3778 Washington in 2008 (Image Source: MapJack.com)
Don’t get us wrong, we love all the greenery (and lack of power lines and poles), it just makes it so damn hard to admire the architecture. And as a plugged-in reader points out, when it comes to the Erich Mendelsohn designed 3778 Washington, we like to see it all…
3778 Washington in 1953 (Image Source: indiana.edu)
One of the “top 5” San Francisco residential buildings according to the San Francisco chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Like A Bug In Amber And Not Just On Bernal (Via Laughing Squid) [SocketSite]
The very last word in San Francisco dwellings [indiana.edu]
The American Institute Of Architects’ Top Five In San Francisco [SocketSite]

12 thoughts on “3778 Washington Exposed! (At Least As It Looked In 1953)”
  1. Nice job posting this! I scrolled through all those photos yesterday, and I especially wondered if this house still existed.

  2. there’s some bad karma at that site:
    Police believed the cabdriver had been the victim of a routine robbery until the offices of The San Francisco Chronicle received a letter that began with a familiar introduction. “This is the Zodiac speaking. I am the murderer of the taxi driver over by Washington & Maple St. last night. To prove this here is a blood stained piece of his shirt.”
    http://www.zodiackillerfacts.com/sanfrancisco.htm

  3. When I saw the picture of that house yesterday, I wondered if that same house would be allowed to be built at that same location these days.

  4. Well, it looks like using my (decidedly common) name as my posting tag wasn’t a great idea, as the commenter above me has successfully stolen it from me.
    The house is much more appealing today without the distracting power lines and sparse greenery. If you could go to 1953, remove the power lines, and replace the skinny trees with bushes or just a lawn it would be great, but the quality of the upper photograph is just much better and appealing to look at

  5. I live two blocks from this house. It’s obviously still there and hasn’t been totally remodeled, but I think some subtle changes have happened over the last 50 years. I’m also fairly certain the lot extends all the way to Jackson. It basically covers the whole block. I’m not sure who the owners are actually. I’ve seen random people coming and going from here over the years, so I always assumed it had been turned into apartments, but perhaps not.
    The fun thing is that it’s right across from The Koshland mansion (i.e Le Petit Trianon).
    Also, this is NOT the location of the Zodiac killing – it happened at Washington at Cherry.

  6. The owner on title is “Charles Phillips Russell II” (maybe that’s why the AIA calls it the “Russell House”)…

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