1001 Vallejo St.
San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

Inside the spooky San Francisco mansion that starred in season two of ‘The OA’

By Lindsay Blake | Variety

The love affair between Hanford and Guittard was by all accounts passionate, as copiously covered in newspaper accounts of the day. The two met on a golf course in early 1904 and, despite being married to others, began a relationship. By September they were both seeking divorces. Robert went about things in a rather blunt way, sending his wife a Dear John letter stating, “A man feels the grand passion but once in his lifetime. I have it for Mrs. Cavalsky.” Ouch! The note was presented by his first wife as an exhibit during their divorce proceedings (natch) and press outlets reveled in quoting it ad nauseum. Hanford eventually coughed up $52,000 to dissolve the union. As The San Francisco Examiner noted, the once-in-a-lifetime nature of Robert’s grand passion was “indeed fortunate” as it “cost him a pretty penny.” Cavalsky’s divorce was then finalized and four days later Robert and Gabrielle tied the knot themselves. The House of the Grand Passion was commissioned soon after, complete with an opulent wood-paneled ballroom where Gabrielle, a singer, is said to have entertained guests with her vocal agility.

Like so many wanton affairs, Robert and Gabrielle’s flame burned out fast. They secretly divorced in 1914, though rumors of trouble started in 1909 when a socialite named Lorena de la Montanya shot herself with Hanford’s gun at a dinner party in New York – a dinner party at which Gabrielle was not present. The entire occurrence was shrouded in mystery, with many doubting Lorena died by her own hand, despite the completely believable testimony of a witness who told police that de la Montanya suffered from “an irresistible whim to point every revolver she touched at her head.” Uh-huh. The marriage over, Robert sold The House of the Grand Passion in 1915. Four years later, it was acquired by Paul Verdier, grandson of The City of Paris department store founder Felix Verdier, who held onto it for the next 34 years. Though he was the pad’s most tenured owner, he mainly leased the place out to various entities. During his tutelage, the property served as everything from a theatre to a music conservatory to a World War II officer’s club (which JFK is said to have visited 17 times!) to a brothel run by infamous San Francisco madame Sally Stanford. The conservatory even operated as a Russian tea room for a time.

In 1992, the Verdier Mansion was purchased by a couple who thoroughly restored it and added some modern touches before flipping it. Today, the pad features a “world-class kitchen,” three terraces with views of the city, an elaborate wine cellar, a grand marble staircase, a media room, a game room, leaded glass windows throughout, and a master suite with both a fireplace and a bidet (because what’s a mansion without a bidet?).

The entrance to the towering property sits tucked away on the Vallejo Steps (which served as a goat path at the time of the home’s inception!) but the best views of it can be had from its eastern side on Taylor Street.

Up until 2013, the exterior was a natural stone color, but it was painted dark green by the then owners, who were followers of feng shui. Though green is said to represent growth and healing, the color gives the home an extremely ominous appearance and likely sealed its use on “The OA.”

The Verdier Mansion, commonly referred to amongst “The OA” fans and in Reddit circles as “The House,” is first featured in the premiere episode of “Part II,” titled “Angel of Death,” when a young boy named Donald (Van Brunelle) brings Karim there during the search for a missing teen. Karim is appropriately transfixed by the massive property as it comes into view, towering above him. The façade was altered a bit for the shoot with a peaked roofline and stained glass window featuring a rose CGIed onto the top floor.

The house goes on to become a focal point of season 2’s plotline. As we learn in episode 5, “The Medium & the Engineer,” in “The OA” world, the pad was built by an engineer and his medium wife in 1910, after the dwelling that originally stood on the premises burned to the ground in the fires following the 1906 earthquake. (In reality, the Verdier Mansion came through both the quake and fires unscathed.) As the foundation to the property is being laid, the engineer and his wife discover a natural spring running through the site and soon learn it possesses supernatural powers. Though the medium does not want to finish building the property, her husband feels it is their duty to protect the spring and comes up with a rather unconventional solution to design “a house that is a puzzle.” In solving it, “the worthy will reach the revelations on the other side of the rose window in the attic and the unworthy will be trapped and destroyed.” Fun, laughs, good times! At some point, the engineer decides to test the puzzle out himself, but fails and lands in a coma from which he never wakes up.

By the time that Karim descends upon the property, with its owner Nina Azarova (Brit Marling) in tow, it has long been abandoned and decimated by squatters who gained entry via underground tunnels. “The OA” writers seem to have taken a cue from the manse’s actual history for that portion of the story, as squatters did indeed commandeer the home for a time in the 1920s and transformed it into an opium den reached via tunnels.

Only the exterior of the mansion appeared on “The OA.” The interiors featured on the show were part of a large set (it took up two soundstages!) created by production designer John P. Goldsmith at Los Angeles Center Studios in downtown L.A. The actual inside of Verdier Mansion is much brighter and more subdued than its television counterpart, though some elements, like the french doors with arched transom windows, were borrowed for the set.

“The OA” set decorator Bryan John Venegas told the Set Decorators Society of America, “The mansion is much more than it appears to be. It is a living, breathing character in this season’s story. It needed to be inviting enough to compel the characters forward so that with every detail comes a new question. John masterfully created a map of the afterlife, a twisting, limitless mystery that leaves the audience wondering at every turn.” With its vibrant, checkered history, though, this is one location that is just as mysterious in real life as it was portrayed onscreen, if not more so!

Stalk It: The abandoned Nob Hill house from season two of “The OA” is located at 1001 Vallejo Street in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, however, the best views of it can be seen from the 1600 block of Taylor Street.

Something Different: 1001 Vallejo St / Mansion with a past

Story from the SF Gate - written by Mary Jo Bowling

The mansion at 1001 Vallejo St. has long been called "The House of the Grand Passion." But perhaps that should be "passions," with an "s."

After all, over the last century, the gorgeous old home has sheltered San Francisco society scions, bohemian artists, World War II servicemen, and intellectual giants ... as well as illicit mistresses, notorious prostitutes, and drug-using squatters.

In short, it's just another San Francisco history lesson: a tale of money, creativity and smarts with a little sex and sin thrown in for good measure.

The property statement from where many of the following details were gleaned was written by the listing agent, Tina Bartlett of McGuire Real Estate, and it's more entertaining than many history books written about the City by the Bay.

Her research shows the house was built in 1906 near the summit of Russian Hill by Robert Hanson, a businessman who made a fortune in railways, mining, electricity and real estate. The vaguely medieval home with Tudor touches reflects a man who had been to Europe and had been heavily influenced by the trip. It was designed by architect Houghton Sawyer, who placed the entrance off the goat path-turned-public staircase designed by Willis Polk. Today we know them as the Vallejo Steps.

The house was designed with Hanson's passion in mind. Her name was Gabrielle Guittard Cavalsky of the Guittard chocolate family. When Hanford first spotted her on the Del Monte golf course in Monterey, he was married, she was married and he was smitten. The story goes that he wrote a letter to his wife saying "a man feels a grand passion but once in a lifetime, and I have it for Mrs. Cavalsky."

The once-in-a-lifetime love was short-lived (it ended in divorce), but the large paneled living room with an elevated balcony at one end lives on. Gabrielle Hanson had a lovely voice, and musicians would accompany her as she sang for guests below.

The house changed hands many times in the following years -- and was briefly a bohemian salon featuring Ibsen readings -- but in 1919 it was purchased by Paul Verdier, a descendant of the family that founded the City of Paris department store. History books say the Verdier family came to San Francisco during the Gold Rush and got a financial foothold importing wine, brandy and luxury goods.

At some point, the Verdier family moved out of the house. During that time, it was broken into by squatters who turned it into an opium den. The grand ballroom (now the living room) later became the scene of Artists Balls -- annual events that drew artists from around the city.

But the most notorious resident was Sally Stanford, one of the well-known madams of San Francisco. Herb Caen described Stanford's employees as "act(ing) like ladies" and looking like socialites of Junior Leaguers.

According to files in the public library's History Room, "the house was frequented by men on the hill and was the scene of much drinking and gambling." Of course, it was also frequented by the police until Stanford moved to another location.

During World War II, the house became an officer's club. Ranking officers could go there and be politely (and innocently) entertained by volunteers. John F. Kennedy is said to have visited the house 17 times.

The property statement says that after a while, Verdier, a man Caen described as "very proper," moved his mistress, a music teacher, into the house. In turn, she installed a young man on the top floor. When news of the affair reached Verdier, he moved into the lower level. His wife returned from Paris to file for divorce. Grand passion, indeed.

In the early '50s, the house was sold at auction to Catherine Doliani, who made a killing in the real estate market. Doliani allegedly illegally divided 1001 Vallejo into apartments.

In 1992, Dr. Thomas and Lena Grotz restored the mansion to its former grandeur and then some. They added a free-standing spiral staircase, a kitchen with every amenity and luxury finishes.

In 1998, the house was purchased by Myron Scholes shortly after he won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. Scholes and his wife, Jan Blaustein, have furnished the house according to feng shui principles.

The house features five (possibly six) bedrooms, six full and two half baths, grand terraces with sweeping city and bay views, a conservatory, and an eight-car garage.

The next owners will have to love the city because it doesn't get more San Francisco than this. The views seem to get better in every room, and you feel as if you are just hovering over Nob Hill, the Bay Bridge, and Alcatraz. The famed parrots of Telegraph Hill frequently fly over and perch in a tree just off the largest terrace. In the distance, you can hear the cable car bells ringing.

It goes without saying that the next owners will be wealthy. These days, passion comes at a price ... and this grand passion is set at $14 million.

1001 Vallejo St., San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

Photo of 1001 Vallejo