Occupying the entire top floor of a landmark beaux arts building, 1001 California St., No. 7, offers a glimpse of old San Francisco opulence as well as a connection to one of this city’s most infamous residents. This historic condo is for sale now, asking $5.2 million.
You may have seen 1001 California St.: It’s an iconic feature of Nob Hill, its oft-photographed toasted cream facade embellished with intricate carved stone, walls of glass, curved bay windows and delicate wrought iron Juliet balconies. This is the work of prolific Bay Area architect Houghton Sawyer.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
In a 2014 article spotlighting one of Sawyer’s East Bay homes, Sawyer is described as “a prominent designer before and after the 1906 earthquake and fire, erected homes in San Francisco’s top-tier neighborhoods like Nob Hill and Pacific Heights, as well as neighboring cities like Piedmont.” Among Sawyer’s notable properties are a Vallejo Street home commissioned by Adolph Spreckels, the son of the famous sugar magnate, the O’Sullivan Building near San Francisco’s City Hall, as well as numerous stately private residences.
Most Read
| This is the most polarizing restaurant in the Bay Area
News
| Jan. 6 attendee sells Bay Area cafe, says money goes to Mamdani
Travel
| Notorious Vegas hotel admits to taking bookings for fake rooms
Crime
| Arrest made 18 years after SF man killed on eve of his wedding
Read our stories ad-free on the new SFGATE app.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
In the 1914-built 1001 California St., we have a well preserved example of Sawyer’s work. Sawyer chose the “Haussman style” for the building. In an email, co-listing agent Grazia Bennett of Sotheby’s International Realty explained that this architecture was named for Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, an appointee of Napoleon III.
Haussmann’s ideas for architecture and urban planning redefined Paris in the mid- to late 1800s. “Haussmann architecture features large, elegant buildings with stone facade and wrought iron details,” Bennett said. Many of these elements are clearly visible on this historic Nob Hill building, although, regrettably, one is missing: “Originally there was a pool on top of the building,” according to Bennett.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
Several units inside 1001 California St. enjoy an entire floor to themselves, and Unit 7 is one such home, its 2,980 square feet spread over the tower’s penthouse. Inside, the home is a beaux arts showcase. Once you step off the building’s elevator, you are presented with a grand foyer, with two gently spiraled staircases leading up to the living room. In this room, an original marble hearth warms the space while an arched stained glass skylight fills it with light.
Off the living room is a period-perfect library, with rich, wood-paneled walls, built-in cabinetry and beveled windows overlooking the city skyline and the bay. In the formal dining room, an antique French china cabinet glows under an oversized chandelier.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
There are three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms in the unit (though as configured now, one of those bedrooms serves as an office). To access the primary bedroom, you descend a marble staircase. Once there, you can step out onto the terrace overlooking the city, or enjoy a soak in the in-suite bathroom’s deep tub, perhaps tipping your head back to look up at the sky through a wall of windows set in the pink and gray marble.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
While Unit 7 clearly honors Sawyer’s original design, there are modern incarnations here as well, particularly in the kitchen, where high-end appliances join the original dark wood floor, inset with black and white marble. The (fantastical!) decor as we see it now must also be attributed to the current owners, as Bennett confirmed the condo was not staged for market.
Along with Houghton Sawyer’s notoriety, 1001 California, No. 7, is famous for another reason: In the 1970s, this is where Patty Hearst lived with her parents, Randolph Apperson Hearst and Catherine Wood Campbell Hearst, after she was released on bail, pending appeal.
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
The last time 1001 California St., No. 7, sold was in 2010, trading hands then for $3.5 million. The next owner will enjoy what co-listing agent Mary Lou Castellanos (also of Sotheby’s International) described in an email as, “A rare opportunity in one of the city’s most prestigious full-service buildings … [in an] enviable Nob Hill location just steps from the Fairmont and Huntington Park.”
More Real Estate
– One Bay Area housing trend is becoming impossible to miss
– Bay Area’s wildest house just hit the market for the first time
– SF’s highest residence is asking a dizzying $47.5 million
– This $11.25M Bay Area estate buries its best feature underground
A historic condo at 1001 California St. in San Francisco, once home to Patty Hearst, lists for $5.2 million. (Courtesy of Open Homes Photography for Sotheby’s International Realty)
This article originally published at A $5.2M San Francisco condo offers a glimpse of old-world opulence.