Built in 1902 as a wedding gift for his daughter Clara and husband Emanuel, Wells Fargo President Isaias Hellman had paid $45,000 at the time for the luxury villa, now known as Historic San Francisco Mansion. The Louis XVII style property was designed by renowned San Francisco architect Julius E. Krafft, who had emigrated from Germany in 1872. During the devastating 1906 San Francisco earthquake the house who served as a makeshift headquarters for the Wells Fargo bank has been put on the market for $14.9 million, after sitting unsold at $20 million for over a year.
With the 11,500 square feet of living space, this mansion features 7 bedrooms and 7.5 bathrooms, with a double curved staircase that leads to the four levels.
The first floor of the home boasts a master bedroom which comprises of a bedroom, dressing room, walk-in-closet, terrace and his and her bathrooms, an office and one additional bedroom. On the second floor there are four more bedrooms and three extra bathrooms complete with a home cinema or media room for entertainment. The fourth floor are an additional four guest bedrooms and three full bathrooms.
Within the home one can find entertainment rooms, large outdoor terraces, main and catering kitchens, seven fireplaces, a south-facing master suite with a sitting/dressing room and two master bathrooms, a family room, au-pair suite, and a wine cellar. The mansion offers unobstructed views of the San Francisco Bay that stretch out towards the infamous Alcatraz prison and the iconic Golden Gate Bridge.
The reception hall, adorned with hand painted ceiling, as well as the paneled formal dining room, with amazing woodwork and windows are some of the carefuly choosen details in the home.
For those who find that price is correct and like old buildings with all luxury amenities, this is the right house for them. [Sotheby’s International Realty]