
What we’re about
San Francisco Victorian Architecture and Mansion Tours, as well as Berkeley. Architectural and point of interest walks and hikes/walks on Mt.Tamalpais.
Walking Tours to the most interesting and historic sections of Berkeley and San Francisco, to gain some insight into how our ancestors lived. Exploring pioneer housing, to Italianate Victorians and the later trends and styles, up to modern and post-modern architecture. We’ll hear stories of the people who built and lived in these communities, and how they, the builders and architects (Julia Morgan, Bernard Maybeck, Willis Polk and many more.) influenced both local history and the Bay Area’s architectural identity. Through the architecture we'll see how our urban landscape was peopled and developed. Evidence of our ancestors expressing their hopes and dreams, their belief in themselves, their values and their view of the world around them. How they urbanized the raw land, into creating the greatest transportation networks and subsequently the most powerful economic engine the world has ever seen, California and our Bay Area. It's there from the beginning, waiting to be explored and discovered. *See the current schedule here on Meetup.com.*
All photos are either taken by me, or members, or are paid for through Adobe Stock, on a monthly payment basis.
Do not post or message other members with unsolicited messages. Meetup.com has a Connect feature that can be used within 24 hrs. after an event to mutually contact a member you met on the Event. Use this feature, do not direct message or comment unsolicitedly, directly to another member.
A conversation is needed about Meetup "No Show" issues! The rule of thumb for most Meetup groups is a 50% rate of RSVP no shows. My goal is to handle the No Show issue in a positive way. And conversation is a positive way to find solutions.
There are many causes/reasons for no show behavior. Here are a couple.
Using Meetup RSVPs for shortlisting ones calendar down to a final choice? In other words RSVPing for several interesting Events for a given day. Then when the morning arrives picking the most interesting Event and blowing off the other RSVPs. (Please don't do that.)
There may be a need for Cognitive Behavior Therapy for last minute, "Emotional Reasoning" ie. I don't feel like it, therefore I shouldn't do it, or just going negative about the Event outcome. Seek specific therapy, for getting over ER and negativity, getting over these makes life better.
Here is an important request.
If you are not 100% sure you will attend, DON'T RSVP until you are sure. For those who are indecisive by nature, do the very best you can.
Lastly I think when members attend and are witness to an Event that had 28 RSVPs, that sees 10 actually show up is not a great way for the Event to get started. I know it is initially dis-heartening for me and not a very nice way to get started. Let's talk under the Discussions Tab and seek solutions together.
Note: Your Meetup name should have a least one character that makes it singular to you.
Note: You can control all the emails you receive from this group. Click "You're a Member", go to "Group Notifications", you can opt out of all emails or select types you want to receive. (Taking yourself out of the loop can have drawbacks. Especially when there are late changes to an Event.)
You can bring up a monthly calendar of all the Group's events by month. Go to the Events Tab and click Calendar.
We'll identify these basics about some of the houses; the architect, year built, name of first owner, builder's name, architectural style and maybe a human interest story from the house's history.
Videos of past hikes are available here, We'll be walking in very nice areas, 3 to 4 miles. We'll walk in the shade if too hot and in the sun if chilly. Try to find the fog when the temps rise. Have lunch with a spectacular view and out of the wind. Hopefully with picnic tables and restrooms.
Safety is always my #1 priority. I will be as aware as I can of any danger. But I can't be responsible for your safety. As adults you are responsible for your own personal safety and what you decide to do.
Liability Disclaimer: All participants agree to assume 100% responsibility for their own safety, conduct, and well-being and recognize that possible hazards exist while participating in outdoor activities, and agree to participate solely at their own risk. If you RSVP “Yes” and/or attend any event, it shall be conclusively presumed that you understand and agree to this policy.
Look at some of the over 6000 photos and picture yourself right there. Stay in shape and look ahead to fun days, sign-up for some hikes in the future while on-line here.
The group is for walkers and hikers who love to be immersed in the gorgeous, special places California offers. And while in that immersion, connect not only emotionally to these places, but learn about the natural science and human history of the locations. And to do this with kindness, patience and open heartedly. And best of all to make friends with those we get to know.
But the reality of managing a Meetup group is hard work. It has to be done carefully. Good judgement and basic people managing skills are needed. About roughly, 50% of those signing up for an Event, will actually show up.
I tell frequent no-showers to not bother to RSVP anymore and just show-up and surprise us! But some are RSVPing to whatever is interesting and then choose as the weekend approaches. I call it short-listing. I guess it's nice to make the short-lists.
When you compare Meetup to the social clubs of the past. Ski Clubs, Swim Clubs, Yachting Clubs, Country Clubs, Sierra Club, American Youth Hostels etc. Meetup is just Club Lite. Committing in a very personal relationship is a challenge for many. Is the same thing happening here in broader social relationships? Maybe keeping it lite is a way of compartmentalizing, keeping safe emotional boundaries. If friendships develop it will happen over the long term when an amount of certainty has developed?
If your work or life situation is totally stressing you out look for the Forest Bathing moments and Ocean Bathing (at Duxbury Reef) on the hikes that have as a goal reaching a meditative state of mind.
I love doing architectural tours of the Victorian and Mansion areas of San Francisco. Also Berkeley as fascinating residential architecture and the history to go with it as well.
These are very doable hikes for everyone who can hike. If you can manage walking up some very steep hills, can maintain your balance on very rocky, root covered uneven surfaces and have the stamina to walk about five miles you'll do fine. I think the best thing is to have a routine where you are walking everyday including going on these hikes. I've been leading hikes on Mt.Tam since 1995, less so now. So I know the areas very well. And also what to look for and when. let me know if I can answer any questions, as far as getting started?
If the above concerns you let me say this. You have to start somewhere. Walking is very gentle. Come do as much as you can and then come again and do a little more. If you have to stop and go back to your car, just be aware of the return route. There is so much to gain, don't let negative concerns stop you.
The cost of living in the Bay Area is very high. We all have to work, or have had to work, very hard, to afford to live here. One of the mitigating factors is the openness to diversity found here. One aspect of life here we can control is how we access one of the most beautiful outdoor recreation areas in the whole country. Not only the beautiful lands, the Bay and bio-diversity but the weather to allow us to get outside 24/365.
With the above said, utilize our amazing outdoors to forget about work and worries or the ravages of age and everyday cares and achieve a relaxed state of mind and body to the greatest extent you can. That's the goal of this Meetup and has been my personal goal for over twenty-seven years of spending as much time outdoors as I can. I'm never disappointed by this local outdoor experience. As well as the socializing, potential new friends met. Resulting in fulfillment of another vital need, maintaining our emotional well being and staying mentally healthy as well.
The bang for the effort put in, outweighs the driving time effort and the trade-offs, versus something else I could be doing.
It seems many have the impression that to have a fulfilling outdoor experience something very special must be experienced, via thrill seeking. The lure of a waterfall, spectacular views, sunsets, the full moonrise, the very peak of the wildflower bloom, some sort of special outdoor event, an unusual snowfall here, the height of fall foliage, mushrooms in profusion or some other unusual or rare occurrence must be sought to get the bang the effort requires.
Don't get me wrong the above are all fabulous. But they do not result in your having a sustainable, regular program for good health, well being, relaxation and fitness. And the great fallacy is, yes the above are great, but a plain, old regular hike or walk, once or twice a week is so fulfilling all by itself. Not just hit or miss thrill seeking, but a way of life that results in sustainable, ongoing happiness and health.
Liability Disclaimer:
By signing up for this event you agree to assume all responsibility for your own safety, health consequences, conduct and well-being, and you hereby release its organizers, hosts and participants from any and all liability, claims, demands or causes of action that you now have, or may have in the future, for illness, injuries, damages, and/or economic loss of any kind or nature, arising in whole or in part out of the activities, advice, or information contained herein. You are also acknowledging that you are aware and have made your guests aware of the risks, dangers and hazards associated with this type of outdoor activity and freely accept and fully assume all such risks, dangers and hazards.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- Victorian Tour-Eureka Valley, plus SF Mime Troop-Opening Day@Dolores Park20th St & Church St, San Francisco, CA 94114, San Francisco, CA
(Come enjoy the Meetup tour then go to the season opening performance of the San Francisco Mime Troup in Dolores Park at 2pm.)
The walk from Dolores Park to Eureka Valley adds something new to today's tour, plus some Victorians we haven't checked out before have been added*.*
Due to possible hot weather. (Highly suggested to bring a bottle of water, wear a hat and take it easy.)
Following up on Part 1, that we did on April 26, 2025, we'll start out from Dolores Park this time, stopping to see a cute Earthquake Cottage on the way to the earliest houses in Eureka Valley.
3755-20th St.(see photo above) Take a video tour of mostly the interior here and checkout the photos.
This historic house was built by Danish sea captain, Hans Birkholm in 1889 who became the Danish Consul in 1898 and the house was used as the Danish consulate. It is a Stick-Eastlake Italianate, 11 rooms , classical Bradbury & Bradbury wallpaper, formal dining room w/2nd frplc., stained glass, 12 ft. ceilings, original lighting and hand curved woodwork, Victoriana throughout. More photos below.Maybe you'll want to engage in the challenging game of identify the Victorian? Along with seeing some of the gingerbread, signature decorations that were unique to a few of the builders of that time.
What was it like when there were street after street, of these efflorescent, floriated, flamboyant creations. What prompted them, makes for an interesting discussion. Compare the Victorians of the 1880s to the Modernist California houses of the post WW II era. A startling comparison!I'm open to recommendations for lunch. Or stop by Tartine at 18th & Guerrero. Many others to choose from.
The information below is provided if you are interested in more details about SF Victorian architecture.
Looking at a San Francisco Victorian, what to look for:
(There are five Styles)- Flat front Italianate- (earliest Victorians). (French 2nd Empire appear)
- Italianate with slanted bay windows.
- San Francisco Stick Style (also called East Lake). Simpler square bay windows now used. Overall much more elaborate decoration, ornament and gingerbread used.
- Queen Anne Tower House&Witches Cap, with angled or rounded bay windows & front gable
- Queen Anne Row House, 1, 1-1/2 or two stories. Large front gable. Possible moongate entry.
Features & "Gingerbread"
Type of Entry & Doorway(maybe a rounded or partial Moongate entry)-
Decorative Ironwork-
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-Fernando Nelson built thousands of homes in SF. Over many, many decades. We'll also see clusters (2 to 17) of Victorian homes systematically built for the average working person by a development company, "The Real Estate Assoc." THEA, from 1870 to 1880. Not quite magnificent but many still standing.
Development of woodworking mills South of Market provided the ornaments with which to add the "gingerbread" to the Victorian houses There was an Old English custom using fancy cutouts of gingerbread to decorate wedding cakes. The term gingerbread was subsequently used for the decorating of Victorian houses. The secret ingredient was redwood. It could be carved, sawn, or turned, or soaked and press molded into almost any design
Periods
1860 - 1870s Italianate: Buildings were vertical in emphasis with rounded classical detail. Earliest had flat windows & flat roofs with false roof fronts.
1880s Stick Style (also called East Lake): The early buildings in this genre relied heavily on plane vertical board decorations. Squared off bay windows appear.
Late 1880s and 1890s Queen Anne : Gingerbread would be applied to both the Stick and Queen Ann styles in San Francisco. Sloping roofs appear. Front facing gables and towers with witches hat.If you would like a scholarly and detailed explanation with photos, click.
- Mansions & Victorians in Pacific Heights-SF Tour-Alta Plaza Pk to Lafayette PkWest-side of Alta Plaza Park on the side-walk at the intersection of Pierce &Jackson Sts., San Francisco, CA
This could be one of the most fun days of the year:
10:15am to 1:00pm, Mansions & Victorians Tour of Pacific Hts.
1:15pm to 2:30pm, Brunch at La Mediterreanee
2:30pm to 3:30pm, Jazz on Fillmore Street
4:00pm to 5:00pm, Cuban-Latin-Jazz music, at EL Rio, 3158 Mission St. a fabulous band will be playing, Guajiron*.
*We were doing our Dolores Park Victorian tour late last May. It happened to be Porch Festival in the Mission and Guajiron were playing at 21st & San Carlos as we toured by. It was near the end of the tour anyway so I stayed for the music. I think everyone managed to get home.
What better way to end the big holiday weekend, join me for some really hot music out there in the Mission.We meet on the sidewalk at the intersection of Jackson St. & Pierce St., SF, next to the north-side of Alta Plaza Park.
A new addition is including some local tales of "urban gossip" and legend.
There is available free parking around the neighborhood and no restriction on weekends. (There is always parking on the very steep streets and usually around Alta Plaza Park for example.) To find a spot quickly look on the steep hilly street of Pierce between Jackson & Pacific Ave, 90 degree parking on the west side of the street here.
The tour is a little longer than in the past with some new additions as we make our way from the far west side of the tour at Vallejo & Normandie 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 and today, JAZZ on FILLMORE.
You're welcome to join me for lunch. My go to place is, La Mediterranee (a big lunch for energy later for the music) other places, Janes across the street at Fillmore & Sacramento St. Or Dynasty Dumpling over at Calif.& Divisadero. If we go there we have to stop afterwards across the street at B Patisserie for coffee and desert.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 true tale 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 a few sentences of information about each property.
The walking tour is 3.5-4.0 miles. With the usual SF hills. I'll be making a memento, video slideshow, using the app, "Relive", everyone gets a link
Looking at a San Francisco Victorian, what to look for:
(There are five Styles)- Flat front Italianate- (earliest Victorians).
- Italianate with slanted bay windows.
- San Francisco Stick Style (also called East Lake). Simpler square bay windows now used. Overall more elaborate decoration.
- Queen Anne Tower House&Witches Cap, with angled or rounded bay windows & front gable
- 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): Squared off bay windows appear.
Late 1880s and 1890s Queen Anne : Gingerbread would be applied to both the Stick and Queen Ann styles in San Francisco. Sloping roofs appear. With gables and towers.
Rooflines in the Queen Anne were irregular, combining the witches hat rooftop on a rounded or octagonal tower.
Following the Victorians the next major architectural style were the Period Revival residences popular in the 1920s and 1930s.
If you would like a scholarly and detailed explanation with photos, click.