San Francisco’s Victorian Homes Are Being Restored to Their Unique Glory
San Francisco’s famous Victorians are making a comeback.
For over a decade, young homeowners – driven by tech money and the dominance of modern architecture – heavily revamped the city’s cache of historic real estate. Many centuries-old houses have had their interiors gutted to create open living spaces. The architectural details have been removed to make room for precise corners. The woodwork was painted bright white and the outside was kept in different shades of gray.
In the midst of the pandemic, the tide is finally starting to turn. A growing number of younger San Francisco residents are choosing to buy and restore historic properties – especially the Victorians who are so synonymous with the city.
According to Realtor.com, the number of Victorian and Edwardian homes in San Francisco has increased 80% year over year, and the average price per square foot for these homes reached $ 1,050 in January, up 8.7% year over year. Views per property of modern single family homes decreased 5.7% over the same period, with the price per square foot increasing 1.8% to $ 831. News Corp. , Owner of the Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors.
“Over the past 10 to 12 years during the massive economic boom, homes were so in demand that people bought Victorians, painted them dark gray, and removed the interiors to update the look of a house that they obviously didn’t have that good fallen, ”says Lynne Rutter, a decorative painter who serves as president of Artistic License, a coalition of local artisans dedicated to revitalization. “Lately I’ve seen much more thoughtful restoration work and younger homeowners doing more considerate work. They really want to know more about their homes and will ask lots of questions, ”she says.
