The story of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase began in 1977, when Nan Rosenblatt, a former San Francisco University High School parent and an accomplished interior designer, and Philip Fernandez, the first president of the school’s Parents Association, conceived the first Showcase to raise funds for University’s financial aid program. Since then, the Showcase has taken place at some of the most prestigious addresses in some of the most breathtaking neighborhoods of San Francisco.
This year, the 45th Decorator Showcase will be open to the public from April 27 through May 27. The featured home at 2898 Broadway, is located at the top of the Pacific Heights neighborhood. 27 interior designers will bring their individual styles to 27 rooms of the home.
In this special feature for John Eric Home, we explore this property’s Hollywood history, neighborhood, architects, and beneficiary…
The Grand Architect of 2898 Broadway
Commissioned in 1899 by his father Duane Bliss, architect Walter D. Bliss designed this magnificent home at 2898 Broadway in the Dutch Colonial Revival style. Who was Walter D. Bliss?
Early Days
Duane Bliss, the father of the home’s architect, had journeyed west from Massachusetts during the Gold Rush, but his son Walter (born in Nevada in 1874), returned directly to his father’s home state. Walter left the West Coast to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This would become a life-changing event.
Staying on the East Coast, and while working as a draftsman for McKim, Mead & White in New York, Bliss met William Faville as they both worked for the firm. They would go on to form one of the most important architectural partnerships not just in San Francisco but in history of American architecture.
Return to San Francisco
Together with Faville, Bliss designed the building for the Oakland Public Library in Oakland, California. The construction was partly funded by the Carnegie Foundation and now serves as the African American Museum and Library at Oakland and is registered on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1902, the pair designed the Rialto Building in San Francisco, which was then destroyed by the San Francisco fire of 1906. Bliss and Faville rebuilt the building, and it too has been added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in San Francisco.
One of the partners’ most iconic designs is that of the San Francis Hotel on Union Square. In 1906, they built what would be the third and lasting version of the hotel. Previously, the hotel had been built, destroyed by the San Francisco fire of 1906, and then rebuilt. With Bliss and Faville’s design, the San Francis became the largest hotel on the Pacific Coast in the early twentieth century.
This architectural team is responsible for many of San Francisco’s iconic buildings. The Magee Building, the second Columbia Theater, and the Geary Theater among them. Today, the Geary houses the American Conservatory Theater, and it too is listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in San Francisco.
Bliss and Faville imprinted their architectural mark on the city of San Francisco. This year’s Decorator’s Showcase home is one example of their genius. The pair terminated their partnership amicably in 1925.
List of other lauded Bliss and Faville buildings:
The Banker’s Hotel, Oakland
The Mission of the Good Samaritan Building of the Episcopal Community Center, San Francisco
The James Leary Flood Mansion, San Francisco.
The Southern Pacific Building, San Francisco.
The Metropolitan Club of San Francisco, San Francisco
Guigné Court, Hillsborough
The Hallidie Plaza branch of the Bank of Italy, San Francisco
The Matson Building and Annex, San Francisco
State of California Office Building, San Francisco
The Administration Building, Atascadero
The Atascadero Printery, Atascadero
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company’s Sacramento Depot, Sacramento
The Stockton United States Post Office, Stockton
This Year’s Showhouse Has Always Been Famous for Quite Some Time
The historic 1899 mansion near the Presidio – home to this year’s San Francisco Decorator Showcase – is no stranger to celebrity. A true masterpiece on the iconic Gold Coast, this ultra-luxury corner home defines elegance. With its awe-inspiring panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, the home is provided with an unrivaled backdrop. It is this backdrop, and the home itself, that has drawn Hollywood producers and starlets. It has been featured in many films on the silver screen.
In 1960, the Dutch Colonial Revival mansion appeared in Portrait in Black. This famed American neo-noir melodrama film, directed by Michael Gordon, starred Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn. In this house, it’s not difficult to imagine Lana Turner, playing San Francisco socialite Sheila Cabot, becoming increasingly disturbed as she cares for her ailing husband and falls in love with her husband’s doctor. (This, of course, leads to a series of unfortunate events, resulting in the death of the husband and an ensuing murder investigation that reveals a surprise culprit).
Another thriller in which this home featured was the 1985 film Jagged Edge. Also, in the genre of American neo-noir, this legal thriller film was directed by Richard Marquand and was one of the last films to be released during his lifetime. The film stars Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, and Robert Loggia. Loggia was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
More recently, the property was used in both the 2001 romance Sweet November and the 2013 Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine. Unfortunately, the scenes in which it was featured were cut from the released films.
There’s Nothing Like Billionaire’s Row and Pacific Heights
After the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire caused cataclysmic damage to the city of San Francisco, many of its wealthy denizens chose not to rebuild their Nob Hill homes and instead set their eyes upward. Specifically, to Pacific Heights. The best views in the city were located there and with the real estate that became available, the moneyed bought in and settled into the neighborhood.
Pacific Heights has been an elite enclave of moneyed families ever since. The Gettys and the Trainas are just a few of the names who have ruled Pacific Heights. More recently, a wave of wealthy tycoons, tech gurus, and even politicians have made their mark on the neighborhood. The tech neighbors’ move to Billionaire’s Row was largely due to the influence of San Francisco’s social king, Trevor Traina, who founded several startups. Oracle billionaire Larry Ellison, Apple designer Jony Ive, and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman (to name a few) now mingle with San Francisco’s “Old Money” crowd.
The neighborhood always attracts attention. Located quite near to the Presidio, it is a beautiful area of the city. It’s well-known for its high-end and prestigious restaurants which feature spectacular culinary experiences. Exquisite boutique shops dot the street. The architectural magnificence of the neighborhood should never be underrated.
The reason that Pacific Heights is considered such a gem, however, is the astonishing views and properties that it boasts. Overlooking the bay, luxury high-rise apartments and many of the largest residential houses in San Francisco are found here. Its streets are filled with the grandest and most opulent homes in the city. It is thought to be the most popular and most expensive place to live in San Francisco.
Now, that we have explored the fundamentals of this year’s Decorator Showcase home, stay tuned for our next issue of John Eric Home when we will bring you the amazing results of this iconic house’s room transformations…
