3794 16th St – 3796 16th St, From Fugly to Funky

As I was browsing San Francisco housing news the other night, I came across an article at inhabitat.com about a Victorian remodel in San Francisco. And, disturbing as this may be, I was able to locate the house based solely on the picture (it was the backdrop and neighboring staircase that gave it away) in the article.

A few weeks ago I wrote about some condos for sale on 16th St. in Corona Heights, and this building is right next door to them. Read on for an overview of the building, and what some might consider its transformation from fugly to funky.The property in question is a duplex at 3794 – 3796 16th St. in Corona Heights. It was last on the market in 2006, when it was a probate sale. At the time 3794 – 3796 16th St. was listed for sale at a price of $1,129,250 with one unit vacant and the other with a protected tenant. The property sold for $1,204,000, closing in January of 2007.

3794 - 3796 16th St. (2007, Before)

Fast forward a few years and several hundred thousand dollars, and this is how the building now looks:

3794 - 3796 16th St. in 2010

While it is certainly an improvement, this photo doesn’t show how the modern facade was basically attached to the Victorian building, but if you drive by or visit in person, from the side you can clearly see the way the modern facade was attached to the Victorian bones…

The lower unit was offered for sale at a tenancy-in-common share in 2010, but did not sell and was withdrawn. I do not know if the unit is currently tenant occupied, or if the owner sold it off market, has it vacant, or is using it for their own personal space.

Either way, it’s a rather dramatic transformation. What is your opinion of the remodel? Do you approve? Does it terrify you?