1322 Masonic
Purchased for $550,000 as a five-unit building back in June 1998, the 1890’s “Eastlake Stick” Victorian at 1322 Masonic has since been converted back into a grand single-family home, a two-car garage has been added, and the living area has been expanded (now weighing in at 3,600 square feet).
1322 Masonic Living
No apples here, except perhaps of one’s eye.
∙ Listing: 1322 Masonic (3/2.5) – $2,395,000 [1322masonicave.com] [MLS]

46 thoughts on “1322 Masonic: Curb Appeal Plus (And Minus Four Units)”
  1. Absolutley stunning property! The finish and detail are first rate, and I saw the Arthur McLaughlin trucks out front… love the blend of period detail with contemporary style.
    And just two blocks from the first family!
    btw, have you all noticed how much less ‘sketchy’ the Haight is since they moved in? (and the accompanying spike in homeless over the hill in the ‘stro) I’m just saying.

  2. Wow, what a nice remodel job. This place looks great and the price seems attractive for this neighborhood. I was also surprised to see a decently sized back yard. The top floor attic conversion is quite livable with tall walls. It is a pity that good usable converted attic spaces like this are placed in equal footing listing-wise to the “head knocker” conversions.
    I’m guessing that this seller gets their price and then some.

  3. So how did this one slip under the radar of the housing rights activist? OMG>>>Taking 5…I repeat 5 units of “their” precious housing stock out of the market and converting them into a single family house. Whats the story behind this one? And in the Haight of all places…home to Calvin Walsh ….shocking…..simply…..shocking!!!!

  4. overall it’s a great place.
    as always, the kitchen work triangle sucks, but that is to be expected in SF architecture for whatever reason.
    I like the property a lot, and would make only a few changes.
    I’d like to see the mixture of the dark brown wood mouldings/railings right next to the white moulding/railings to see if it works. In the pictures it looks a bit odd.
    that said, it’s clear why they did it. White trim is “in” right now and stained trim is not. It’s also much more expensive to put in stained trim (it can’t just be paint quality or MDF, it’s gotta be real wood), and it is REALLY hard to match the stain of the new vs old wood. (I know, I did it in my house… 100 year old “American Century” stain is hard to replicate).
    at the same time it would be a near crime to paint over the original stained wood trim.
    thus, you get stained trim touching white trim. may not look bad in person.
    The attic space is somewhat disjointed from the rest of the house but I think that’s fine. (in fact, that’s what I did with my house). Because it’s a different floor you don’t have to make it mesh 100% with the rest of the home.
    Overall well done.

  5. Gotta see this one. It’s begging a lot of questions from the pricepoint, to the 3br 2 1/2 ba only inside 3600 feet, to yeah, does it feel chopped up.

  6. “My concern is that the overall feel will be somewhat “chopped up.”
    That partitioned feeling was part of the original design of almost every house constructed before 1920 or so. It wasn’t until F.L.Wright and his compadres came along that open plans became more acceptable. Before then people thought that having the kitchen open to the living and dining areas was like living in a barn.

  7. Wow! I love the attention and preservation of the historic detail. This is what a million dollar house should look like! Would you rather live in this house, or some cookie-cutter box in the sky in South Beach? No comparison for me.
    I like everything about the house from the photos and features, except for the backyard, which is not very kid friendly. If I have a backyard, I want a little space to play for myself or my kids.

  8. ~ SFhousingstock. I’m curious about that too, how in the world could they take 5 units and make them into 1?! Was a bribe involved?

  9. does anyone have insight (or backstory) about how city approval was obtained for recombining the 5 units?

  10. My house was two units when I bought it (in 95), but was originally built as a single family house, and the houses on the street were virtually all SF as well. I had no trouble at all getting the conversion back to SF through at the time. However, it is my understanding that things have tightened up alot since then. Perhaps this project got through before the rules changed?
    [Editor’s Note: The permit to re-merge was filed in 1998 (approved in 1999).]

  11. my take on that is only if the surrounding area is lower density (less than 5 units per lot) and the existing lot is RH-1 or 2, and the removed units were illegal, then they would have a chance at restoring the original zoning and use.

  12. Bravo! Very well done. I also agree with the comment that the kitchen work triangle doesn’t cut it (walk around the island to get to the fridge — very odd), but everything else looks spectacular.

  13. Yeah, the 5-1 unit merger is really bizarre… Maybe if the units were illegal it could be done, but I’d really like some answers on how this was accomplished.

  14. They did it before the anti units consolidation code went into effect.
    [Editor’s Note: The permit to re-merge was filed in 1998 (approved in 1999).]

  15. “Attic conversion”? Not to be overly exacting, but that is an addition with a cathedral ceiling, not an attic conversion. The whole recessed treatment is pretty interesting, though, as I don’t think I’ve seen it before on a cathedral ceiling (then again, I don’t get out often…)

  16. since 1) the dwelling merger was done over 10 years ago when rules were less strict; 2) the home was originally build single family; 3) the owner probably did not have any “dirty” evictions; 4) claimed he was owner-occupying, it was easy.
    interesting though that the owner is only on record for pulling permits for $142K worth of improvements including the new garage. we all know that’s a big lie. not one electrical permit? sketchy info on the plumbing permits? buyer beware.

  17. Ok, that explains it.. That would never happen today except in the rarest of occasion. Anyway, glad to see it’s a SFH again.. Looks lovely!

  18. my recollection of the Treat building is the cranky protected tenants will prevent a SFH for as long as they can. also after the cost of converting to a SFH, you’re left with a beautiful house with a great history that cost way more than it’s worth because of the dirtbag ridden neighborhood.

  19. Wait, I thought there was a wave moving south and lifting prices on its path? Maybe it started only from Bernal 😉

  20. Your unfocused disses are reading like, “You bring it. I’ll hate on it.” Is that what you’re going for? Celebrities are dumb investors. The Divis parklet sucks. This house is an avatar for the southern side of town. Jeez. Maybe go see something before standing on it in order to deliver snark. Just a thought. Anybody following this market will be curious enough to do just that. This property, as I’ve said, begs some questions sight unseen.

  21. The comment is on 1232 Treat that I saw a long time ago.
    I never said the Divis parklet sucked.
    Get your facts straight, kiddo.

  22. Oh I see. So you’re being derisive and using a complete albatross (multi unit, enormous fixer, historic, former mansion all chopped up, ellis’d, near the projects) to do it.

  23. Note the Ellis is nowhere on any prospectus and the property is not even on the MLS…
    I agree it’s an Albatross.

  24. Disclosure packages and marketing material are not the same thing. Any prospective buyer will know that immediately.

  25. I’ve toured it sunday, and it has great curb appeal, but the coments here look like they are plants from brokers and or friends. Yes it’s pretty nice and has a nice deep lot, but it’s not “stunning”, and “great” is probably generous. It’s got plenty of odds and sods about it, so let’s not over do it. I’d say it’s priced well on $/sq foot basis, but only three bedrooms is a bit of a killer at nearly 2 and a half mill. Congrats to the completion of the project nonetheless.
    It’s a busy street, and i witnessed several visitors having trouble backing out of the drive due to steady downhill and uphill trafic. The sliding mirrored closet doors are super cheap and not so great looking. The front bedroom pretty much has no closet other than a two foot deep one suitable for books perhaps. The second bedroom is tiny. The master bath has mismathched sinks/ vanities. Nice comp at under 700 / foot.

  26. saw it too. meh…location on busy uphill=not great. remodelled with vigor and money..but not great taste. as to the original detail, well, its gone. the sellers did it up to the nines and clearly loved the place and poured heart n soul into it but you can tell it took a dozen years to complete.
    it will be interesting to see how this one goes.

  27. I lived there when it was 5 units. It was pretty terrible – 40+ years of tenant use – original detail was in bad shape – chopped by the owner in the 1940’s. This is a massive restoration with period detail – not cheep materials. What a transformation, however, you have to admit.
    I would like to know how they got approval for a 1200sqft addition??? There is a % ratio of house footprint to lot size…
    The kitchen is spectacular – ask to see the designer’s plans. My old kitchen was 10X12. This one looks about 20X20 with a nice bay window with parklike view in the back. Don’t go by the photos. They make the whole house look smaller than it really is (wide angle lens ?). I plan to go back and take another apartment friend.
    I remember my neighbors uphill – behind the palm trees with the clothesline hardware still attached. COOL

  28. took a better broker to move this place. congrats.
    hard to believe someone would pay $2M+ to be in that busy location.
    anyone care to guess what this would have traded for at peak? is this a 40% off sale??
    arm reset tsunami anyone??

  29. You’re joking, right? 40% off? Tsunamis? Will you folks get out of your mothers’ basements and take a look outside?
    This is San Fran-freakin-cisco, people! $2.2M for a boring remodel on a busy street! Suck it, haterzs!

  30. I’m with anon (whom I’m sure is being completely sincere in his recent spate of cheerleading posts). The market is HOT!
    Inventory is way up, but that’s because sellers recognize that buyers are back and it’s now a good time to sell!
    And sales are way, way down, but that just means all the pent-up demand out there is ready to jump in!
    Pendings are down from last year too, but that just proves that places are flying off the shelves and closing quickly because of cash buyers!
    All you HATERZ who are saving a pile by renting rather than buying and who are waiting and watching the dramatic price declines in the market, you’re just BITTER RENTERZ! Move to Fresno!!!*
    *(where, incidentally, bubble buyers have not lost nearly the money that San Fran-freakin-cisco bubble buyers have in dollar terms)

  31. “Pendings are down from last year too,”
    I’d be surprised if that statement is accurate. There are 406 pending properties right now.

  32. Where is he getting that extra 35?
    He must annotate this himself and enter it onto his own computer each month. Past pending data is not searchable.
    So his current amount differs from the SFARMLS and he’s showing a 10 percent difference. OK. Let’s see how it looks at day’s end. It’s probably close. I am surprised, though. I thought 406 was a lot and anecdotally it seems like banks are taking longer this year than last.

  33. it seems like banks are taking longer this year than last.
    Yes. Pendings should be up even on lower sales because the loans are taking longer.
    The market is dying.

  34. Is that $769,442 number for the foreclosure price of 1524 Masonic accurate? I’m thoroughly confused. Maybe it’s a typo and should be $1,769,442?

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