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I was downtown at the San Francisco Public Library on the 6th floor in their historical section (local history) where I had a chance to view some of the local architecture books on display. Man what a choice they have. For those that are not aware, I am writing a book (at least starting to) in which I am doing a series of before and after prints of historical Victorian houses in the area. In my beginning research, I am focusing on several time periods in the city which dictated the style of house being built.

The interesting thing is that this book really gives a very good overall look into each time period as well as including visual representations (photo’s, illustrations, etc.). You get a good sense of why certain styles became the standard in certain sections of the city based on population, income levels, types of jobs, etc. There were only a handful of well known architects who were in the city, and most of the houses came from these Italian, Irish, and other ethnic groups. This book sheds some light on these families and what it took to build some of the well known houses. Unfortunately, a lot of the houses featured in the past have been destroyed over years of neglect, earthquakes, fires, etc. Most of the original strictures were wood, and after the 1906 quake, many were lost to fire and demolition. Those that survived because well known however, many also got the Spanish treatment which included stucco to the exterior.

I can highly recommend this book as a good visual reference to the details that you can find within the houses in the area here. This is actually not a heavy reader at all, and can be picked up at any time. The SF Public Library unfortunately will not let you check this book out (not sure why really) so you will have to read it and get all the info while in the 6th floor area. You can however purchase this book for around $15 on Amazon or other online booksellers.