The Haas–Lilienthal House is a historic building located at 2007 Franklin Street in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, within the Pacific Heights neighborhood. Built in 1886 for William and Bertha Haas, it survived the

1906 San Francisco earthquake At 05:12 AM Pacific Time Zone, Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated Moment magnitude scale, moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli inte ...

and subsequent fire. The

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

house is a San Francisco Designated Landmark and is listed on the

U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. It was converted into a museum with period furniture and artifacts, which as of 2016 received over 6,500 visitors annually.

History

The House was built for merchant William Haas (brother of Abraham Haas), his wife Bertha Greenebaum, and their children Florine, Charles Williams and Alice. William Haas (1849–1916) was born in Reckendorf,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

from a Jewish family and came to San Francisco in October 1868, rapidly establishing himself as a successful businessman. In 1880 he married Bertha Greenebaum (1861–1927), whose father Herman, owner of a prosperous mercantile company in California, was also from Bavaria. Well integrated within the affluent local Bavarian Jewish community, the couple lived in a number of different residences after their marriage before finally building a grand mansion for themselves and their children. 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. Three days after the earthquake the fire was finally stopped at Van Ness Avenue, narrowly sparing the house from destruction.About the House
. ''Haas–Lilienthal House''. Retrieved 2020-3-16. The 1928 addition — living quarters over a garage — were built by architect Gardner Dailey to provide needed space for the additions to the family. Three generations of Haas and Lilienthal descendants lived at 2007 Franklin Street. In 1972 Alice Haas-Lilienthal died, after having resided in the house for nearly eighty years; the following year, her children donated the mansion to the Foundation for San Francisco's Architectural Heritage (later known as San Francisco Heritage or SF Heritage), a non-profit organization. The Haas–Lilienthal House was added to the

on July 2, 1973, and designated as a San Francisco Landmark on January 4, 1975. In 2012 it was named a National Treasure by the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

Haas–Lilienthal House Museum

In 1972, the Haas–Lilienthal House was opened to the public for tours. It is the only intact Victorian private home in the city that is open regularly as a museum, complete with original furniture and artifacts. Volunteer docents lead tours of the house which begin in the basement ballroom. The first floor, and the original principal bedchamber, one other bedchamber, a nursery, and one bathroom on the second floor are included in the house tour. The third story, or attic, which contained a spacious redwood-paneled playroom, gym, storage room, and servants' quarters for the cook and maids, now serve as Heritage offices, as well as the residence of the house manager. The 1928 living quarters addition over the garage is a residence. In November 2023, citing financial difficulties, SF Heritage closed the museum and terminated three of its four employees, envisaged a reopening for spring 2024.

Architecture

The house was built in the Victorian Queen Anne - Eastlake style. p. 22. Built of

redwood Sequoioideae, commonly referred to as redwoods, is a subfamily of Pinophyta, coniferous trees within the family (biology), family Cupressaceae, that range in the Northern Hemisphere, northern hemisphere. It includes the List of superlative tree ...

, p. 9. the building follows the locally popular row-house plan, developed to maximise the use of space in deep, narrow hillside lots.

Gallery

File:Exterior - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC04914.JPG File:Exterior - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC04917.JPG File:Haas-Lilienthal House (San Francisco).jpg File:Haas-Lilienthal House 592.jpg File:San Francisco - Haas Lilianthal House (1526907077).jpg File:1st floor hall - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC04925.JPG, First floor hallway File:1st floor hall detail - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC05035.JPG, First floor hall detail File:1st floor hall clock - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC04937.JPG, Hallway clock File:2nd parlor - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC04989.JPG, second floor parlor File:Back bedroom - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC05082.JPG, Back Bedroom File:Bathroom - Haas-Lilienthal House - San Francisco, CA - DSC05074.JPG, Bathroom File:Haas-Lilienthal House 596.jpg, Dining Room File:Haas-Lilienthal House, 1.jpg, Garden File:Haas-Lilienthal House, 3.jpg,

Stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

on the windows

References

External links