The San Francisco call., 1901-12-08
WHERE AND
HOW The
SMART SET o.
THE ETFrIEs
LIVED

hIVSG
mshaw, formed part Of their family cir
Gle; one Of them afterward became ths
wife of Joseph Barron Of the welI-known
firm Of Bolton, Barron & Co. To the
Youngs succeeded the Rev. DR.. Yer Mehr
and his family. and it was during his oc-
cupancy that his only daughter. the beau
tiful blonde Gertrude, became the wife OF
j. M. Seawell, one Of our present Superior
Judges, and the beauty Of the bridal party
as they appeared at the reception, held in
the long parlors of the old house, was the
topic of the hour, The bride. a perfect
blonde, looked as if she had stepped from
the frame of one of the old family por-
traits which formed a background for the
party. and her two bridesmaids, Miss Sa-
rah Poett and Miss Ella Maxwell. were
perfect specimens of the brunette type OF
loveliness The old house is still extant.
but it has been turned around and now
faces on Mason street. a short distance
above Suffer-
The furnishing Of our early day homes
was of a very different character from
that of the present and seldom varied
from black walnut upholstered in hair
cloth CT red plush with mahogany frames.
OF this latter description was that which
the long drawing room of the early day
Friedlander home on Sutter street con-
tanned. quite in contrast to the pale blue
brocade and gilt furniture of their ele-
CANT parlor in the McLsne mansion on
Bryant street. Apropos of furniture, when
Senator Sharon finished and furnished his
Sutter-street house in 1874 the cost Of the
parlor upholstery alone exceeded the sum
of $4,000.
On the block between Powell and Stock
ton there were but three dwelling houses
on the north side of Sutter street. The
large frame house on +he corner OF SUIT
ter and Stockton was built early in the
ffties by Lucien Herman and was one
of the handsomest in the city for many
years. DR.. Bowie purchased the property
in 1856 and resided in It until about 1870,
when, after being partially destroyed by
fire, it was remodeled and became a beer
hall, known as the Vienna Gardens, where
concerts were given nightly to the accom-
paniment of lager and tobacco. Adjoining
1t on the west was one Of the cottage
houses which were brought here around
the Horn and put together with screws.
not a nail being used in its construction
1t was the property Of 3. Davidson, Roth
childs' agent. and to the original house
Mr.. Davidson added a couple OF wings.
one of which he used a billiard room
Being a lover Of Horticulture, he laid out
the extensive grounds which surrounded
his house in flowers and foliage, which
were brought to such state Of perfection
that IT was a noted place in the young
city. The property passed into the hands
of the Congregation Emanuel in 1853
and upon it was erected the present syna-
gogue, the price paid for the land being
about $1,000 The house was then re-
moved to Ellis street just above Mason,
where it now stands. the main house by
itself and the two wings forming another
house, used as a blacksmith's shop be-
low, with lodgings in the rooms above.
The third house on the block next west
of the Davidson domain was built and
lived in first by Abel Guy. then by F. Cav
al1ier, both well-known old pioneers. as
we'll as the third resident, julius May.
Joint manager Of Rothschilds' banking
house of B. Davidson & Co.
A house which retains much of it's old
time appearance still occupies its original
location on the southwest corner OF Stock
ton and California 1t was built By
Colonel J. D. Stevenson in the early hfties
and was the scene for many. years OF a
great deal Of hospitality, the large draw
ing room to the right OF entrance being
a marvel for size and ''1ust the thing for
dancing. 1t is now and has for a
decade or more been used as q lodging
house. Across Stockton street and ad-
joining Grace Church on the south Is the
large double house Of Antoine Borel.
which looks precisely as it did when built
thirty years ago by William Barron and
occupied by him until his death. the joint
occupants with him being his brother Jo-
seph, and Thomas Bell. Mr.. Barron bach
elor parties were renowned, and the ball
given by him in celebration OF the mar
riage Of the eldest Miss Walkinshaw and
Sam Price, an early day notable, was
the most brilliant private affair ever given
then In San Francisco and would COM
pare favorably with the most elaborate
function of tha present day.
Our early day residents had two out
of-town resorts. TO which Of a pleasant
afternoon many teams found their way.
They were on the route to the beach,
which, even before the building OF tha
Cliff House Road, was the popular drive
of the day. One was the Ocean House,
the other the Lake House. which was
prettily situated on the banks OF the La
goon near the Ocean Beach. The Lake
House was purchased some time near the
end of the hfties by John Middleton. the
pioneer auctioneer, and he moved It into
town to occupy his lot on Second street
near South Park, and II became his fam
lily home Indeed II was owing to the po-
sition Of this home that Mr.. Middleton
was induced to engineer the cutting
through of the Second-street hill which he
so successfully accomplished. A house IN
the Western Addition which looks to-day
exactly as IL did forty years ago Is that
where Samuel Holiday and his family
reside; the only difference is that when
first built there was not vestige OF foli-
age around or near 1t and not a house
within a dozen blocks. What a contrast
between then and now In glancing at the
:. palatial homes in the neighborhood OF
millionaire w. B. Irwin, Henry Crocker.
Dr. Barkan, the Goads, Dunphy and