San Francisco residential compound on the market for $1.7M
Lafayette Court is a rare property in San Francisco. Built in 1924, this multi family home consists of five detached cottages at 1033-1041 Minna Street. The unique piece of history in the heart of the city is now up for sale for $1.7 million.
A total of five buildings are on the property: four are detached one-bedroom, one-bathroom cottages; The fifth building is a duplex with two studio units. There is a shared central walkway on the property and each cottage has an outdoor space for individual use.
“People have confused them with earthquake homes, but they certainly aren’t,” said Henry Rosenthal, who owns and manages Lafayette Court.
A rare mini condominium at 1033-1041 Minna in San Francisco is for sale for $1.683 million.
Todd Quam, Digital Sky Photography
“Originally the four one-unit cottages were maisonettes. Just before I acquired the lots in a 1985 estate sale, they were converted into individual units by ripping out a kitchen and bathroom and opening up the space between the two units. “
This type of small house on a single lot is uncommon in San Francisco. In 2007, local architecture firm Page & Turnbull wrote, “To the south of the market area are at least five residential courtyards, better known in Southern California as ‘bungalow courts.’ These are single storey apartment buildings consisting of a narrow courtyard or walkway flanked by rows of two to five individual cottages on either side. Residential courtyards gave the residents the feeling of single-family life in an apartment building. The residential courtyards to the south of the market area were either designed without a particular style or with simple Classical Revival or Craftsman influences.”
A rare mini condominium at 1033-1041 Minna in San Francisco is for sale for $1.683 million.
Todd Quam, Digital Sky Photography
The firm lists 775-795 Minna Street built in 1906; 229-31 Shipley Street, built 1916; and 241 Clara Street, also built in 1916 as other examples of the style but wrote that “1033-41 Minna is probably the most traditional”.
Despite the property’s unique character, when Rosenthal bought it in 1985, the cottages were in a terrible state of disrepair. “Once I acquired them, I began a full renovation of the properties under the direction of local designer Carola Anderson, who has overseen several renovations of each cottage from 1985 to the present,” he said. “Anderson has consistently enhanced the function of each unit. Each cottage is unique and has features specific to its design evolution.”
A rare mini condominium at 1033-1041 Minna in San Francisco is for sale for $1.683 million.
Todd Quam, Digital Sky Photography
With such a long stewardship of the estate, Rosenthal has many fascinating historical insights into Lafayette Court. “One interesting feature is the original decorative red metal rooster which still adorns the top of the rear cottage and is centered on the courtyard. Many people have suggested that the red rooster was used as a sign of a brothel and that the cottages would have been ideal for such an enterprise,” Rosenthal said. “I have absolutely no reason to believe the property was ever used for this purpose, but it does raise an interesting guess.”
The site even had some notable tenants. The owner of Goth.com lived at 1041 Minna and operated the site, the putative nephew of Kathie Lee and Frank Gifford lived at 1037 Minna, and a contributing author of Fare Thee Well: The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead’s Long, Strange Trip lived in 1035 Minna during the writing of the book, according to Rosenthal.
A rare mini condominium at 1033-1041 Minna in San Francisco is for sale for $1.683 million.
Todd Quam, Digital Sky Photography
“As tall, gleaming skyscrapers lure our eyes, we often miss the small fragments of San Francisco history preserved in real estate,” said listing agent Dustin Dolby of Colliers. “1033 Minna Street evokes the architectural style that defined San Francisco in the 1920’s and remains one of the city’s most unique properties.”
