459 Ashbury Street

459 Ashbury Street

459 Ashbury Street

459Ashbury.com

A Stunning Victorian Optimized for 21st-Century Living

From its impeccably preserved Victorian façade to its fully modernized interior, 459 Ashbury is a magnificent example of San Francisco residential architecture—a testament to both the city’s historical grandeur and its taste for innovation. Spread over more than 4,200 square feet and 4 stories, the home boasts 5 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms, gorgeous living spaces, versatile additional rooms, and numerous decks, balconies, and terraces, in addition to a sizeable backyard. Completed in 2008, a dramatic renovation reimagined the structure as an energy-efficient and fully tech-enabled living environment. These improvements preserved and accentuated period features such as decorative hearths on two different levels, richly sculpted moldings, and ubiquitous chandelier medallions, which now support sleek, new lighting fixtures.

The kitchen and great room welcome you as you pass between those built-ins. Situated on a corner, a strikingly modern gas fireplace in black marble catches the eye to create an inviting atmosphere further enhanced with ample recessed lighting and a soundtrack emanating from in- ceiling speakers. As beautiful as it is functional, the kitchen is fit for the most discerning professional chef with stainless steel counters and splashes surrounding the stove, while an 11-foot slab of marble crowns a dramatic island with bar seating for four. The premium gas range, oven, microwave, and refrigerator are all by Viking. Steps away, a wet bar with under-counter wine fridge allows for drink service without disturbing culinary projects underway in the kitchen. Two separate doors lead to a large tiled deck encircled with foliage from mature plantings in the yard below. Moving between the levels of this home, one can either use the spiral staircase that connects the patios and decks from the ground floor through the second story, or the grand skylit staircase, with massive wood bannisters and custom wrought-iron balusters, that unifies the home top to bottom.

From Ashbury Street, one ascends a staircase surmounting the garage, arriving at a broad terrace finished in mosaic tile. This is just one of many outdoor spaces at 459 Ashbury that will beckon for coffee and the newspaper on a weekend morning or a glass of wine in the evening. The terrace eases one into the home, where one proceeds either upstairs or to the living room. An immense bay window floods the living room in natural light, illuminating the carved stone fireplace and mantle, the ornate chandelier rosettes, and the espresso hardwood floors found throughout the home. Scroll-shaped brackets near the ceiling mark the transition to the dining room, where a wall with extensive built-in shelving crafted from live-edge boards adds a distinctly contemporary flair.

Above the main living areas is a level devoted to the home’s two main bedrooms, as well as a third, smaller one. Located at the rear of the home, the primary bedroom suite features a sun parlor-like sitting area with extensive built-ins. Outfitted with custom cabinetry, the walk-through closet also houses a convenient washer and dryer. Accessible from both the walk- in closet and the sleeping quarters, the luxurious bathroom offers a dual sink and large tub surrounded in marble, as well as an expansive shower lined in marble tile. The front bedroom on this level is sure to be a cherished space, with its fireplace surround of glazed tile, a carved oak mantle, a bay window, and, most notably of all, exclusive access to the front balcony. Its iron railing and arched roofline provide a whimsical frame for the street scene beyond this charming Victorian vignette. A full bath with shower-over-tub serves both the front and middle bedrooms, the latter a dignified space featuring built-in shelving and a tray ceiling with crown moldings.

While the interior of 459 Ashbury is a delicate fusion of the historical and the contemporary, the façade is high Queen-Anne splendor. Built in 1893 by the noted team of architects Robert D. Cranston and Hugh Keenan, their design is a masterclass in Victorian ornament. An award-winning paint job highlights its extensive dentil moldings, garlands, geometric reliefs, and fluted Neo-Classical columns in bold blues, whites, and purples, with tasteful gilding to underscore select features. The two most remarkable aspects of this edifice—an angled turret on one side balanced with a distinctive balcony in an arched niche on the other—make this home stand-out on a block known for fine Victorians.

The top floor is divided into two bedrooms, each with its own bathroom en suite. With extensive cabinetry, a gently sloped ceiling, as well as a private deck overlooking the backyard, the room at the rear of the house is perfect for a child or teen. Overlooking Ashbury Street is a unique and expansive space that, if not used as a bedroom, would make a perfect creative studio or a large second office. It is also a daring tour- de force of home renovation. Conventional wall treatments extend up to the level of the crown moldings, at which point an open-beam ceiling begins, exposing the whitewashed joists and boards of the original 1893 construction. The effect is especially remarkable within the turret, where it displays the ten-sided pinwheel of ceiling beams converging overhead.

With access from both the entry level and directly from the garage, the ground level offers a full bathroom, as well as two additional bonus spaces that are ideal for use as a home gym, a workshop, a playroom, or an office. Down the hall is a generous laundry area, as well as a luxurious, cedar-lined sauna. From the ground floor, one can step out onto a covered backyard patio perfect for dining al fresco and, beyond it, into a backyard bordered with mature perennials. The spiral staircase leading to the kitchen above makes it easy to enjoy meals around a patio table while creating exciting possibilities for outdoor entertaining.

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ROBERT D. CRANSTON (1849-1916)

HUGH KEENAN (1845-1934)

Robert Dickie Cranston was born in Canada in July 1849 of Scottish parents. His wife Jennie MacGregor was born in December 1850, also having Scottish parentage. They married in 1870 and emigrated that year to the United States, arriving in San Francisco. Robert worked as a carpenter at first, but by 1889 he was building houses in the Haight. He listed himself in City Directories at the time as an architect-builder. The couple had four children, two boys and two girls, all born in California. The eldest son, Robert A., born in August 1873, became a physician, and the youngest, WilliamM., born in February 1879, became President of the University Realty Company in Palo Alto. Both boys worked at one time with their father. William had a son of his own in 1914 - Alan MacGregor Cranston - who was a U.S. senator from California 1969 to 1993. Hugh Keenan was born in County Tyrone, one of the six counties that now form Northern Ireland, on September 6, 1845. He emigrated to the United States and was naturalized in New York City on October 20, 1866. There he met his future wife, Teresa, born in New York in August 1854, also of Irish parentage. They married in 1877 and moved out to San Francisco. They had seven children, four boys and three girls, all born in California. Their eldest son Charles J., became an architect, the second one, William J. an electrician, and the third one, Hugh Cornelius, followed in his father’s footsteps to become a prolific builder. Both Cranston and Keenan were successful builders in their own right. Examples of Cranston’s early work can be seen at:

• 1269 McAllister (1887, now 2 apts.), • 1114-16 Fulton (1890, now 3 apts.). Keenan’s equally fine earlier work includes:

• 15, 17, 19 & 21 Baker (1890, 17 & 21 are now 2 apts.). In 1891 the pair formed a partnership, as reported by the Call.

San Francisco Call newspaper August 30, 1891

One of their first projects together in 1891 was at the northeast corner of Page and Ashbury. 1542, 1544, 1546, 1548 & 1550 Page. Three of the five have been subdivided over the years and two of those are now 3-unit

condominiums. In 1893 they built 449 and 459 Ashbury. 459 retains its distinctive Queen Anne elements, but the property to the north, now 449-51, has had most of its original detail stripped away or stuccoed over. In the Haight, 500-06 Cole at Page is an excellent example of their work from 1894. Cranston later built the adjoining four, 508 through 516 in 1899. Three are still single-family homes (508, 510 & 516); 512-14 is subdivided. North of the Panhandle, both sides of the 700 block of Broderick, north from Fulton, are largely intact representations of their work from1895. On the east side, the eight buildings, 700 through 718, are largely intact. Three are still single-family homes (704, 706 & 708); the others have been subdivided into as many as five apartments (718). On the west side of the block, the six buildings, 701 through 711, are also still largely intact. Again, three are still single-family homes (703, 705 & 711); the others having been subdivided.

459 Ashbury Street

Cranston died of heart failure on May 12, 1916 while inspecting his building at 635 Ashbury. Jennie survived him by seven years. Keenan lived to be 88, passing away on February 20, 1934, nine years after Teresa.

© David Parry June 2021

The History of 459 Ashbury From 1893–present

c. 1970’s

The home underwent a complete renovation and expansion 2008

July 24, 1893 (San Francisco Water Department) by Keenan & Kranston

Summer of Love 1969

Add 2nd Garage 1984

Loma Prieta Earthquake 1989

Present

Earthquake 1906

1993 Centeninial

Sep 16, 2015 For Purists: 15 of the Most Intact Victorians on the Market SF Curbed

1956 Corner of Page & Ashbury circa 1956

1987 First Place “Picture It Painted Professionally” Awards Winner. SF Local Color Honored by the Painting Contractors Association for Residential Restoration Work

Brendon Kearney 415.640.4757 [email protected] BrendonKearney.com DRE 01350213

Compass is a licensed real estate broker (01991628) in the State of California and abides by Equal Housing Opportunity laws. All material presented herein is intended for informational purposes only. Information is compiled from sources deemed reliable but is subject to errors, omissions, changes in price, condition, sale, or withdraw without notice. No statement is made as to accuracy of any description. All measurements and square footages are approximate. Exact dimensions canbeobtainedby retaining the servicesof anarchitect or engineer. This is not intended tosolicit propertyalready listed.