By Richard Ivanhoe, HANC President

Ted Lieser, from San Francisco Heritage will provide an update on the Doolan-Larson House at our September meeting.  At our July meeting, Tia Lombardi (also from San Francisco Heritage) spoke about the property—the large white building at the southeast corner of Haight and Ashbury.  Here’s some history from the Doolan-Larson website (https://haightandashbury.org/heritage/ ):

Built in 1903, the Colonial Revival Doolan-Larson House is located at 557 Ashbury Street, on the northwest corner of Haight and Ashbury streets. After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, the building was elevated to accommodate the addition of six commercial storefronts along Haight Street. The ensemble comprises approximately 7,500 square feet.

Since 1907, many businesses have occupied the storefronts, telling a story of a dynamic San Francisco neighborhood: a saloon, jewelry store, optometrist, cigar store, shoeshine shop, dry cleaner, plumber, realtor, accountant, barbershop, women’s clothing store, beauty shop, insurance agent, hatter, and magazine shop. In 1907, 1508 Haight was a barbershop, and it is still a barbershop today.

In 1965, Peggy Caserta opened Mnasidika at 1510 Haight, the first “Hippie” shop on Haight and home of the original bell-bottoms.

The upper floors of the building were originally the residence of Richard P. Doolan, who retained the property until his death in 1947, and it remained in his family until 1973. In 1918, the building was subdivided and became the Evelyn Apartments. The name “Evelyn” is still on the transom window above the entrance door on the east elevation.

Norman Tyler Larson, a fourth-generation San Franciscan and Log Cabin Republican, bought the building in 1980 and spent years restoring it.

In 2006, Larson’s home was designated San Francisco Landmark #253, and in 2011 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Before his death in 2018, Larson donated the property to San Francisco Heritage so that it would be preserved for public use, enrichment, and enjoyment.

San Francisco Heritage is in the process of determining future uses for the property.  A Request for Concept Proposals (RFCP) was released on August 1.  We anticipate hearing about ideas that may have been submitted, whether informally through a community survey, or formally through the RFCP process, and any plans or timelines that have been developed.