2007 Franklin St
San Francisco, CA 94109, USA

Haas-Lilienthal House - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:
The Haas-Lilienthal house was built about 1886. William Haas, a highly successful wholesale grocer, had a large wooden "residence built in a style which is generally Queen Anne, although there are a number of details which suggest the popularity of the approaching Shingle Style and even the later Colonial Revival. Since it has remained in the same family for two long generations (William Haas* daughter, Mrs. Samuel Lilienthal, is the present owner), it represents a continuity of ownership which is unusual in San Francisco. Aside from some interior and exterior modifications of the original design, this house still gives a definite feeling of late Victorian interest in the picturesque, combined with fine materials. Its large size and excellent state of preservation make it exceptional in an area where numerous fine old houses have since disappeared.

William Haas came to America from Bavaria in the 1870’s. (He had been born in 1849.) He joined with his older cousin, Kalman Haas, who had already established a flourishing whisky (Cyrus Noble brand) and supply business at 100-102 California Street, corner of Davis. The firm’s name was originally Loupe and Haas; it was changed to Haas Brothers in 1875. After a rigorous apprenticeship in the Mother Lode country, William Haas became a major force in the firm, and its first President. (The firm was incorporated as Haas Brothers only in 1897; William Haas had been manager until that time.) William Haas and his wife Bertha had three children - Florine, Charles W. (second President of the firm) and Alice. William Haas died on May 31, 1916.

Haas San Francisco address, prior to the move into the new residence at 2007 Franklin, Was 1611 Sacramento Street. Langley’s San Francisco Directory for 1887 has the first official listing at the new location; however, it errs in placing the residence at the southwest corner of Franklin and Jackson. It was 80 feet south of this corner. A photograph, published in the San Francisco News Letter for November 19th, 1887, shows the house in all its glory. Already at this date, there was another large wooden residence adjacent to the north. To the south was a vacant lot (see below), which has a problematic building history. Haas purchased this property at some uncertainly known date to add to his existing property of 2007 (The lot corresponded to 2005 Franklin). From water records, it is known that service was connected to 2007 Franklin on October 26, 1886; this seems the likely date of effective completion of the residence. The photograph of L887, then, records the newly planted lawn and other greens which had probably been put in during the winter of 1886 and spring of 1887.

As has been stated, Haas purchased the lot which would correspond to 2005 Franklin to enlarge his property to the south - at first with a garden (to the rear of which was a market garden); later, a large garage with rooms above was located at the rear of this lot and connected to the house at 2007 (1928).

Alice Haas, one of the three children of William Haas, married Samuel Lilienthal in 1909. Following the death of her father, her brother, Charles W. Haas, became President of the firm. After his death in 1927, her husband - Samuel Lilienthal - became President. (He had joined the firm in 1917.) The Samuel Lilienthal’s had three children - Ernest, Elizabeth (Mrs. James Gerstley), and Frances (Mrs. Laurence Stem), all living in 1973. Mr. Samuel Lilienthal died in 1957 at the age of seventy-two; Mrs. Lilienthal, until her death June 30, 1972, continued to occupy the house at 2007 Franklin Street.

Haas-Lilienthal House, 2007 Franklin St San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

This well-preserved wood Queen Anne style residence was constructed in 1886 for William Haas, a successful California businessman. A number of details, executed in fine materials, illustrate the impact of Eastlake as well as the Shingle style.