The San Francisco call., 1901-12-08

is now used as a lodging house.
The st-pretentious home of W. G. Rail
ston. built during the middle sixties, was
on Fremont street near First, and herein
he began the series of lavish entertain
ments which afterward made his name
so famous in connection with Belmont.
The handsome residence of Mrs. A. NJ.
Parrot on Sutter street is one of the
Instances of stately oak produced by the
tiny acorn. Suffer street during the mid
die ffties was beyond Powell street an
almost impossible sand waste, ungraded.
and consequently nearly devoid Of build
ings. Almost the last dwelling-house or
the south side near Mason street was a
little four-room cottage. standing in the
middle of sand lot This was the hone
Of Lawyer w. H. Sharp, his wife and
young children, In the course Of a few
years, about 1850, the street, being then
graded, he built an addition Of several
rooms in front of the little cottage, max
ing it quite a presentable house. This was
the one he gold to Senator Sharon, who,
about 1873. occupied it with his family,
and here was soon after given the grand
ball which celebrated the entree of the
y
The house was not large enough, however,
to suit the Sharon ambition. so after pur-
chasing the adjoining property on tho
cast Mr.. Sharon built the large addition
to his dwelling which made the house one
of the most commodious in the city. Tbs
first use made Of the elegant. spacious par
lors was upon the occasion Of the marriage
of his eldest daughter, Clara, to Frank
Newlauds. This was the first social func-
tion In which enormous wealth was Law
ishly displayed and marked new era in
entertainment among US. The parlors
were next thrown open to friends when
the body of Mrs. Sharon lay in state be-
fore the funeral, when the floral dccora-
tions were almost as great a feature Of
elaborate display as at the bridal Not
very long afterward the failure Of the
Bank of California caused Mr.. Sharon to
transfer the property to W. S. O'Brlen,
who placed 1t at the disposal Of his sister.
Mrs Maria Coleman. whose pretty twin
daughters speedily became leading bellies
in society. couple of years later the
rooms which were thronged for the mar
riage festivities Of Miss Sharon once more
were filed with wedding guests, the bride
being Miss Cecilia Coleman and the groom
Harry May. After the death of M-.
O'BrIen Mrs. Coleman, to whom he wiiled
the property. sold 1t to Mrs. Parrott, who
during the winter season generally resides
there surrounded by her large family, and
since her occupancy it has been the scene
of many brilliant hospitalities.
There were but two houses on The north
side of Sutter street in the block between
Powell and Mason in the middle fifties.
One. at the corner of Powell street, was
a two-story cottage belonging to w. S.
Clark; the other, double two-storied
house on the corner of Mason, was the
home of Isaac Friedlander. Between the
two was a deep gully, long flights Of steps
for pedestrians reaching down and up on
either side. There was no attempt at a
roadway, and vehicles were an unknown
quantity thereabouts. The FriedIander
house was afterward occupied by John
Young of New Almaden fame and his
wife. Her pretty sisters, the Misses Walk