The 1906 San Francisco earthquake and resulting fires destroyed much of the city's original architecture. One Queen Anne style home, the Haas-Lelienthal House on Franklin Street, barely survived, being only one block away from where the fires were stopped.
The Cliff House, in the Sutro District, survived the 1906 quake and fire only to be destroyed by fire the following year. It was rebuilt in 1909 in a neoclassical design and still stands today.
The Westerfield House, a Gothic Victorian home built in 1889, sits in the Haight-Ashbury District that is famous for the hippies in the 1960s. Nicknamed the "Russian Embassy," it became one of the first communes in San Francisco.
One very steep block of Lombard Street, known as the "Crookedest Street in the World" has attracted Hollywood to its Victorian-era homes. One home was Jimmy Stewart's home in "Vertigo" and another was used for MTV's "The Real World" reality show.
The term "painted ladies" originated in the 1970s to describe the bright color schemes of the Victorian and Edwardian homes that were redecorated in the 1960s. The most famous example is "Postcard Row" next to Alamo Square Park. One home was used for the TV series "Full House."
New housing developments in San Francisco include luxury condos that take advantage of the ocean views. Mission Bay, south of Market Street, is one of the areas being redesigned as a modern, pedestrian-friendly neighborhood.
