The Archbishop’s Mansion is a prominent landmarked residential structure of imposing size, located on a strategic corner facing Alamo Square Park, one of the City’s oldest and most attractive parks developed during the peak Victorian era from the 1860’s.

The Archbishop’s Mansion was built in 1904 and was the Archbishop’s residence until the mid 1960’s. It was extensively and expensively restored during the conversion to a boutique hotel in 1983-84, and possesses one of the most striking interior designs and décor to be found in late Victorian architecture. The exterior is understated elegance in the French Second Empire Victorian style.

The building is located at the northeast corner of Alamo Square Park, an attractive, well maintained urban park with tennis courts, play areas, extensive grass fields, beautiful trees, and views of the “Painted Ladies” with the City skyline behind them. This area is seven blocks west of the Opera House, Symphony Hall, and City Hall. It is conveniently central to the employment centers of the downtown and the Civic Center, as well as easily accessible to the inner-city freeway and Golden Gate Park.

The Alamo Square Historic District has the greatest concentration of significant Victorian architecture in the City. Many properties, like the Archbishop’s Mansion have official landmark status. It is one of the City’s most attractive Victorian-era neighborhoods.

The Interior

A wide terrazzo stairway leads to an oak paneled exterior entryway with decorative iron grills over the double glass front doors and side panels. This opens into a large paneled foyer with a coffered ceiling. To the right is the parlor with a vaulted hand painted ceiling and fireplace with an elaborate mantelpiece. To the left are a smaller paneled “receiving room” and a large room used as an office.

Through a tall archway with two etched glass side panels is the colonnaded central hall with a dramatic three-story staircase topped by an extraordinary 12” oval stained glass domed skylight.

This grand hall (12 x 52 feet) leads, to the right, into an elegant formal dining room with redwood paneling, coffered ceiling, bay window, elaborate built in serving cabinet and fireplace. Down the hall to the left is a self-contained suite with a sitting room with fireplace, a bedroom and bath.

Behind the dining room is a butler’s  pantry with a commercial dishwasher and built in cabinets leading into a huge kitchen recently remodeled with granite and stainless counter tops, Wolf and Sub Zero appliances and glass fronted cabinets. Off the kitchen is a sunny breakfast room. There are two large walk-in pantries. A back hallway leads to a half bath, the rear staircase which serves all four floors, and a further bedroom with bath.

There is an elevator to all four floors.

All the ceilings on the ground floor are 12 feet high.

The Second Floor has a wide hall around the open staircase. There is an oval bedroom with a very large built-in dressing room and bath. Off the hall, a large living room opens into a media room and a library. All these rooms have coffered or coved ceilings, extensive wood work and fireplaces. There is another bedroom and large bath, both with fireplaces. To the rear of the hall are two additional bedrooms with baths.

The second floor ceilings are 11 feet high.

Third Floor has seven bedrooms with baths. Six of these have a fireplace. One of these is a two room suite and another is the former ballroom. All have coved ceilings and decorative wooden details.

The third floor ceilings are 10 feet high.

Views; all of the major rooms have views of Alamo Square Park, and there are some views of the city skyline including the Beaux-Art City Hall.

The Lower Ground Floor has an enormous studio space with an office alcove. There is a paneled room with coffered ceilings, a curved bay window and a fireplace. Also: one bath and one half bath, boiler room, a heater room, two additional rooms, a large laundry room, and a workroom.

There is a heavily reinforced vault which reportedly housed the City’s treasury in the weeks following the 1906 earth quake and fire. The Archbishop’s Mansion was undamaged in that event.
 
The lower ground floor has excellent window areas and is part to entirely above grade. The ceilings in the major rooms are 10 feet high.

Equipment Installations

Plumbing:       
all new copper lines, insulated hot water lines, cast iron waste lines.

Hot Water:      
80 gallon, gas-fired heating unit plus a 119 gallon storage capacity on a continuous circulating hot water supply system.

Heating:          
recirculating hot water boiler and hydronic system to individual registers with on /off controls located in all rooms and hallways.

Fire Sprinklers:         
75lb. pressure fire sprinkler system to all building areas, automatic sprinkler heads, interconnect bell alarm system. (Of particular note is the fact the retrofitted sprinkler system has been superbly designed to be hidden from view and barely noticeable in the common areas. Only in the lower ground floor and the service halls is the system visible). All areas have fire smoke alarms installed per fire code.

Electrical: 
main entry service is 200 amps, 110/220v Master panel with four sub panels, all with multiple circuit breakers.

Elevator:
there is one hydroelectric automatic elevator serving all four floors, located off the main hall. Capacity is six persons, 1500lbs. It was installed new in March 1984 and is under service contract.

Parking Lot: 
there is a paved parking lot for six unobstructed cars or up to ten cars with tandem parking.

Summation
The building is a four-story structure with two internal stairways, a back porch and stairway exit off the main floor, and with attached iron fire escapes from the second and third floors to the street. The lower ground floor has two exits to the street and yard.

• 13 Bedrooms, ensuite
• 14 Bathrooms, four half Baths
• 16 Fireplaces
• First Floor - 5,346  apprx sq.ft.
• Second Floor - 5,214
• Third Floor - 4,834
• Lower Ground Floor - 5,346
• Total - 20,740  apprx sq.ft.
• Zoning: RH-3   Lot Size: 10,656
• Year Built: 1904

Permits:
The Archbishop’s Mansion has a Conditional Use Permit for a fifteen room Bed and Breakfast Hotel (dated February 3, 1983, File No. 82.663C, Motion No. 9617M, City Planning Commission). The CUP identifies the property as City Landmark Number 151.

The conversion to a bed and breakfast hotel received unanimous approval by the Alamo Square Neighborhood Association. 

HISTORY OF THE ARCHBISHOP’S MANSION

The mansion was built in 1904 as the residence of the second Archbishop of San Francisco, Patrick Riordan, in Alamo Square, then the most fashionable neighborhood in San Francisco. The architect was Frank Shea. Mr. Shea designed several projects for Archbishop Riordan including St. Vincent de Paul’s on Steiner Street and Holy Cross on Eddy Street.

The building is designed in the style of the French Second Empire (1884 to 1914). The mansion has a wood frame and a steel reinforced foundation. Most of the wood in the mansion is redwood that was brought from the redwood groves in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The staircase is mahogany.
Archbishop Riordan came to San Francisco from Chicago in 1882 when the city’s population was predominantly Catholic. He was very influential in the development of the city from a gold rush town to a modern center of social, religious and commercial activity. He was involved in building churches, schools, convents and hospitals throughout the Bay Area. He lived in the mansion from 1904 until 1915. Archbishop Edward Hanna lived in the mansion between 1915 and 1935. Archbishop John Mitty lived there between 1935 and 1944.

In 1944 the Archbishop moved to a smaller residence in Pacific Heights. The Archdiocese kept the mansion and made it into a Working Boys’ home for Catholic youth. The boys lived in the mansion, went to school in the mornings and worked at a job in the afternoons. In 1972 the mansion was sold to a private owner and leased to a medical center that sponsored a counseling program called Westside Lodge.

The current owners purchased the mansion in 1979. They spent two and a half years renovating it. In 1983 the mansion opened as The Archbishops Mansion Inn.

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