Hot Property
Remodeled South Van Ness Victorian blends period details with contemporary designs.
Talk with Lisa Meyer for any length of time about 1120 South Van Ness Ave. and the former antique dealer is bound to say the word “serendipitous.” The word relates to her and her husband’s 2001 purchase of the ornate Queen Anne Victorian in the Inner Mission, as well as the friendship she struck up with an architect who helped them remodel.
“We loved how it was so incredibly intact. We were amazed how it had all the original plaster walls, moldings and medallions,” Lisa Meyer said, recalling the first time she entered the threebedroom, three-bathroom the couple would ultimately modernize with new infrastructure, solar panels and larger rooms.
The block the home sits on is famed for its architect, Thomas John Welsh, who designed each of the Queen Anne Victorians in the row in the late 19th century. Like the others around it, 1120 South Van Ness includes a facade with Victorian mainstays like classical columns, spindle-work, stained glass, dentils, a covered portico and floriated ornaments.
The couple knew they had a special and historic property. They previously renovated an Arts and Crafts home while residing and working in Atlanta, but now they were thousands of miles away from Lisa Meyer’s antique contacts.
Once again, fate spurred the couple in the right direction. An engineer who helped the Meyers determine how to integrate upgraded systems in the home introduced them to Pamela Mostert, a San Francisco architect who would become instrumental in the renovation.
“Mostert was the first person the engineer mentioned, and she became my first friend in California,” Lisa Meyer said.
Mostert would be invaluable helping the Meyers track down finishes and keep the spirit of
the historic home alive while making it compatible with 21st century living.
Lisa Meyer takes tremendous pride in the fact that her home is going on the market unstaged. All the furniture, artwork and hardware seen in the marketing photographs and at the open houses are theirs, she said.
“We were fortunate to be able to take that money we would’ve spent on staging and invest it into the home,” Lisa Meyer said.
One such investment is the master bathroom, the plans of which changed dramatically once the Meyers began exca- vating the home. A fire box sat unused in the back wall of the bathroom. The couple took the opportunity to add a woodburning fireplace in the room as they installed Douglas fir flooring and a soaking tub.
“The fire box had never even been used. It was like they (the original owners) just changed their mind and covered it up,” she said. “Finding it and using a salvaged mantel to complete it was very exciting.”
Using her contacts as a former antique dealer, Lisa Meyer tracked down hardware, light fixtures and assorted period elements for the home.
She refurbished two doors, repurposing them into pocket doors for the master bath- room. The couple also crafted a wet bar off the dining room in the hidden space previously occupied by the butler’s closet.
Outside, the home hosts a deep backyard with built-in barbecue, fireplace and hardscaping. A deck off the rear bedroom upstairs provides an idyllic place for stargazing.
“We sleep in that room as much as the master bedroom, especially when it is hot outside,” Lisa Meyer said. “We just throw the windows and deck doors open and there is always a great breeze to sleep by. ”
For more information, visit www.1120SouthVanNess.com.