Mansions in Pacific Heights-SF Tour-Alta Plaza Pk.to Lafayette Pk.

*Don't be a no-show. *See the Group's no-show policy below.* Don't be a no-show and lose your membership in the Group. Attendance is always taken and no-shows recorded. We are meeting on the sidewalk at the intersection of Jackson St. & Pierce St., SF, along the north-side of Alta Plaza Park. (There is a restroom near the top of the Park.) There is available free parking around the neighborhood and no restriction on weekends/holidays.The streets immediately around the park are a good place to start. The tour is a little longer than in the past with some new additions as we may make our way from the far west side of the tour at Vallejo & Normandie (where photo above was taken) to Lafayette Park to the east and return to where we started. (Unless lunch intervenes as we cross Fillmore on the return.) After the tour visit Fillmore St. where there are lots of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, bars and bakeries. You're welcome to join for lunch. My go to place is, La Mediterranee other places, Mayflower Market for sandwiches, Janes across the street at Fillmore & Sacramento St. If you have a problem maintaining your social calendar, please be advised! *(Don't be a no-show.)* It's nice to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags just before I leave for the tour. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll have to be cancelled from this Meetup. (To cancel your RSVP beforehand (please at least 24 hrs.), look for the, "Edit Attendance" tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.) About midway through the tour we'll stop for a break atop Lafayette Park. The strange 19th century tale of Samuel Holladay and how he got away with building his mansion on the highest point in Pacific Hts., even though his residential real estate "empire", was atop and within Lafayette Park. This is a true tale and will be told with some of the old photos. They'll be restrooms at the Park and views and we'll describe the surrounding heritage Victorian houses as time allows, but making our way back through some of the best examples of remaining Victorians in SF. Pacific Heights is best known for being one of the most affluent neighborhoods in San Francisco. This tour highlights the architecture, and some of the people who built, occupied and maintained these grand properties. About 30 of which will be on our tour with some information about each property. The walking tour is 3 miles. With the usual SF hills. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Looking at a San Francisco Victorian, what to look for: *(There are five Styles)* 1. Flat front Italianate- (earliest Victorians). 2. Italianate with slanted bay windows. 3. San Francisco Stick Style (also called East Lake). Simpler square bay windows now used. Overall more elaborate decoration. 4. Queen Anne Tower House&Witches Cap, with angled or rounded bay windows & front gable 5. Queen Anne Row House"Cottage", 1, 1-1/2 or two stories. Large front gable. Possible moon-gate entry. • Features & "Gingerbread" • Floral Decor-Garlands (one of many types of decorations known as *"Gingerbread") • Fish scale&Diamond shingles- • Towers & Witch's Cap- • Stained Glass or Beveled Glass- • Carvings of grotesque faces- • Sunbursts- often painted gold color, half or full. • Gables (Queen Anne's) in a variety of material- (mainly redwood) • Newel Posts and Finials on Tower tops and roof peaks- We'll see clusters of Victorian homes systematically built for the average working person by a development company, "The Real Estate Assoc." THEA, in business from 1870 to 1880. Not quite magnificent but many still standing. *Periods* 1860 - 1870s *Italianate*: Buildings were vertical in emphasis with rounded classical detail. Earliest had flat windows, with false roof fronts. 1880s *Stick Style* (also called East Lake):…