This view of the Bourn Mansion on San Francisco’s Nob Hill captures the full theatricality of one of the city’s most enigmatic architectural treasures. Designed in 1896 by celebrated architect Willis Polk for mining baron William Bowers Bourn II, the mansion is a rare and moody example of Renaissance Revival architecture rendered in richly textured red brick. It stands in striking contrast to its stuccoed neighbors, exuding a fortress-like elegance with layered classical detailing.
From this angle, the building’s sculptural elements come into sharper relief. A pedimented stone balcony hovers over the main entryway, while balustrades and dentil cornices crown the upper floors with Gilded Age precision. The three dormers tucked under a steeply pitched slate roof—each crowned with scrollwork and copper accents—evoke the grandeur of 17th-century European châteaux.
The absence of ornamentation on the flanking walls heightens the drama of the entry facade, where wrought iron lanterns and rusticated stone surrounds frame the main doorway. A leafless tree in the foreground adds to the building’s Gothic allure, casting long shadows that feel more literary than residential. This home has been the source of ghost stories, high-society gossip, and architectural pilgrimages for decades—and with good reason.
Tucked quietly into the steep grid of Nob Hill, the Bourn Mansion is more than a historic home—it’s an atmospheric masterpiece. Whether you’re drawn by its architectural pedigree or haunted mystique, it remains one of the city’s most compelling and photogenic private residences.
