[My SF Past] Haas-Lillienthal House

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Gloria Lenhart

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Mar 19, 2012, 4:50:26 PM3/19/12

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This five-level Queen Anne is the only original Victorian-era home in San Francisco that is open to the public. Three generations of the Hass-Lilienthal family lived in the house before it was donated to the San Francisco Architectural Heritage Foundation in 1972.

William Hass owned a wholesale grocery business and built the home for his wife Bertha and their three young children.. The house cost over $12,000 to build at a time when most houses cost between The house survived the 1906 Fire, which was stopped at Van Ness Avenue just one block away. Afterward, William ran his business out of the house while rebuilding the Haas Bros headquarters downtown.

The Haas family were members of Temple Emanuel El, the oldest Jewish congregation in the west, and very well connected in the San Francisco Jewish community. Their oldest daughter Florine married Edward Bransten, the “B” in MJB coffee. Their son Charles, married Fanny Stern, daughter of Jacob Stern, heir to his uncle Levi Strauss. Descendents of Charles’ cousin Walter Haas still run the jeans maker today.

The Haas’ youngest daughter Alice, married Samuel Lilienthal, a successful liquor dealer. The couple moved back into the house to care for Bertha Haas after the sudden death of her husband1917. The Lilienthals lived in the house for 50 more years, and raised three children here. In 1929, the Lilienthal’s added a wing over the garage when they took in Charles’ two children after the untimely death of their father, Alice’s brother.

Residence of William Haas, circa 1887
Credit: San Francisco Public Library

In 1973, after Alice’s death at the age of 87, the Lilienthal children donated both the house and many of its furnishing to San Francisco Architectural Heritage, a non-profit organization that promotes the preservation and rehabilitation of the city’s historic buildings and holds the house in trust for the enjoyment of future generations of San Franciscans.

Visitor Information

Haas- Lillienthal House offers public tours of the house on Wednesdays and weekends. Tours start every half hour and are one hour long. Reservations are not required. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 seniors and children under 12. Go to www.sfheritage.org or call 415/ 441-3000 for details

Architectural Heritage docents also offer tours of the surrounding neighborhood. Check the website for schedules and fees. The house can also be rented for private parties or special events.
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