1254 Montgomery St
San Francisco, CA 94133, USA

House at 1254-1256 Montgomery Street - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

The building is both architecturally and historically significant. Architecturally it is an interesting variation of the formal Italianate style of the l860's designed to accommodate the needs of a rooming house. Historically, the building is importan.t as one of a handful of buildings on Telegraph Hill which have survived the 1906 fire. As can be seen from Photograph '*0" and Exhibit "D" which shows the boundaries of the fire, the fire was contained at Montgomery Street. A rather humorous account of how the local residents helped save these buildings is related in San Francisco's Telegraph Hill. A tenant of the building, one Gioranni Doneri with his oldest son and neighbors cooled the walls of the building with burlap sacks soaked in wine from casks in the basement.

The building was originally a rooming house. In its original configuration there were 25 rooms, all with a door to a hall, and most with additional doors to any adjoining room in case a family wished to rent more than one room. At some uncertain time, the building was converted to six "railroad flats." some of the walls have been removed to enlarge the living spaces; baths and kitchens have been squeezed in at the rear of each flat. The current use is six apartments.

Although the interior has been altered, the basically unaltered exterior contributes to the neighborhood's sense of time and place. The building remains an important architectural component in San Francisco's historic Telegraph Hill.