The Pacific Heights building, designed in 1902, proved an ideal setting for reimagined rooms by a slate of interior designers
Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW
For those counting, visitors will definitely get their steps in at the 46th San Francisco Decorators Showcase. But the five-story, 9,400-square-foot, seven-bedroom home — which includes a separate garden apartment and a 2,150-square-foot rooftop deck (rockin’ with a jacuzzi, a firepit, and a colorful party “pentroom”) — also has an elevator. It is Pacific Heights, after all.
The former Tudor Revival–style building, built in 1902 by noted architect T. Paterson Ross as an investment property for a wealthy widow, originally comprised three apartments. In 2009, designer Matthew MacCaul Turner and architect Louis Felthouse reimagined the building as an exquisite single-family residence — and added that elevator — creating a classically inspired manse clad in French limestone.
And all this can be yours for $19.5 million!
This beloved fundraiser for nearby University High School was founded in 1977 by Nan Rosenblatt, a former UHS parent and an accomplished interior designer. And 46 years later, more than $19 million has been raised for the school’s financial aid program, which provides full scholarships to underresourced students.
“We take great pride in the diversity of our student body and are committed to ensuring that every student has full access to a world-class college preparatory education,” said UHS director of strategic philanthropy Shaundra Bason. “In the fall, we’re opening a new 47,000-square-foot campus with a double-wide gym on California Street. So Showcase is even more important given that the number of students we can serve will increase.”
On April 24 and April 25, it was a very full house as Showcase cochairs Heather Friedland and Katie Taylor threw open the front door, welcoming SRO crowds to cocktail klatch viewings that featured primo vino, caviar, and delectable hors d’oeuvres by McCalls Catering and Events and Jessica Lasky Catering.
The showcase also affords looky-loos the opportunity to experience some of the city’s grandest and most unique estates. And the more-often-than-not wood-paneled bones of these architectural beauties serve as the perfect palette for a roster of some of the Bay Area’s most acclaimed design practitioners, working hand-in-glove with talented contractors, artisans, gallerists, installers, and purveyors of luxe materials.
“What surprised me most is how much work everybody in our community puts in to make this happen, whether it’s the school, docents, or the designers, each of whom has a team of 15 to 25 people working with them,” said Showcase executive director Stephanie Yee, now in her second year of executing the event.
Among this year’s 19 talented tastemakers: Kendra Nash, Jon de la Cruz, Sabah Mansoor, Kathleen Navarra, Dustin Moore, Katie Monkhouse, Fernando Castellanos, Assel Teskey, Julie Rootes, Kelly Hohla, Lauren Berry, and Willem Racké.
In the grand wood-paneled living room, which overlooks the garden and is framed by south-facing views of the city skyline and rooftops, designer Geoffrey De Sousa, chairman of the Showcase Design Advisory Board, was thrilled with his assigned space for his eleventh Showcase.
“We started off with great bones. I wanted to play up the masculine, sophisticated feel that this room has. There’s about five different decades of furniture and design in here, ranging from a Sir Isaac Julien photograph to 1920s candelabra by the late Maurice Guillaume,” De Sousa said. “This year’s showcase is a truly immersive experience crafted by the very best in the industry, who pushed creative boundaries while honoring the home’s architectural beauty.” The San Francisco Decorator Showcase runs through May 26.
Feature image: “A Modern Library” design by Kathleen Navarra. PHOTO: Kurt Manley.
May 5, 2025
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