A Pioneering Architect’s Personal Home in San Francisco Is Up for Grabs at $2.5 Million
Crafted way back in 1961 by influential modernist California architect George Homsey—probably best remembered for co-authoring design guidelines for Yosemite National Park that were adopted by the National Park Service, as well as helping create the pioneering Sea Ranch housing development along the rugged Sonoma coastline—this shingle-clad time capsule in San Francisco has popped up for sale for the first time, asking $2.45 million, and per the listing held by Jack Byron and Charlie Barraclough of Suprstructur, it’s “the real deal.”
Holding court atop the historic Liberty Hill neighborhood, on a steeply sloped lot that he and his wife Kay purchased for $12,000, the Third Bay Tradition-style structure served as the architect’s personal residence. Meticulously maintained by his family since his death in 2019 at age 93, the angular three-level home has three bedrooms and an equal number of baths in almost 2,250 square feet of virtually original living space boasting Douglas fir-paneled walls, built-ins, ceilings dotted with skylights and Japanese rice-paper lamps, and oversized windows offering picturesque city views.
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Especially standing out on the main level is an entry hall that flows to a double-height living room adorned with a wood-burning brick fireplace nestled alongside a daybed nook and doors opening out to a deck, plus a dining area, a kitchen, and a garden room. A wood staircase heads to the second level, which includes a lofted study the architect used as his office, as well as two bedrooms, a full bath displaying a green-hued mosaic installation by Mexican-American artist Alfonso Pardiñas, and a primary bedroom suite featuring a built-in sofa, dressing rooms, and access to the backyard via a footbridge.
There’s also a partially finished basement that currently houses a hobby room but could easily be built out as a guest suite, as well as cypress-laced grounds hosting a redwood hot tub and a greenhouse. An added bonus: It’s right down the street from Mission Dolores Park, which has tennis and basketball courts, a soccer field, a children’s playground, and off-leash areas for dogs.
Per The San Francisco Standard, Homsey’s children Diana and Daniel have decided to sell because both their parents are now gone, with their mother having passed away earlier this year. “I think I’m ready to let someone else enjoy it,” said Diana. “It’s a beautiful space, but it’s really time for a family to be here, and to have kids running around the yard again.”
Widely regarded as a “Giant of California Architecture,” especially in the San Francisco Bay Area, Homsey practiced with EHDD Architecture for nearly 50 years before leaving the firm in 2000 to operate his own practice. During his lengthy career, he worked with some of the greats of late-20th-century Northern California architecture, including business partner Joseph Esherick and collaborators Charles Moore and William Turnbull. In 2006, he also received the distinguished Maybeck Award for lifetime achievement from the California council of the American Institute of Architects.
Click here for more photos of the San Francisco home.
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