Haas-Lilienthal House and Queen Anne Heritage: The Gilded Survivor

Why is it significant?

Gaze up at the magnificent three-story wooden facade of the Haas-Lilienthal House, an exuberant Queen Anne masterpiece completed in 1886. Designed by German-born architect Peter R.

Key Facts

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Gaze up at the magnificent three-story wooden facade of the Haas-Lilienthal House, an exuberant Queen Anne masterpiece completed in 1886. Designed by German-born architect Peter R. Schmidt for Bavarian-Jewish wholesale dry goods merchant William Haas, this eleven-thousand-square-foot timber residence is the only fully intact Victorian home in San Francisco open to the public as a museum complete with original furnishings. Its dramatic round corner tower, gabled roofs, decorative shingles, and Eastlake-style turned wooden fretwork epitomize the unbridled architectural romance of late nineteenth-century Pacific Heights.

During the apocalyptic three-day firestorm of April 1906, the inferno marched steadily west across Van Ness Avenue, destroying hundreds of residences. To save the western neighborhoods, military troops dynamically dynamited a wide firebreak along Van Ness, successfully halting the wall of flames just half a block east of this house. The Haas family watched the burning city from their upper attic windows, offering food and shelter to fleeing neighbors while their own wooden home survived without a scorch mark.

Look closely at the variety of textures across the facade. Schmidt incorporated fish-scale shingles, sunburst wooden reliefs, and stained glass transoms, demonstrating the extraordinary versatility of old-growth California redwood. Inside, the house retains its original Tiffany gas chandeliers, stenciled ceilings, speaking tubes, and hand-carved oak dining furniture. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment.

In 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation designated the property a National Treasure, recognizing it as one of the most significant domestic Victorian museum properties in the United States.

Walk west along Washington Street for three blocks to reach the leafy green expanses of Lafayette Park and the Spreckels Mansion.