San Francisco’s Painted Ladies are one of the city’s most iconic landmarks, made famous for their appearance in the “Full House” opening credits.
But few people know about the equally stunning “Four Seasons” houses in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, a row of Queen Anne Victorian homes painted and styled to represent the winter, spring, summer, and fall seasons. The gorgeous homes are lined up at 1315 Waller Street between Masonic Ave and Delmar.
The winter-themed house is a denim blue color with an ornate white snowflake carving on the façade. It’s followed by a pastel yellow home with a flower vase carving representing spring, a pale pink home with blue-green vines for summer, and finally a rust-colored home with a gold sprig of wheat representing the fall.
Shipwright John Whelan built the Four Seasons Houses in 1896, and his family lived in the “winter” home until 1905.
The outer façades remain much the same, although the previous owners of the “winter” home gutted and refurbished the interior before selling it for $2.75M in 2016, despite Curbed SF’s fervent protests.
Regardless of the changes to the interior, the street view remains much the same as it was over 120 years ago.
The Four Seasons houses, like the Painted Ladies and many other famous SF homes, are done in the Queen Anne style. The style generally features steep roofs, patterns, lacy decorations, bay windows, and elevated porches.
Queen Anne herself actually reigned from 1702-1714, and has little to do with this style of home – it was so named more for the medieval influence seen in the architecture.
Discover the Four Seasons houses at 1315 Waller Street in SF’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. Remember that these are private residences, so be sure to stay out of the property line and enjoy them from the street.
Featured image: Yoki Lin via Facebook