3 Cool Things About… Russian Hill

Fay Park in Russian Hill

Cool Thing 1: Steepest & Squiggliest Streets

Russian Hill is home to world-famous blocks of both Lombard St. and Filbert St. – the squiggliest and steepest streets in San Francisco respectively. Lombard St. has eight switchback turns over a single block. These twists and turns make it a sight to see from top to bottom. An iconic “to-do” for most visitors, it is a popular tourist attraction. City officials estimate nearly 6,000 visitors a day in the summer. City lawmakers recently (2019) passed legislation to require a reservation and toll on the street to curb some of the traffic.

Not interested in curves, just steep descents? Nearby Filbert St. (between Hyde & Leavenworth) has a 31.5% grade and is a popular spot for filming car chase scenes in films.

PS – Vermont St. in Potrero Hill is actually the crookedest street in San Francisco. It’s tucked away and takes a little more effort to find, but it isn’t nearly as photogenic as Lombard St.

Cool Thing 2: San Francisco Art Institute

View towards the Presidio from Russian Hill

The  Art Institute at 800 Chestnut St. isn’t just for students!

Visitors can find a fresco inside the Institute painted by famed Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Rivera titled it The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City and completed it in 1931. Visitors can view the fresco for free. Alternatively, the San Francisco Art Institute also holds exhibitions for current and past students to display their work. Artist Mike Henderson has a current exhibition titled “Honest to Goodness.” It runs until November 17th, 2019 and displays a selection of his work over a span of 50 years.

Cool Thing 3: Francisco Park

Francisco Park in Russian Hill before renovations

The city is converting the old reservoir in Russian Hill into a useable shared community space. The gold rush brought rapid growth and expansion to San Francisco and as a result the city built the reservoir to accommodate new needs.

However, the city closed it and it has remained unused for decades. Construction on Francisco Park began this summer and will be completed in late 2020. The park plans include a children’s playground, fenced dog-run, and community garden.

Homes for Sale & Market Activity

Maison Pacific | 1580 Pacific Built in 2023, Maison Pacific at the corner of Pacific and Polk is home to 53 residences in the iconic Russian Hill neighborhood. Notable features of the building include homes with air-conditioning, ...

Russian Hill Russian sailors were once buried upon this hill. That's why. Ground zero for the San Francisco high-rise revolt that began in the 1960s. Not coincidentally, also home to The Summit, The Royal Towers, Green Hill Tower,  the so-called crookedest s...

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Condo Buildings to Consider

1 Daniel Burnham Built in 1988, Daniel Burnham Court is home to 245 residences at 1 Daniel Burnham in the Van Ness Avenue Corridor. Notable features of the building include a fitness center with a sauna, rooftop heate...

1001 Pine | Pine Terrace Built in 1963, 1001 Pine is home to 161 residences in the Nob Hill neighborhood. Notable features of the building include a central location with a walk score of 99, security, owner’s social roo...

101 Lombard Built in 1978, 101 Lombard is home to 202 residences in the North Waterfront neighborhood. Notable features of the building include a prized location as well as an attended lobby, heated pool and a ca...

111 Chestnut | Parc Telegraph Built in 1981, Parc Telegraph at 111 Chestnut is home to 102 residences in the North Waterfront neighborhood. Notable features of the building include ground floor retail, attended lobby, landscaped g...

1200 Van Ness A series of delays have kept 107 new homes from coming to fruition at 1200 Van Ness.  In the fall of 2021, Derrick Chang revealed the renderings for the planned 13-story mixed-use building after the M...

1299 Bush | The Axis Built in 2009, The Axis at 1299 Bush is home to 26 residences in the downtown neighborhood. Notable features of the building include floor to ceiling windows on most homes and a roof deck with plumbed...

1433 Bush Scheduled to be completed in 2019, 1433 Bush will be home to 40 residences in the Van Ness Corridor. Notable features of the building include a roof deck and the very pedestrian-accessible and central...

1450 Franklin “Uptown Living. Uptown.” – Matt Built in 2017, 1450 Franklin is home to 67 residences in the Van Ness Avenue Corridor of San Francisco. The building was once a beloved Vespa dealersh...

1567 California | 1436 Polk Density bonus legislation delays construction, and when built this building in the Downtown neighborhood of San Francisco is expected to be home to about 100 residences. The planned building is an eig...

1645 Pacific “An Elegant Rebirth on Pacific.” – Matt Built in 2016, 1645 Pacific is home to 39 residences in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. The facade of the new building incorporate...

1650 Jackson Built in 1991, 1650 Jackson is home to 70 residences in the Nob Hill neighborhood. Notable features of the building include modern architecture, private balconies and large windows, perfect for enjoyi...

1868 Van Ness “A Bustling Nob Hill Location.” – Matt 1868 Van Ness in the Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco was completed in 2018 with 35 condos. The building offers clean, modern, and unders...

220 – 240 Lombard | Parc Telegraph Built in 1993, Parc  Telegraph is home to 118 residences in the North Waterfront neighborhood at 220 – 240 Lombard Street. Notable features of the building include the beautifully landscaped gro...

288 Pacific 288 Pacific is home to 33 residences with a seventh-floor rooftop terrace in the Financial District/Barbary Coast neighborhood. The building was completed in 2018. Home sizes at 288 Pacific begin at a...

445 Francisco Built in 2001, 445 Francisco is home to 88 residences in the North Beach neighborhood. Notable features of the building include a classic location combined with a stunning mix of contemporary styling....

550 Davis | Golden Gateway Commons Built in 1981, Golden Gateway Commons is home to 155 residences in the North Waterfront neighborhood at 550 Davis. Notable features of the building include lush parks and walkways flanking the develop...

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