McAllister Street Victorian

This Alamo Square home, constructed in 1890, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fire that destroyed a large portion of the city. Today it is included in the longest run of original San Francisco Victorians, and its beautiful gingerbread exterior is historically protected. Our clients came to us to rethink the kitchen and bathroom, and to help legalize previous basement construction undertaken by former owners.

 While the interior is not historically protected, it seemed the right approach to update the kitchen and bathroom with respect to the home's story. A concealed kitchen chimney was found to be in good condition so was excavated as an architectural detail, becoming a backdrop to the island. To give the brickwork more presence, pantries were added to either side, and a glass display case set to the front. Clerestory cabinets make use of the 14’ ceiling and are accessed through the use of a sliding ladder. The ladder, when not in use, is stored as a feature on the dining room wall. If you look carefully, you may detect the four values of white that were layered on each other in order to brighten the north-facing kitchen. 

A large opening, which admittedly is modern in concept, was created between the kitchen and dining room but merged with the design language of the original house. A door off the dining room previously opened onto a washbasin also connected to the bedroom. The basin made historic sense, in that it served the dining room for hand washing and the bedroom for toiletries; however, it's location would be underused in a contemporary family, so we recommended turning it into a dining room wet bar. The bar cabinetry was mirrored around an original coal fireplace for symmetry and necessary storage and designed walnut interiors for contrast. 

Sub-Zero Wolf Kitchen Design Contest Regional Winner

“We have worked with Eisenmann Architecture on 4 projects over 8 years. The scale of projects have ranged from a comprehensive commercial renovation of a historic building (with a particularly challenging planning department process that Eisenmann handled with finesse!) to a simple and modern update of a deck attached to our San Francisco home. We have come to value Stacy's ability to blend beautiful design into a warm and livable space. Her team is organized, responsive, communicates clearly, and is committed to the project until it's done. We can't recommend her more highly!”

- Katie and Sugam (Clients)