The clients wanted the house—which is situated on a ravine near the city center—to have a strong connection between indoor and outdoor spaces, and to encompass a modernist sensibility, with every space and site line being fully considered.
The architects reimagined the contemporary rowhouse through this renovation and expansion of an 1899 wood frame house that had been stripped of detail and left in disrepair.
The architect removed a previous addition to the home, then added a new wing with the master suite, a glazed dining terrace, a sitting space with a wood-burning stove, and utility rooms.
Some years ago, San Francisco architect John Maniscalco came across one of those opportunities that demand a certain stamina: an aging two-story house was available for a relative bargain price but required lengthy negotiations with the city’s historic-preservation board in order to overhaul.