Gallery of 16 photos
Editor’s Note: There are few things San Franciscans love to talk about more than real estate. So in that spirit, The Standard presents Buying San Francisco, a profile of two homes going head to head in what’s quickly pivoted to a buyer’s market.
How far will $20 million get you in San Francisco? Turns out, pretty far.
The poshest of neighborhoods, the viewiest of views and the highest-end materials are what await the celebs and Gordon Gekkos of our fair city.
Last week, we featured two condos on the low end of the market at about 500 square feet for $500,000. This week, it’s a whole new enchilada.
Read on for details, click through the gallery above for photos and decide: Which would you buy—if you could? The Old-World Manse in Pacific Heights or the Russian Hill Modern?
2698 Pacific Ave., SF | $23.8 million
8 bedrooms/6 full and 2 half bathrooms | 10,734 square feet
JUST THE FACTS: Known as the “Mack Mansion” for former owner and financier Julius Mack, this Pacific Heights corner-lot Classic Revival manse was rebuilt down to the studs a few years back, leaving little but the impressive, circular temple-style portico front entrance. It now boasts an elevator, a caterer-sized kitchen, a dedicated massage room, seven-car parking, classic architectural details including a grand staircase and Alcatraz views.
WHO’S IT FOR: A tycoon. Perhaps a CEO, a prince or a TikTok-er? Or maybe a big family with big family money?
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: With its location right off Billionaire’s Row, this is one of the most desirable blocks of the most desirable nabes in SF. (If you’re into that kind of thing.) Your neighbors will include Oracle’s Larry Ellison, Marc Benioff of Salesforce and Paypal’s David Sacks, as well as romance novelist Danielle Steel and socialite Denise Hale.
POSITIVES: The price has been reduced from an initial listing price of $26.8M in 2019! The owners told SFGATE that it’s been a “lovely pied-à-terre, but it’s time to move on." Maybe they’re ready to make a deal?
NEGATIVES: In 2017, the home was selected for the SF Decorator Showcase, an annual interior design event and fundraiser for University High. Sounds like a good thing, right? Problem is, with so many designers in the mix—28 of them to be exact—the home’s room styles don’t match, switching from ultra-Modern to Victorian and back again.
2626 Larkin St., SF | $19.9 million
5 bedrooms/5 full and 3 half bathrooms | 10,824 square feet
JUST THE FACTS: A five-bedroom in Russian Hill that features a separate guest apartment, five full and three half bathrooms, a media room, a top-floor family room, a wine cellar, an elevator, decks that include a roof deck with sweeping views, a walk-out garden and five-plus car parking (thanks to a car lift) in the garage.
WHO’S IT FOR: Another tycoon.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD: Just a block from the crooked section of Lombard Street, the house is nestled between the cultural hub of Fort Mason and the bar- and restaurant-rich North Beach, so you may have a fair number of tourists gawkin’ and walkin’ here. But on the plus side, the place boasts a 97 out of 100 “walk score,” which means you can walk pretty much anywhere you’d need to go.
POSITIVES: A beautiful, integrated Modern interior designed with top-of-the-line materials: Calacatta marble, Scagliola stone, Bahia and Petit Belgian granite, Venini glass, Macassar ebony, and Miele and BlueStar appliances. The three-floor floating helix staircase is a stunner with a custom vertical chandelier.
NEGATIVES: Although you do have some Golden Gate and bay views, many of the lookouts face west, not the most desirable view of the city. You could probably do better at this price point, but ultimately, that’s a small quibble.
Click through the gallery at the top of the page for more photos of each property.