Wild Fire Escape revisited

[Bynx]

Ok now my interest is peaked. You say that building is near City Hall. Would that be north, south, east or west of that? Southwest of Market Street or Northwest? Market and Van Ness is a marjor intersection. How about relation to that? N, S, E or W?

[rmuir]

Mystery partly solved - It's 631 O'Farrell Street - The Hamilton (Hotel converted to condos), nothing specific on the fire escape though.

Bigger mystery - a 520 sq. ft. studio apt on the 9th fl. listed for $299K, (wait-list to pay more for parking space...) and someone will buy it.
http://www.redfin.com/CA/San-Francis...6/home/1763556

[Bynx]

Right on the money rmuir.

[smac]

Ain't the internet great? Nice picture Caryl. Great lighting.

[interested_observer]

Here are a few more views of it.....

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/photos/15069475_zpid/
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/bi...birds-eye-view

On the last link, use the "hand" icon to pull the image down so as to see the roof details....

[SharpShotGal]

Ah the fire escape lol if on was in either of the floors above there is no in side stair well so they brought it out side which then one goes to the inner stair well and on down... so I bet its not so illegal after all... just a glitch to make em itch...

[carylwithay]

I is an entire floor and costs millions. it could never be the apt some of you have mentioned. Maybe one day i will find out where it really is.
Caryl

[rmuir]

I stopped by today, went in and talked to a security guard. Pretty sure she thinks I'm crazy. It's harder than I thought to quickly explain interest in the particular design of a fire escape... Later, found interesting info re the penthouse (posted below).



From the Hamiltons HOA web site.


"A notable change at the time of the conversion from a hotel to condominiums was the change to the 21st floor penthouse as you can see from this spread in A wealthy heiress by the name of Marcia McDonald created her fantasy apartment and spared no expense creating this lavish penthouse. As an early buyer, she combined four proposed units on the top floor into one large full-floor unit with its own private elevator access. She also expanded the unit outward onto the east and west terraces with a number of non-Art Deco appendages, the grandest being a full-length glass barrel-vaulted solarium held up by imported Greek-style columns. This amazing room when illuminated becomes a beacon in this part of the city. She also added hundreds of thousands of dollars in elaborate finishes.

She was not able to finish the unit in her lifetime and never lived there. When her contractor told her she would have to spend another $500,000, she shut the doors and never returned, instead she spent her time in two apartments on the 15th floor. After her death, four years later, two wills were found one giving her holdings to the de Young Museum, the other to The Life Science Research Institute. The controversy was mentioned in the above mentioned San Francisco Chronicle article. The spectacular unit was finished after her death largely according to her original vision and it includes a 360 degree vista of San Francisco and all of its major landmarks. The apartment is unparalleled in its vista and its appointments."

[carylwithay]

Thank you so much for all of that info. Fascinating. Is it owned by a museum now?
Caryl