Property Description

Modern masterpiece! This very special custom home is located on the hill directly across from San Francisco’s oldest park, Buena Vista Park. A concrete and steel beauty, this residence was constructed in 2000 and custom designed by Mark English Architects, with three bedrooms and two full and one half bathrooms across three levels, including a media room and multiple large decks. Numerous high-end luxuries throughout including radiant heated floors, Nest thermostats, automatic shades, and in-wall/ceiling speakers with an advanced home audio system.

This house offers views from every room, with wonderful vistas of Buena Vista Park to the north and sweeping outlooks across the city of the hills of Twin Peaks to the south. The contemporary design focused on volume and spaciousness, with an exposed steel I-beam structural frame which allows for a minimum number of interior loan-bearing walls.

In the main entry, down a short flight of steps, is the dramatic great room, with concrete floors and a soaring glass wall three stories high! Sliding glass doors open to reveal an expansive walk-out ipe-wood patio with vistas across the city and up at Twin Peaks, and a small, landscaped garden area below. The great room houses a lovely living room area around the pebble gas fireplace, a formal dining room under a striking chandelier, and an open chef’s kitchen equipped with a stainless-steel breakfast bar and island, custom maple cabinetry, clever storage built-in under the stairs, and deluxe appliances including a Sub-Zero refrigerator, Miele dishwasher, and a Gaggenau oven and Gaggenau gas cooktop and grill with hood. There is a seamless flow from the great room directly out to the patio, creating a wonderful indoor/outdoor feel. Off the foyer as you enter are steps down to a cleverly concealed powder room, stacked laundry, and custom storage cabinets.

Upstairs are two bedrooms, both with park views. Both bedrooms boast built-in cabinetry and share an ensuite whimsical blue tile bathroom with a glass-enclosed shower and a separate soaking tub. A wide passthrough walkway that allows access to both bedrooms overlooks the great room below.

On the top floor is a fabulous family room/media room with views of the hills of Twin Peaks and the city and greenery. At the back of this level is the generous primary suite, which features floor-to-ceiling windows facing the gorgeous coast live oak trees in Buena Vista Park and to the northwest, St Ignatius Church, and to the east, the waters of the Bay, Mt. Diablo, and downtown. A custom headboard and bed frame are built-in and on the other side of the headboard is a wonderful custom-built walk-in closet. The primary bathroom is ensuite, also outfitted with blue tile, and includes a walk-in glass-enclosed shower and separate Jacuzzi tub.

On the very top floor is direct access to the sunny roof, currently used as a deck, displaying Sutro Tower and Twin Peaks, including the Pink Triangle and the greenery of park and city, and views all the way to the waters of the East Bay. A large two-car side-by-side garage with a workbench and additional storage on the main floor completes the picture.

491 Buena Vista East is located on the southeast side of Buena Vista Park, San Francisco’s oldest park and third largest, offering remarkable downtown panoramas, relaxing greenery, an off-leash dog area, and an expansive coast live oak forest. The home is also just two blocks from Corona Heights Park with a playground, dog run, basketball and tennis courts, and children’s museum. At the intersection of Haight Ashbury, Buena Vista, the Castro, Panhandle and Hayes Valley, there are great shops and restaurants within walking distance in all directions.