Exceptional Richmond District Home

Stunning four-level Central Richmond steps from Golden Gate Park! Grand-scale Edwardian coupling comfort with luxury combining city living and suburban serenity. Expansive living and dining areas are awash with natural light, 5 BD, 3.5 BA plus sunroom, office, east and west-facing view decks, and sprawling remodeled yard offer ample space for loved ones. Classic features are complimented by seamless updates from hardwood floors throughout to modern light fixtures & sonos speakers. Gourmet kitchen boasts a Viking gas range, Miele dishwasher, stainless steel fridge, with quartz countertops, flowing to a spacious breakfast area, sleek patio, lush low-maintenance yard with lush garden, and basketball court. The sprawling floor plan dedicates the third floor to four bedrooms, two sophisticated bathrooms, and a large sunroom. Top-level hosts a luxury suite with breathtaking views to the west from the bedroom and deck, and a dedicated office/media room with an east-facing balcony. Massive 2-car garage is complete with washer/dryer & ample storage.

Crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Station, Golden Gate. Capt. Norman Nelson at far right.

At that time, Nelson and his wife Annie, who had been born in Sweden in 1869 and immigrated in 1889, bought a group of vacant parcels along 28th Avenue, not too far from Norman's old Coast Guard post. At the time, San Francisco was booming with prosperity following World War I and the Outer Richmond neighborhood was blossoming with block upon block of speculatively-built houses. Norman and Annie took advantage of these neighborhood growth trends and hired architect C.O. Clausen to design four houses for them, which were built in a row; 783, 779, 775, and 773 28th Avenue.

Charles Oliver Clausen was a prolific San Francisco architect, who practiced from the time of the San Francisco earthquake until sometime after World War II. He was recognized for his Mission Revival style apartment buildings and single-family houses during his early career, later designed many fanciful Romantic Revival style homes in the Sunset neighborhood, and eventually produced some striking Art Deco style work. His most prominent projects include the Olympic Hotel at 230 Eddy Street (1928), the Parkside Theater at 933 Taraval Street (1928), the Henry Doelger sales office at 320-326 Judah Street (1932/1940), and the Open Bible Church at 2135 Market Street (1946).

Once the houses on 28th Avenue were completed, the Nelsons sold each one, making a tidy profit for their retirement. The only exception was 775 28th Avenue, which they kept for themselves. For about 17 years, Norman and Annie Nelson lived in the house. Annie died in 1940 and was followed by Norman in 1942. The couple are buried at San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio in recognition of Norman's Coast Guard service.

The next owners of the house were Ernest W. and Mabel J. Travis. The couple were originally from Winnipeg, Canada and moved to San Francisco by way of Los Angeles. They had a teenage daughter named Delight and Ernest worked as a chief clerk, and later a passengers agent, for the Canadian Pacific Railroad. The Travises lived at the house into the 1950s.

By 1960, the property was owned and occupied by John W. and Emily B. Waddell. John Wadell was a real estate broker; proprietor of Waddell Properties. By the mid-1960s, the house was occupied by retirees Pauly and Emericiana Balanga, although it appears the Waddells may have still owned it. By 1970, the house was owned and occupied by the Tatehara family; Kiyoshi, a postal carrier, and his wife Jean; their daughters, Roseanne, a secretary for the Japan Travel Bureau; Linda and Sharon, who were students; and Harry, who may have been Kiyoshi's father. The Tateharas owned the property until 2004 when Roseanne, Linda, and Sharon sold it to Marc R. and Helen M. Archer Duste. In 2009, the Dustes sold the property to Mark and Amanda Fiteny.

The house is an example of Mediterranean Revival style architecture with Classical overtones, an extremely popular aesthetic in the Richmond District during the 1920s. Following World War I, American soldiers brought home memories of the picturesque European architecture of France and Italy, which was soon translated into domestic residential designs. The Mediterranean Revival style fit nicely with California's Mediterranean environs and lent itself well to efficient building due to its affordable and easily-applied stucco cladding and the wide availability of factory-made plaster ornament that could be applied to decorate facades.

The facade of 775 28th Avenue adopts a common organization seen not only in its immediate neighbors, but throughout the Richmond and Sunset Districts; that of a street-level garage with an entry to one side that rises to a first-story front entrance, and at least one bay window dominating the upper stories. The facade of 775 28th Avenue is clad with stucco and divided formally into distinct stories by heavy horizontal moldings. To the right, terrazzo steps flanked by decorative metal railings take the visitor into an entry vestibule that has a shouldered arch opening and shelters a fully-glazed front door flanked by sidelights. A large three-part front window to the left sits under a broad angled bay window at the second story, which is supported by brackets, fenestrated with round arched windows, and topped by a Classical entablature made up of dentils, scroll modillions, and a molded cornice. Above, a rooftop balcony fronts a penthouse addition.