very deep, uniquely-handcrafted homes. Their hardwood interiors boast, beautiful staircases, wonderful attics, and enormous kitchens overlooking private backyard gardens.
[ MAP H-12 ]