Broadway Gold Coast and Bourn Mansion: Billionaire's Row

Why is it significant?

Stroll west along the breathtaking precipice of Broadway between Steiner and Divisadero Streets, a legendary three-block boulevard known to international real estate as San Francisco's 'Gold Coast' or 'Billionaire's Row'.

Key Facts

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Stroll west along the breathtaking precipice of Broadway between Steiner and Divisadero Streets, a legendary three-block boulevard known to international real estate as San Francisco's 'Gold Coast' or 'Billionaire's Row'. Perched high on the northern cliff overlooking the bay, this street boasts the highest concentration of architectural trophy estates in California. Number 2550 Broadway, the historic Bourn Mansion, was completed in 1896 for Empire Gold Mine magnate William Bowers Bourn II, designed by brilliant master architect Willis Polk in the austere, refined Georgian Revival style.

Bourn was one of the wealthiest men in the world, whose Nevada and Grass Valley gold operations financed the legendary Filoli Estate in Woodside and the Spring Valley Water Company. For his city townhouse, Bourn rejected Victorian fussiness, directing Willis Polk to design a dignified facade of clinker brick, limestone quoins, and leaded glass windows. Polk brilliantly situated the grand reception rooms and library along the northern exposure, framing floor-to-ceiling vistas of the bay and Alcatraz Island.

Look around at the neighboring estates along this block. You will see monumental Georgian manors, Tudor Revival timbered castles, and sleek modernist glass pavilions commissioned by tech founders, venture capitalists, and civic dynasties including the Gettys, Hearsts, and Trainas. Many properties feature cantilevered garden terraces that plunge straight down the cliff face. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very vantage point, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal nature meets monumental human ingenuity. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very vantage point, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal nature meets monumental human ingenuity. Generations of travelers, artists, and neighborhood residents have gathered at this very vantage point, inspired by the unforgettable panorama where dramatic coastal nature meets monumental human ingenuity.

Notice how Broadway terminates in a quiet cul-de-sac ahead, protecting this rarefied residential enclave from commercial traffic and noise.

Continue west along Broadway past Divisadero toward Baker Street to reach the historic stone gateway of the Presidio Wall.