San Francisco’s historic mansions are what happens when Gold Rush money meets West Coast ambition. Northern California’s boom in the 19th century wasn’t limited to gold veins; it trickled upward into grand estates built by fortunes that defied the rugged edge-of-the-world geography.
Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, and Russian Hill became the playfields of millionaires who wanted East Coast elegance with a West Coast view. Architecturally, they spared nothing, from Italianate details to Gothic turrets, as if recreating Europe one brick at a time. The Whittier Mansion, for example, was a French Empire fantasy tucked into the middle of the Bay Area’s unpredictable climate. Alma Spreckels went for Beaux-Arts opulence in her Pacific Heights spread, filling it with fine art and drama.
James Flood chose brownstone for his mansion on Nob Hill, defying local norms as if to make a statement that his East Coast tastes would survive San Francisco’s earthquakes. Each of these homes is steeped in the layered histories of California’s Gilded Age, reminders of a time when fortunes were made fast and flaunted faster. They’re an odd fit for the Northern California landscape but somehow essential, icons of the wild ambition that made San Francisco more than just another Gold Rush town.
15. Camron-Stanford House
The Camron-Stanford House is a Victorian standout on Oakland’s Lake Merritt, a place where high-society charm collided with the rustic edges of 19th-century California. Built in 1876, it was one of the first true mansions on the east side of the Bay. Designed in the Italianate style with intricate moldings, a square cupola, and wraparound porches, the house was an odd mix of East Coast grandeur and West Coast wilderness, right on the lake. Historically, the house served as the residence for some of Oakland’s early elites, like real estate developer William Camron. Later, the Stanford family took up residence, with Leland Stanford’s influence and wealth only adding to the house’s cachet. As a cultural touchstone, the Camron-Stanford House has seen it all: the birth of Oakland’s urban elite, the post-Gold Rush economic surge, and the rise of the city’s arts and historical preservation. Today, it stands as a rare survivor of the era, carefully maintained and still commanding attention on the lakefront.
14. Haas-Lilienthal House
The Haas-Lilienthal House, a Victorian relic from 1886, doesn’t do anything halfway. Designed by Peter R. Schmidt for wealthy merchant William Haas, this Queen Anne-style mansion sits in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights like it owns the place. It’s a jigsaw puzzle of turrets, gables, and bay windows, each angle more elaborate than the last. A survivor of the 1906 earthquake, it flaunts its resilience — a rarity in a city that saw many of its grand homes reduced to ashes.The interior is a wood-lover’s dream with dark, carved paneling from floor to ceiling and stained glass that casts every room in moody light. A grand oak staircase curls upward, framed by an assortment of ornate fireplaces and a dining room that was basically an exclusive club for the city’s upper crust. Later turned into a museum, it’s the only Victorian mansion in San Francisco open to the public.
13. Whittier Mansion
The Whittier Mansion on Jackson Street, built in 1896 for financier William Franklin Whittier, is all about presence. Designed by Edward R. Swain, this Beaux-Arts gem is one of the few San Francisco homes built from Arizona red sandstone. Its towering columns and intricate carvings make a strong first impression, but it’s the steel-reinforced stonework that saved it during the 1906 earthquake. Unlike much of the city, the Whittier Mansion stood firm — no small feat in those days. Inside, the mansion spans 30 rooms across four floors. The entryway’s high ceilings and mahogany woodwork set a serious tone, leading up a grand staircase to rooms decked out with gilded moldings and marble fireplaces. Then there’s the ballroom, a space big enough for Whittier’s elaborate social gatherings, a fitting choice for a man who liked to entertain. Over the years, the mansion has been home to many tenants, including a stint as the French consulate, yet it has kept its original character intact.
12. Feusier Octagon House
The Feusier Octagon House stands out in San Francisco’s Russian Hill for more than just its shape. Built in 1857, this quirky, eight-sided house is a rare survivor from pre-Civil War California and one of the city’s few remaining octagon houses. While it might look like the result of an architect’s wild experiment, the design was based on an old 19th-century theory: the octagonal shape would supposedly bring in more natural light, improve ventilation, and maximize interior space. Whether or not these “scientific” claims hold up, the house certainly achieved the goal of making a statement. Purchased in the 1870s by successful Swiss immigrant Louis Feusier, the house became a social hub. The Feusier family hosted gatherings where San Francisco’s movers and shakers mingled within rooms decorated in Victorian style, complete with heavy drapes and ornate furnishings. The house itself boasts wide verandas and an exterior that combines redwood with a bold green-and-white paint job, a color scheme that’s as eye-catching as its octagonal structure. Today, the Feusier Octagon House is one of San Francisco’s hidden architectural gems, a little piece of architectural oddity that has managed to stick around.
11. James C. Flood Mansion
The James C. Flood Mansion, perched on Nob Hill, is a San Francisco icon with the grit to match its grandeur. Built in 1886 for silver baron James C. Flood, it was the first brownstone building west of the Mississippi, constructed with materials imported from Connecticut — a lavish choice, even by Gilded Age standards. Designed by architect Augustus Laver, this Renaissance-style fortress was built to last. When the 1906 earthquake struck, the Flood Mansion was one of the few structures on Nob Hill that didn’t crumble, standing defiant amidst the destruction. The interiors were decked out with carved wood, marble fireplaces, and hand-painted ceilings. The mansion’s thick brownstone walls and ornate ironwork give it an imposing look. After Flood’s death, the building found new life as the Pacific-Union Club, a prestigious private club that still operates there today.
10. Bourn Mansion
The Bourn Mansion at 2550 Webster Street is one of San Francisco’s enduring icons of late 19th-century wealth and ambition. Built in 1896 for mining magnate William Bowers Bourn II, the mastermind behind the Empire Mine and the city’s water system, this mansion was crafted by architect Willis Polk to command attention. With its Italian Renaissance-inspired architecture, red clinker bricks, and bold chimneys, the mansion has a distinct European grandeur. Inside, the residence originally featured 36 rooms, each decked out in fine materials like mahogany and marble. The ballroom stood as the heart of the home, where the Bourn family entertained San Francisco’s high society. When the 1906 earthquake struck, the mansion emerged nearly unscathed — a rarity among the Nob Hill estates.
9. William Westerfeld House
A famed “Painted Lady” from 1889, this home has hosted everyone from early Bohemians to 1960s counterculture icons. Its mix of Victorian flair and gothic detailing stands out in Alamo Square. The William Westerfeld Mansion, looming at 1198 Fulton Street, is one of San Francisco’s most storied residences, blending Victorian opulence with a darker, bohemian allure. Built in 1889 by German-born confectioner William Westerfeld, this 28-room mansion was designed in the Second Empire style, featuring a mansard roof, ornate cornices, and that iconic square tower that cuts a dramatic figure against the city skyline. Over the years, the mansion has shifted identities with the times. After Westerfeld’s death, the house went through a whirlwind of incarnations: it became a nightclub in the 1920s for San Francisco’s Russian community, a 1940s boarding house, and eventually, the center of Haight-Ashbury’s countercultural scene in the 1960s. Bands like Jefferson Airplane were known to hang around, and the mansion was famously occupied by psychedelic pioneers and filmmaker Kenneth Anger.
8. Koshland House
The Koshland House at 3800 Washington Street in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights is a Gilded Age masterpiece that has overlooked the city’s evolution since 1904. Commissioned by Marcus and Corinne Koshland, prominent members of San Francisco’s elite, the house was designed by architects Bliss & Faville, who were behind many of the city’s most iconic buildings. With its Beaux-Arts style the architecture is an exercise in refined excess: massive columns, detailed moldings, and grand proportions. The home’s interior spaces feature wood paneling, high ceilings, and decorative fireplaces. The Koshlands hosted lavish gatherings for the city’s cultural elite, making this house a center for high society in its heyday. Surviving the 1906 earthquake and retaining its original grandeur, the Koshland House is a piece of San Francisco’s aristocratic history.
7. Spreckels Mansion
The Spreckels Mansion at 2080 Washington Street in Pacific Heights is an unmistakable fixture in San Francisco’s architectural landscape. Built in 1912 for sugar magnate Adolph B. Spreckels and his socialite wife Alma, this French Baroque-inspired estate combines opulence and drama with views that stretch across the Bay. The mansion was designed by the architect George A. Applegarth, who brought a slice of Parisian grandeur to San Francisco’s hills, with limestone walls, ornate ironwork, and tall windows. Alma de Bretteville Spreckels, a larger-than-life figure known as the “Great Grandmother of San Francisco,” was the driving force behind the mansion’s high society legacy. She hosted lavish parties and filled the rooms with French art, later founding the nearby Palace of the Legion of Honor. The home became synonymous with San Francisco’s cultural elite, a place where art, wealth, and influence converged. The Spreckels Mansion has changed hands over the years, famously becoming home to novelist Danielle Steel.
6. Kohl Mansion
Kohl Mansion, or “The Oaks,” is a sprawling slice of Edwardian style perched in Burlingame, California. Built in 1914 by Bessie and Frederick Kohl, it was meant to be a “summer home,” though its Tudor Revival architecture and 63 rooms suggest they didn’t know the meaning of the word “getaway.” Designed by George H. Howard, the mansion brings all the drama: Gothic arches, limestone detailing, and gables that give it the kind of gravitas usually reserved for British aristocrats. Frederick, a shipping and real estate heir, and Bessie hosted their share of high-society gatherings here, decking out rooms with wood-paneled dining spaces, a grand ballroom, and a private chapel. Their life took a dark turn, with Frederick dying young and Bessie eventually parting ways with the place.
5. Marsden Kershaw House
Nestled at 845 Guerrero Street in San Francisco’s Liberty Hill Historic District, the Marsden Kershaw House captures the essence of 19th-century Italianate elegance. Built in 1871 for Marsden Kershaw, a partner in the Kershaw and Twing Coal Yard, this two-story gem boasts a refined simplicity. The arched entryway, framed by a bracketed porch, invites admiration, while the house’s elevated, landscaped base, bounded by low walls, gives it a dignified presence. Declared San Francisco Landmark #136 in 1982, the Marsden Kershaw House holds architectural and historical significance as one of the Liberty Hill District’s earliest homes.
4. Filoli Estate
Filoli Estate, just 30 miles south of San Francisco, blends Georgian grandeur with a bold West Coast twist. Built between 1915 and 1917 by William Bowers Bourn II, a power player in the gold and water industries, Filoli stands as a testament to both wealth and whimsy. Designed by architect Willis Polk, Filoli’s 54,000-square-foot mansion flaunts Classical symmetry, brick facades, and limestone details, all harmonized by impeccably proportioned windows and sweeping terraces. Outside, 16 acres of formal gardens stretch into a green fantasy land, orchestrated by Bruce Porter. The gardens blend English elegance with California’s climate, brimming with yew hedges, rose parterres, and reflecting pools. Rows of fruit trees and rare plants, including a vast collection of heirloom roses, make Filoli’s grounds as much a botanical showcase as they are a horticultural escape. Today, Filoli remains a jewel of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, bridging old-world formality with the unique boldness of California’s landscape.
3. Dunsmuir House
Dunsmuir House, nestled in the East Bay hills of Oakland, California (a stone’s throw from San Francisco), is a picture of turn-of-the-century elegance. Built in 1899 by Alexander Dunsmuir, son of a Canadian coal baron, this 37-room Neoclassical Revival mansion was designed to make an impression — though Dunsmuir himself barely had time to enjoy it, passing away shortly after its completion. The house sits on 50 acres of landscaped grounds, featuring rolling lawns, an extensive carriage house, and gardens filled with classic Victorian plantings. The mansion itself is a mix of stately and practical, from the iconic domed cupola to the mahogany woodwork and Tiffany-style glass. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s a rare, intact piece of East Bay history.
2. Richard E. Queen House
The Richard E. Queen House at 2212 Sacramento Street is a Victorian-era gem nestled in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood. Built in 1887, this home reflects the refinement of the Queen Anne style with its intricately detailed facade, steep gables, and rounded bay windows. Richard E. Queen, an early San Francisco businessman, commissioned the home during a period when the city was expanding its footprint on the hills, and this residence was positioned to impress. The house’s exterior showcases the hallmarks of its era: ornate woodwork, elegant moldings, and a carefully crafted turret that rises above the roofline. The interiors, although modernized over the years, still retain original wood finishes, intricate moldings, and stained-glass details that reflect the artistry and wealth of San Francisco’s Gilded Age.
1. Mark Hopkins Mansion
The Mark Hopkins Mansion once dominated San Francisco’s Nob Hill with an almost theatrical grandeur. Built in the late 1870s by railroad titan Mark Hopkins, one of the “Big Four” of the Central Pacific Railroad, this mansion was a gleaming testament to Gilded Age luxury. Perched on the city’s highest point, the mansion was an architectural triumph of the Second Empire style, with intricate ironwork, tall windows, and a commanding mansard roof. Inside, the mansion was decked out with Italian marble, exotic woodwork, and crystal chandeliers. But its reign on Nob Hill came to an abrupt end during the 1906 earthquake. Though the quake didn’t level it outright, the fires afterward destroyed it, leaving only charred ruins and marking the end of an era for San Francisco’s most prestigious neighborhood.
