There are views, and then there are views like these. From the top of San Francisco’s Russian Hill, this penthouse looks out over the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the Bay Bridge, downtown and even the Pacific on a clear day. Terraces wrap around the home, while floor-to-ceiling windows keep those views in sight from nearly every room.
Offered for the first time in more than 25 years and asking nearly 20 million, 1750 Taylor Street was formerly owned by Billy Getty, grandson and heir to oil magnate J. Paul Getty Sr. In the 1990s, the younger Getty enlisted the help of designers Craig Leavitt and Stephen Weaver to combine two existing penthouses and create curved fiberglass screens that slide open and closed to connect the spaces without blocking the scenery. “You don’t just look out at the city from here; you feel as though you’re floating above it,” adds listing agent Kristin Cashin.
Though Getty sold the property in 1998, accordring to SF Gate, his personal touches are still prominent. Concrete and metal are balanced by warm wood, mohair-covered walls and 24-karat gold leaf. In the library, curved shelves are edged in gold leaf to mimic antique book bindings, a detail Cashin says “catches the light in this subtle way.” Even the primary bath makes the view part of the design, placing a gleaming tub beside windows overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.
Some of Getty’s footprint may be less desirable today, like his choice not to put a door between his bedroom and the kitchen, a decision Cashin calls “personal, comfortable and a little unconventional.”
Kristin Cashin and Jenn Davis of Christie’s International Real Estate Sereno holds the listing.
