Joseph B. Pecora

February 2, 1937 - November 30, 2020

Our beloved friend and neighbor passed away peacefully on Monday morning, November 30, after a long and difficult battle with congestive heart failure. A proud graduate of Taft High School in Taft, California, Joe went on to graduate from UCLA, majoring in international relations. He spent his early career in the Air Force and traveled in New Zealand, Australia and throughout Southeast Asia while serving as a top-secret courier for the State Department. Arriving home, he worked as a social worker in San Francisco, Contra Costa County, and Richmond. His life was changed forever in 1979 when he purchased a derelict Victorian house near Alamo Square in San Francisco. The neighborhood was slated for demolition by the muchreviled Redevelopment Agency, but a crusading and close-knit fellowship of gay men began rehabilitating these painted ladies, as they were to become known, and instead the area became a renowned designated historic district. Joe had discovered a new love: history and Victorian architecture and design, and in the process acquired a community of friends that continues to this day. Joe initiated a newsletter for the newly-formed Alamo Square Neighborhood Association, with each issue containing a meticulous history of a neighborhood house, including its architecture and residents. In the process of studying these houses, Joe became in essence the Alamo Square historian, and eventually compiled these histories into his book, The Storied Houses of Alamo Square. Joe was also an active member of other local and national organizations, including the Victorian Alliance, the Decorative Arts Forum, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, among many others, and loved hosting events in his beautifully restored home, filled with antiques and warmth. Most famously, his annual Christmas party was legendary, displaying his enormous collection of antique Christmas ornaments and decorative treasures, and always boasting a tree that reached to his twelvefoot ceiling, dripping with wonderful things to see. Joe is survived by his cousin Linda and her son Dean, and by an uncountable host of friends and admirers. He will be sorely missed.

Due COVID restrictions, a Live-stream for Joe’s funeral service will be held on Friday, December 5th at 2:00PM. This service will not be open to the public. The link for the live-stream service is: https://vimeo. com/486654009/7fa1862 fad. A celebration of life in honor of Joseph will be held at a later date to be announced.