At 2007 Franklin Street in Pacific Heights, the Haas-Lilienthal House is an 1886 Queen Anne Victorian home turned museum. A guided visit takes you through a preserved residence with original family furnishings and details of upper-middle-class life in early San Francisco. The house survived the 1906 earthquake and fire, and its carved wooden exterior, circular corner tower and period interiors give the architecture plenty to look at. Go for the house itself, and stay for the stories of the Haas family and the city around them.
A merchant family’s San Francisco home
William and Bertha Haas had the house built in 1886. The Haas family, who came from a Bavarian Jewish community, belonged to San Francisco’s late-19th-century merchant class. The residence gives a close look at how a family with commercial success furnished and arranged a home as its place in the city grew.
The house remained with the family for three generations and more than a century. Its survival makes the interiors especially valuable: the rooms preserve original furniture and decor from the period, rather than presenting Victorian life through objects gathered from elsewhere.
Queen Anne details, inside and out
Architect Peter R. Schmidt designed the house in the Queen Anne style. Outside, look for the intricate wooden gables and circular corner tower. The timber exterior was treated and painted to resemble stone, echoing the appearance of wealth that many merchant families sought in the era.
Inside, the bathroom offers an unusually detailed glimpse of domestic life. It contains a marble-top grooming table, exposed plumbing, a clawfoot tub, an early shower and a bidet. Together, these fittings show a room equipped with several different ways to wash and prepare for the day.
The house and the 1906 disaster
The house survived the earthquake and the fire that followed in 1906. That history is part of what makes a visit more than an architectural tour: the rooms and furnishings connect the home to a city that was changed by the disaster.
A guide leads visitors through the house and explains its history and Victorian-era details. The upper floor is closed to visitors, so the tour does not cover every part of the building. Public tours run on a limited schedule, and the house is also used for private gatherings and events such as holiday teas.
FAQ
Do you need to join a guided tour?
Yes. Visits to the house are guided; independent visits are not available.
How long does a tour take?
Allow about an hour for the tour.
Where is the Haas-Lilienthal House?
It is at 2007 Franklin Street in San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood.
Did the house survive the 1906 earthquake and fire?
Yes. The house remained standing through the 1906 earthquake and the fire that followed.
