Farewell to a Piece of Pre-Quake History
I was recently reading about the cottage at 1268 Lombard Street in Russian Hill that was demolished. The cottage was built in 1861, and had housed blue-collar workers through the mid-20th century until it was purchased by a family in 1945. The house had fallen into disrepair, and despite the protests of preservationists, the house came down on Tuesday. The wood frame shingled cottage was an example of Italianate architecture that was popular at the time of its construction.
1268 Lombard StreetThe Italianate style is a departure from the Queen Anne Victorians with their towers and spindles. Italianate homes featured flat roofs and broadly overhanging eaves, among other elements. The style was meant to invoke the villas of Renaissance Italy. (1)
Examples of Italianate Victorians on California StreetA Mystery Solved
The destruction of the house on Lombard Street had me thinking of old Victorians, and reminded me of the time I researched a question that constantly plagued me while I stared out the bus window on my morning commute: What did the garages on Victorian homes used to be? I mean, the homes were built before cars were in use, so they must have had some other use? My guess was that they were either stables or perhaps a place to store carriages. I was wrong on both fronts.
I contacted Stephen Haigh, of the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco, who provided me with his succinct yet thorough explanation. I love the way Mr. Haigh matter-of-factly wraps it up at the end:
On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 8:59 AM, Stephen Haigh wrote:
Your question regarding what the space was used for prior to garages is a good one. Depending upon the builder or architect the first level or basement level of a victorian sf home could be used for: storage of food stuffs and other house hold items, laundry services, a tiolet for use when in the garden, a downstairs recreation area or parlor. Some of the older homes had kitchens and dining rooms on this level. Most sandard row houses had at least a 7 to 8 foot high basement, which kept the main living area of the parlor and dining room above ground level and thus warmer and dryer. Windows were built below the bay. Most horses and thus carriages were housed in special buildings for that purpose so you now find car service garages housed in what were originally built for cariages and horses. This is my explanation. Steve Haigh, Pres CSF Victorian Alliance.
The destruction of the house on Lombard Street had me thinking of old Victorians, and reminded me of the time I researched a question that constantly plagued me while I stared out the bus window on my morning commute: What did the garages on Victorian homes used to be? I mean, the homes were built before cars were in use, so they must have had some other use? My guess was that they were either stables or perhaps a place to store carriages. I was wrong on both fronts.
I contacted Stephen Haigh, of the Victorian Alliance of San Francisco, who provided me with his succinct yet thorough explanation. I love the way Mr. Haigh matter-of-factly wraps it up at the end:
On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 8:59 AM, Stephen Haigh wrote:
Your question regarding what the space was used for prior to garages is a good one. Depending upon the builder or architect the first level or basement level of a victorian sf home could be used for: storage of food stuffs and other house hold items, laundry services, a tiolet for use when in the garden, a downstairs recreation area or parlor. Some of the older homes had kitchens and dining rooms on this level. Most sandard row houses had at least a 7 to 8 foot high basement, which kept the main living area of the parlor and dining room above ground level and thus warmer and dryer. Windows were built below the bay. Most horses and thus carriages were housed in special buildings for that purpose so you now find car service garages housed in what were originally built for cariages and horses. This is my explanation. Steve Haigh, Pres CSF Victorian Alliance.
(1) The Old House Web http://www.oldhouseweb.com/
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