The Haas-Lilienthal House at 2007 Franklin Street, San Francisco, California, USA is the city's only intact Victorian era home that is open regularly as a museum, complete with authentic furniture and artifacts.
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History
William 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 a 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. Later, they temporarily moved to a large house in Oakland while the City was reconstructed. The 1928 addition — living quarters over a garage — were built to provide needed space for the additions to the family when Billy and Madeline were brought to the Haas home. The architect of the addition, Gardner Dailey, later in life received recognition for his work on Ranch-style houses in the Bay Area.
Architectural style and ornamentation
Architecturally, the exterior of the Haas-Lilienthal House contains several of the features that have come to be associated with the word “Victorian”. The house is primarily a Queen Anne style, with some Stick style details.
San Francisco Architectural Heritage
The Haas-Lilienthal House is a property of the non-profit organization founded as The Foundation for San Francisco’s Architectural Heritage. The organization, often simply called "Heritage," was later renamed San Francisco Architectural Heritage. A non-profit organization, Heritage encourages appreciation of the built environment and understanding of the value of preserving significant San Francisco architecture. This organization offers lectures, workshops, seminars and architectural neighborhood walking tours through which thousands of San Francisco residents and visitors have discovered the diverse and wondrous man-made features of the City. Heritage published and promoted Splendid Survivors, the definitive work on architecturally significant buildings in the downtown area. The book greatly expanded public awareness of these structures. Heritage awards commendations to help bring about greater recognition of the importance of preserving the City's unique architectural heritage among government leaders, the business sector and the community at large, reversing the prevailing trend of a few decades ago to disregard and demolish older architecture.
Haas-Lilienthal House as a museum
Three generations of Haas and Lilienthal descendants lived at 2007 Franklin Street, after which the house was donated to Heritage. In keeping this house alive, Heritage is helping to educate people about the City’s architectural legacy and why it is important to preserve and protect it. The Haas-Lilienthal House was opened to the public for tours in 1972. It is the only intact private home of the period that is open regularly as a museum, complete with authentic 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.
