Real Estate

A peek inside a Painted Lady. Take a tour through one of S.F.'s most iconic landmarks

Famous houses in the city

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There are a group of ladies with timeless beauty residing in San Francisco. They are celebrated the world over for their elegance, Victorian lines, and radiant glow as they blush during late summer sunsets. They love to pose shoulder to shoulder for the spectacle of tourists that photograph them all year long. Except these “ladies” are not actually women, but a row of houses located in an area called Postcard Row. 

One of the most popular remnants of the Gold Rush in the 1800s, San Francisco’s Painted Ladies are located across from Alamo Square on Steiner Street. Because of their ornamental steep roofs, patterned tiles, bay windows, elevated front porches, and lacy decorative spindle work, these homes have been a magnet for Hollywood.  The houses have been featured in many commercials, movies, and TV shows, including "Full House", "The Princess Diaries", and "Mrs. Doubtfire".    

One of the lucky owners of the homes is George Horsfal, who has opened his blue house for tours.  For California Live, we stopped by to meet George to get a personal tour. George told us the term “Painted ladies” was coined in 1978 by Elizabeth Pomada and Michael Larsen in their book “Painted Ladies: San Francisco’s Resplendent Victorians.”  In their book they noted that the colorful homes reminded them of women with makeup on, and the new nickname for them was born.   

Even Carl the Fog does not deter the resolute tourists with his chilly weather, where on average 50 people a day take photos of these architectural gems. On the weekends expect that number to double or even triple, as hundreds of visitors bustle about on Postcard Row, covering their social media pages with their photos. According to George the attraction is not only the picturesque homes, but the glistening city backdrop that frames the homes like a three dimensional painting.  

So, what’s it like to live in one of the most famous houses in the city? While some tourists have conjectured that living in the homes must feel like being trapped in a fishbowl, George disagrees. He feels the home is magical, a place where he can disconnect from the stressors of daily life. He does not exaggerate when he uses the word magical, as tourists have left him flowers and gifts on his doorstep. His home is a romantic backdrop for numerous lovers that have proposed to each other, or even tied the knot on his doorstep! 

And with a twinkle in his eye, he said “you asked me how I like living here? The world comes to the door, and it depends on how you want to meet them, but great things happen all the time. “

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