Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A 90-Minute Walk around Russian Hill
A hilltop warren of parks and rare pre-earthquake architecture
are the rewards for this scramble up the steep stairways and
leafy alleyways of Russian Hill. Here, you will encounter few
cars and fewer people as you wander among carefully
preserved buildings from the city's lively and notorious past,
and enjoy the dazzling views, the birdsong, and the luxuriant
hillside gardens that are the pride of the neighborhood.
At the end of your walk, descend to indulge in the European-
style cafés and boutiques at the foot of the hill.
Wilder) and next door, his
own house (at 1013), which
is a shingle-sided, six-story
arrangement reminiscent of
the English Arts and Crafts
movement. After the quake,
Polk was appointed supervising
architect of the 1915 Panama-
Pacific International Exposition,
a world fair that celebrated the
building of the Panama Canal
and the rebuilding of San
Francisco
(see p72)
. Below
his house, he created the
zigzagging, Beaux Arts-style
Vallejo Street steps, known as
Russian Hill, fabulous views and pre-quake houses
Russian Hill Place
Start the walk from the corner
of Jones and Vallejo Streets on
the whimsical, Beaux-Arts
balustrade
1
, designed in 1915
by Willis Polk, one of the
architects of the post-1906
earthquake reconstruction
(see pp30-31)
. Before climbing
the stone stairway, notice the
Spanish-tile-roofed, Mission
Revival-style houses, with their
fanciful balconies and arched
windows on either side. Then
take the stairs and walk into the
short alleyway of Russian Hill
Place
2
to see the backs of
those homes and their gardens.
No. 6 is a turn-of-the-century
Bay Area Tradition-style house.
Vallejo Street has a variety of
homes and apartments built
between 1888 and the 1940s.
Peek through the fence to see
an 8-ft- (2-m-) tall rabbit, and
a contemporary mobile
sculpture. Note the Pueblo
Mission Revival-style homes
along this street.
Back on Vallejo Street, the
gems of Russian Hill are two
steep-roofed, gabled houses in
the Bay Area Tradition-style at
Nos. 1013-19
4
. Here, leading
a move away from the
gingerbread-house design of
the Victorian era, Polk designed
a home (at 1019) in 1892 for
a wealthy client (who hosted,
among others, Robert Louis
Stevenson and Laura Ingalls
7
8
Florence Street to
Coolbrith Park
Turn right into short Florence
Street
3
and, at the end, look
across the rooftops to Nob Hill.
Once called Snob Hill, it is
sprinkled with 19th-century
mansions and grand hotels -
look for the towers of Grace
Cathedral
(see p105)
. No. 40, one
of the oldest houses on the hill,
built in 1850, is hidden within
additions from later decades.
0 meters
0 yards
100
100
Key
4
Part of the rambling Vallejo Street
steps or “the ramps”
Walk route
For keys to map symbols
see back flap
