2950 Vallejo

Having served as the Decorator Showcase canvas in 2011, and refuge for a Nazi spy long ago, 2950 Vallejo is back on the market and listed for $19,500,000 versus an unlisted asking price of $25,000,000 in 2008.

The original owner of 2950 Vallejo Street was Wm. R. Clark, a successful paving contractor who commissioned the firm of Gottschalk and Rist to design this fine residence in 1927. Charles E. Gottschalk was noted for his design of numerous office buildings in the City. Earlier in his career, he partnered in the firm of Curlett-Gottschalk which designed the Villa Montalvo in Saratoga for entrepreneur/Mayor/Senator James D. Phelan in l912-14.

Subsequent owners of the Vallejo Street residence have hailed from industries in lumber, steel, mining/shipping and politics/government. Several are noted for their contributions to civics and philanthropy, the last of which was entrepreneur Joseph P. Tarantino and his wife Nancy.

Care to lay odds on whether “tech” will soon be added to the list of industries from which subsequent owners will hail?

20 thoughts on “Designer Remnants on Vallejo”
  1. This is my favorite block in the city. It’s beautifully landscaped, quiet, has private security, and full-span bridge and Alcatraz views. I don’t think this place is overpriced, but it’s a problematic property. It needs a bit of work and doesn’t have the most flexible floor plan. The concrete support structure is also really unusual.

  2. I was in this house for Decorator’s Showcase. It’s a real letdown to see pictures of it empty, especially the dining room which was one of my favorite rooms. At this price point I expect to see impeccable staging.
    It’s truly a beautiful home, though. I still covet the faucet in the main floor powder room.

  3. They need to hire Ellison’s tree trimmers.
    This home still seems priced high. Nice, but this isn’t what is selling right now. This needs work.
    I still think 2100-2110 Vallejo would be a much better bargain. Speaking of which they are doing some work on that home. Wonder if its coming back any time soon?

  4. took a look at this house and it needs a lot of work. Pretty much a complete floor to studs gutting. In the current condition, no one from tech is going to step up and buy it @ 19 million.

  5. @conifer
    The bedroom quarters are un-usable, the bathrooms need a lot of work, the main stair case doesn’t access the third floor, the list goes on and on. The design of the house is very inconsistent. About the only usable part are the kitchen, dining room, and ballroom. Maybe if you were older and a bit senile you could live in it. Tech is my people, and no one from my industry is going to live in it with a major remodel.

  6. About the only usable part are the kitchen, dining room, and ballroom.
    Ballroom. Funny. Yeah, you know, for all those galas. Only in San Francisco. Love it.

  7. You could live in it as is, but this isn’t what people want to spend money on at this end of the market. The lower floor is in disrepair, and the foundation is scary. It needs a massive systems upgrade. New wiring, plumbing, etc… and the floor plan is a mess. Galley kitchens are anathema to high end buyers. Malin had to make her clients open up the space in 2513 Pacific in order to sell it. And enn is right… The stairway needs to be reconfigured and the rooms on the top floor rearranged. The master bath isn’t en-suite!! Quelle horreur!
    Here are a few suggestions as to what would sell this place: The kitchen and dining room need to be merged and the dining room turned into a family room… The dining table should move to the living room… It’s large enough to handle it. The master bedroom needs to move to the rear of the house and the master bath added to the east part of the room. The current master bath needs to turn into her parlor/closet. The current master bedroom needs to be turned into two bedrooms each with smaller en-suite bathrooms. The entire top floor needs to be reconfigured and the main stair brought to the top. The basement level needs a large media room and a guest bedroom along with a wine closet. And that’s just to start…

  8. Here are a few suggestions as to what would sell this place:
    Here is my version: Scrub $6M from the price and give the buyer the name of a good architect. It worked for 3636 Washington St, which as you may recall came on the market for $15 and sold for $10. This home could sell for $19.5 IF it was “done”.

  9. Let us say someone wants to live in it as is. Perhaps they do not want a media room with cup holders in the chairs, and they prefer to keep the kitchen separate, and they do not like the idea of a “family” room, and they do not want to change the staircase. Perhaps they collect incunabula instead of wine.
    How much should they offer? How much is it worth?

  10. 13-14 would be my sight unseen range. 3636 sells for 10 so thus is easily worth a bit more. Anything is possible. Ellison just bought a freaking island in Hawaii. Would make a nice backup plan for the AC.

  11. @eddy, if I were buying, I would remodel the ballroom into a daily usable room. The point I was making is that it was one of the few rooms not in disrepair…

  12. Does anyone else think the picture of the house in the photo look like a render? It’s been bothering me from the first time I saw it.
    @enn. I would budget 450/psf for the remodel.

  13. My earlier post was supposed to be sort of sarcastic, but that didn’t really come across.
    If you hire a high-end contractor and decide to do structural work, esp on the lower level, my guess is 6 million for the remodel and a minimum 2 million furnishings budget if you hire a top designer. No way 2.5 gets it done at this end of the market and the new owner isn’t an experienced developer. I’m sure 2500 Pacific, for example, will end up being 10+ million in renovations and interior design.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *