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[Photos via Patricia Chang]
Every Wednesday we break down the details of a lesser known park in San Francisco. And why not? There are 220 of them, but it sometimes seems like Golden Gate Park and Dolores Park get all the attention. Since our normally scheduled Park Life post is on hiatus this week, we thought it best to map all the parks Curbed's profiled to date. Have a favorite park that you'd like us to check out? The tipline's always open or you can leave a comment after the jump.
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From Philadelphia's famed "LOVE" statue—once intended to be temporary, but it's been made a fixture in JFK Plaza—to Toronto's Graffiti Alley, clad in messy scrawls from many of the city's most prominent graffiti artists, cities around the Curbed Universe are chock full of public art, all providing a momentary escape from the surrounding urban chaos. Have a look:
· Atlanta · Boston · Cape Cod · Chicago · Hamptons · Los Angeles · NOLA · NYC · Philly · Seattle · Toronto · Washington DC
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It's time to make up a bunch of awards and hand them out to the most deserving people, places and things in the real estate, architecture and neighborhood universes of San Francisco! Yep, it's time for the Annual Curbed Awards. 
[Listed in May for $16.5M, this Pacific Heights abode was purchased by the Pincus clan in July for $16M]
This has been a pretty crazy year for very expensive real estate in San Francisco. Some of the city's most expensive abodes have finally sold after lingering on the market for bazillions of years. That said, some pretty pricey homes were put on the market and then sold quickly. After the jump, a map of some of the most expensive homes that were listed and sold in 2012.
The courtyard swimming pool at the $100M Casa Casuarina, the former home of late fashion designer Gianni Versace, which was initially listed for $125M in June.
For the world of ultra high-priced listings, 2012 was a stellar year, with three $95M New York apartments listed within a month of one another, three pocket-listed L.A.-area mansions whispering $150M price tags, and the return of Gianni Versace's epic Miami Beach pad. Find all of the year's most expensive listings on the map below.
Do you read EIRs for fun? Do you have strong feelings about the proposed Golden State Warriors waterfront arena on Piers 30-32? Have you ever had a nightmare about the Central Subway Project? Oh, and are you looking for work? Curbed SF is hiring part-time contributors who love keeping up with all the neighborhood happenings in San Francisco. The very part-time/freelance job would require you to come up with features that are in line with our categories, like breaking down what's on the agenda for this week's Board of Supervisors meeting and writing about houses in San Francisco that are on the market. We're looking for 3 - 5 posts per week. Extra points if you enjoy the drama of a good NIMBY fight. You must absolutely be based in the Bay Area (and love it), preferably San Francisco proper. We're closed on weekends, so this would be a Monday through Friday job.
Interested? No need to dust off the resume. Just send an email to sf@curbed.com with a paragraph about yourself, a paragraph about why you'd like the job, and anything else you think would grab our interest. If we're into it, we'll respond quickly with more details. (If you're employed in the real estate industry, alas, we can't hire you. But we still love you.) Thank you!
Welcome to a variation on Curbed Comparisons, wherein Curbed sees how much cash it takes to get a certain amount of space in the ever-growing list of cities that comprises the Curbed universe.
Last time we set about comparing homes by size, they were all around 500 square feet. This time, we're upping the ante, to 5,000 square feet. This Victorian mansion in Chicago overflows with historic detail, but unfortunately also packs in some questionable renovations. Set on a half-acre lot in the Kenwood neighborhood, the 1873 home has six bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms, lush gardens, an expansive backyard with treehouse, and a detached garage with two au pair apartments. This Chicago estate came to market in April with an asking price of $3.4M, but after some price chops, it is now listed for $2.95M. Still, the owners purchased in 1999 for just $876K, so they still stand to make a fine profit.
? From Seattle—okay, actually from nearby Bainbridge Island, a quick ferry ride away—comes this 5,000-square-foot manse on Puget Sound. Sited on 1.3 acres, the sprawling home was built in 1992 and, well, sorta looks it, but its not every house that has views of nuclear submarines out the back door. The trouble comes with the antisocial, family unfriendly floorplan, which, according to Zillow, has just one bedroom and two bathrooms. If true, that isn't nearly enough considering the $4.37M price tag.
· Residents of Los Angeles seem to have an undying love for Spanish-style architecture, so it's a bit bewildering that this near-perfect hacienda from 1927 has lingered on the market, unwanted, since February 2009. Back then the price was $6M, but it has since been reduced to $5.6M. The 4,800-square-foot mansion boasts eight bedrooms and five bathrooms, plus a backyard pool surrounded by dense vegetation.
? It's not technically within the Detroit city limits, but this brick mansion in Grosse Pointe is one of the most expensive in the immediate area at $880K. What does that hefty ask buy? A 5,200-square-foot manse built in 1924 by celebrated local architect Robert O. Derrick, including a wood-paneled library, dramatic double-height foyer, four fireplaces, and a carriage house rental that brings in a reported $800 per month.
? Gut renovated in the past five years by an owner who is now, unfortunately, forced to sell in a short sale, this Philadelphia townhouse combines a classic brick facade with contemporary interiors. The 5,100-square-foot house, with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, several fireplaces, and glistening hardwood floors, looks like it should cost over $1M, but it's currently listed for just $699K.
· 4812 S Woodlawn Ave [Zillow]
· 1710 Beans Bight Rd NE [Zillow]
· 314 S Rockingham Ave [Zillow]
· 294 Lincoln Road [Zillow]
· 708 N 5th Street [Zillow]
Twice daily Curbed checks in with the Curbed SF Flickr group so that we can feature photography of our city for our AM and PM Linkage. Lately we've noticed an abundance of amazing shots, and we didn't want them to get overlooked by not making it onto the site.
Click any photographer's name to be taken to their flickr page.Yes, we know this weather is amazing and everyone wants to be outside, but we have an incentive for keeping you indoors. Why, it's the Curbed SF newsletter! Our daily summary of the day's top Curbed SF stories, all compiled into one beautiful newsletter sent directly to your inbox every afternoon. You just have to sign up by entering your e-mail address in the box below. Trust it, it's worth it!
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A curious reader posed this question via email:
Guys- This closed at $700/sf? Is this the first sub-1500sf sale to close above $900k? Am I going crazy here?While we're not qualified to make a diagnosis regarding his mental state, the answer is "No." Our reader was inquiring about 15 Forest Side Drive, a 2-bed, 1-bath house built in 1951 that closed yesterday for $905,000, or $700 per square foot. We can argue all we like about neighborhood boundaries, but the San Francisco Association of Realtors does not. In the past six months, three houses have sold in the West Portal neighborhood (as defined by the SFAR) and 243 Vicente Street, a 3-bed, 2-bath, 1,320-sq-ft (per public records) house tops the trio with $837 per square. Our friend at 15 Forest Side Avenue comes in at second with $700 and $106,000 over the original asking price. In answer to the next question, broker Leon De-Levi confirmed there was a bidding war.
Meanwhile, not far away, 260 Claremont Boulevard sold for $691 per square. As far as we could find, there are currently no houses under 1,500-sq-ft on the market in West Portal, and in the rest of 94127 close to West Portal, most houses this size have closed for under $700-psf. Which may soon change.
While our reader may be crazed (or thrilled- hard to say) we can come up with two solid reasons for the price. The first is that while the house is apparently well-maintained, it's never been renovated, so you're not paying for and demolishing someone else's c.1995 Tuscan kitchen. The second is that the MUNI West Portal station is within a few minutes walk, making Mid-Market an easy commute while being in a stroller-friendly neighborhood, and challenging buyers' assumptions about where they have to live.
· 15 Forest Side Avenue [Redfin]
· 15 Forest Side Drive [Leon De-Levi/PacUnion]
· 243 Vicente Street [Redfin]
· 260 Claremont Boulevard [Redfin]
Welcome to Curbed Comparisons, a column that explores what set dollar amounts buy in the ever-growing list of cities that comprises the Curbed universe. Is one man's studio another man's townhouse? Let's find out!
Palm Springs isn't in Los Angeles, not even close, but while it lies more than 100 miles from downtown, the desert town sees so many Angelenos in the winter months—and has so much stunning midcentury architecture—that it might as well be. This 1959 build might not have the architectural distinction of a Neutra or the pedigree of Frank Sinatra's former home, but at just $409K, it's much cheaper. The low-slung home includes four bedrooms and three baths, along with a coveted swimming pool. As a benefit to owners who can only be around part time and would like to make some extra income to offset costs, the house is equipped with a lockable master suite, to make short-term renting easier.
? Similar to Palm Springs, slender Plum Island, a one-hour drive north of Boston, is primarily a seasonal escape for Bean Town locals looking to get out of the city. The low-lying sandy island is largely comprised of a state park and wildlife refuge, so overdevelopment is hardly an issue. This modest cottage on the island's inhabited north end houses three bedrooms and one bath in just 760 square feet, but it has a casual, beach-appropriate feel and is literally just steps from the sand. The asking price of $420K puts us just over budget.
? Belvedere, Calif., located across the bay from San Francisco, is known as one of that city's most expensive suburbs, but this $430K condo sneaks in among the multi-million dollar mansions and even manages to bring a view of the bay. The compromise here is on the size. The unit has just two bedrooms and a single bathroom, but at least shares a giant swimming pool with the other condos.
? For something that feels remote without straying far from the city center, this Philadelphia townhouse, or at least the rendering, looks pretty tempting. Listed for $400K, the as-yet-unbuilt brick house faces a private driveway, while the rear garden provides a buffer against avenue noise. The three-bed, three-bath house is a strikingly modern take on the townhouse, while retaining the familiar brick.
? Described in the brokerbabble as the "In-City Resort Lifestyle," this condo in the high-rise Olive 8 building in downtown Seattle costs $395K, cheaper than the others on this list, but boasts sky-high views of the city and the surrounding waters, along with ten-foot ceilings, a fireplace, and a modern kitchen. The buildings amenities are where the resort comes into play, with a "fitness center, day spa and 65-foot lap pool." Despite the nice amenities and new construction, there are some downsides, like the space, which is just 690 square feet and has just the one bedroom.
· 312 E Glen Cir N [Zillow]
· 10 6th Street [Zillow]
· 395 Cecilia Way [Zillow]
· 259 Leverington Avenue [Zillow]
· Olive 8 [Sotheby's International Realty]
[Photo via Shutterstock]
The rents are too damn high and the median home sale price for May was $701,000. It's time to give your pocketbook a break. Here now, a handy map of several places in the Bay Area to dip your toes into some agua for under ten bucks.
We know that summer in San Francisco is spent mostly wearing fleece jackets instead of swimsuits, but bear with us. All but two San Francisco spots on our map are indoor and feature heated pools. We also took you way east and north, where warmer weather is the norm. Did we miss your favorite watering hole or spot to throw a pool party? Let us know in the comments, as we'll be updating this map next month. Onwards!
Photo: The Bathing Club At Capri Southampton
With temps currently at 91 degrees at Curbed HQ, the only thing better than camping out in an air-conditioned space today might be taking a dip in a pool. Some pool, any pool, whether it be a pool in a Manhattan townhouse, the pool at Chateau Marmont in L.A., or a Seattle pool with a corkscrew slide. Here now, a city-by-city guide to chilling out this summer:
NYC · Hamptons · Boston · Cape Cod · Philly · Washington DC · Atlanta · Miami · Chicago · Detroit · Los Angeles · San Francisco · Seattle
· All Curbed Maps [Curbed National]
Twice daily Curbed checks in with the Curbed SF Flickr group so that we can feature photography of our city for our AM and PM Linkage. Lately we've noticed an abundance of amazing shots, and we didn't want them to get overlooked by not making it onto the site.
Click any photographer's name to be taken to their Flickr page.
"The Crystal": Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto
On Friday, Curbed asked readers: If you could demolish any one building, anywhere in the world, which building would it be and why? Here now, the Daniel Libeskind ritualistic sacrifice the responses:
2. Madison Square Garden, NYC
3. Steven Holl's Simmons Hall dormitory, Boston: "For sheer pretension and ugliness."
4. William Breger's Synagogue for the Arts, NYC: "an insult to that street, the neighborhood and the entire TriBeCa Zip code."
5. Rem Koolhaas' Seattle Library.
6. Richard Meier's Ara Pacis, Rome: "not a bad building but it is so out of place it should be knocked."
7. The New Museum, NYC: "A dumb idea made worse by lousy detailing and the arrogance of the forms. It makes me sick listening to self-professed aesthetes pretending to like something so obviously awful."
8. "Each and every Gene Kaufman turd in New York."
9. "Along with them, every other hideous, streetwall-breaking budget hotel (Courtyard, Best Western, etc.) built in the last 10 years, which all look the same in the same hideous way. Anything by Peter Poon or H. Robert O'Hara goes into this category."
10. Winka Dubbledam's supercilious and uber-pretentious glass-faced crap has done more to ruin the prevailing qualities of TriBeCa than a slew of wrecking balls could do in a month."
11. "gwathmeys kindergarden [sic] collage on Astor place tops the list, then that morphosis guys dumb thing every homeless guy uses as a dump below Astor. Poor Astor."
KING OF THE COMBOVER BONUS ROUND:
· "Anything and everything named 'TRUMP.'"
· "Every bright brass glitzy thing with Donalt [sic] Trump's name on it."
· "I agree that in most other cities, anything by Libeskind or Trump makes me want to puke."
LIBESKIND SUPER-SPECIAL DOUBLE BONUS ROUND:
· "The Crystal," Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto: "the world's worst addition in the history of construction." And: "an abomination by any standard."
· "I nominate the oversized and uber-ugly 'EL Masterpiece' lightfixture that Libeskind just designed for Zumtobel. It's bigger than some buildings ... though not as big as Libeskind's ego, of course. (BTW - What kind of pompous jerk calls his light fixture 'Masterpiece'?)"
· "Libeskind's ROM Crystal. His Las Vegas Crystal. Oh, what the hell, everything he's built, anywhere."
· "I think anything and everything by Daniel Libeskind would make the list. He can't seem to tell the difference between his own turds and real design."
· "It's not a building, but I nominate Libeskind's Tre Piu Door just because he's so ridiculous and the jerk deserves it." (YouTube video here.)
· "Get rid of Libeskind's office and most of the hideous building problem goes away with it."
· Libeskind's Zlota 44 tower, Poland: "makes the communist era buildings look good."
· Libeskind's Museum Residences, Denver: "Sorry, but if the topic is 'eye-searingly awful buildings,' then Libeskind's name is going to figure prominently."
· Libeskind's Jewish Contemporary Museum, San Francisco: "where he mutilated an historic building with another of his stupid crystal forms. He's really degraded architecture across the globe."
Got any additions? Leave 'em in the comments!
· If You Could Demolish Any One Building, Which Would it Be? [Curbed National]
From the Curbed inbox:
I'm writing with a question about the development project in the old gas station lot at Buchanan and Market. I know plans for a huge condo building were approved a couple of years ago, but the lot has sat empty since then, with the exception of some monthly parking and the smog station, supposedly because the owner was having trouble getting financing. Recently, however, the parking has been discontinued, the smog center closed, and Cahill signs placed around the perimeter of the lot. Is construction imminent?
Most current rendering of project at Market & Buchanan [Photo: Arquitectonica]
The reader was referring to the Arquitectonica-designed 1960 Market Street, which was approved by the Board of Supes back in 2009. To refresh your memory, the project is a mixed-use building with 115 residential units over ground floor commercial and a garage. Things were delayed through late 2010, when the conditions of approval were revised to include housing the required below market rate units off-site rather than on-site and removing the subterranean part of the parking garage. By July 2011, the existing gas station on the site was demo’d, and early this year they got the permits for the initial excavation and shoring. The permits to actually start were issued March 30, 2012, It looks like construction is indeed imminent.
· Market & Buchanan Condominiums [Arquitectonica]
· And It's A Go: Glassy Blocks at Market & Buchanan [Curbed SF]
