The asking price is just under $4 million; first showing is set for Sunday, February 7, 2010. “It’s as if the task of marketing this home was created for my specific specialties,” said Spindler. “I’m looking forward to finding the next guardian for this special home.”

The Shannon-Kavanaugh House is a lovingly restored 1892 Victorian mansion owned by Michael Shannon and built by Matthew Kavanaugh for his family. What started as a condemned building in a challenged neighborhood, has transformed into an impressive four-story property, in one of San Francisco’s hottest neighborhoods. The home features working gaslights, exquisite architectural details and several original stained-glass windows. The kitchen includes upscale Dacor and Bosch appliances. The house earns its keep through movies, TV shows, advertising, tours, guest accommodations and by hosting unique private parties, catered events, weddings, receptions and other special events.

A special champagne soiree will be held at the home from 6 to 9 PM on Wednesday, February 10th. Local San Francisco Realtors, high-end property owners and select neighborhood organizations are on the invitation-only guest list.

To view more details and images, visit wwww.722Steiner.com, www.Shannon-Kavanaugh.com, www.BonnieSpindler.com or www.ZephyrSF.com. To request a showing, contact Spindler directly at 415.474.4445.

Spindler Inc.

Founded in 1994 by Zephyr Real Estate’s All-Time Top Selling Residential Agent Bonnie Spindler, Spindler Inc. specializes in historic properties in the San Francisco Bay Area market, especially Victorians. Offering more than 20 years of expertise and an in depth understanding of the unique details of Victorian homes, Spindler is a resource for local buyers, sellers and renovators interested in this type of historic property. For more information, visit www.BonnieSpindler.com, or call 415.474.4445.

But when Alan Sagatelyan and his wife, Maryam Monsef, first set eyes on 924 Grove St. in San Francisco’s Alamo Square neighborhood, one thing was clear: If the facade bore testimony to the embellishments popular with Richardsonian architects at the turn of the century, there wouldn’t be much left to preserve inside the 5,100-square-foot house.

“An elderly lady lived here with six cats and five dogs,” Sagatelyan says, describing the state of the stately home when they discovered it in 2005. “There were a number of illegal apartments, five kitchens, a strange platform stage in one area and lots of staircases. The one thing the interiors lacked completely was architectural details.”

So the couple decided to strip the house back to its bare bones and create, from scratch and with the help of Topeture Architecture, a contemporary interior while retaining the original facade, with its baby blue paint, intricate stucco and ornate cast iron work.

The $3,390,000 home doesn’t lack historical pedigree. It was designed in 1903 by architect Frank Van Trees for Joseph Colgate-McQueen of toothpaste fame and his new wife, with whom he had just moved from the East Coast.

It’s fair to say, however, that Mr. Colgate would be in for a surprise if he were to walk though his front door today. For inside all is white and light – long swathes of pristine, snowy walls are punctuated by the outsize bay windows that were typical of the period.

The first-floor entryway leads past several ancillary rooms that could serve a variety of functions – one has been staged as a poker den – as well as a state-of-the-art media room, whose entertainment system pipes music throughout the four-story house.

French doors at the back of the home lead to a charming, if small, garden. There, the home’s original carriage house has been transformed into a guest cottage/studio. This level also includes a newly installed garage whose door opens onto the street.

On the second floor the contemporary vibe comes on full force: a sweeping open-plan space takes in a living room with gas fireplace overlooking Grove Street’s collection of ornate Victorians, a dining area and great room that encompasses what is described as an “entertainment play space” and an ample cook’s kitchen. A Dwan dumbwaiter will enable the future owner to bring groceries or supplies from the garage to the kitchen, and a wall of glass folds back for outside entertaining on one of the home’s many decks.

There are interesting architectural touches on the upper floors, including a clear glass bridge that connects the front to the rear part of the house on the third floor. The top-floor suite includes a fireplace and private deck with views of downtown and Pacific Heights – the rooftop aspect with its smattering of brick chimney pots brings to mind the dancing feet of Mary Poppins – as well as a spa bathroom featuring a double shower steam room and Kohler Sok overflowing infinity tub.

All the home’s structural elements have been overhauled: There are a new foundation, roof and electrics, and heating is supplied by a Hydronics in-floor radiant heat system.

According to an article in Forbes last year, houses in the Alamo Square neighborhood – bounded on the north by Golden Gate Avenue, on the south by Fell Street and on the east and west by Laguna and Divisadero streets – have, since 1990, seen the highest rate of appreciation (522 percent) in the city. And a story in The Chronicle in November reported on the neighborhood’s recent gentrification after a long period of decline. Jhoanne Loubé, who did much of the Colgate Mansion’s interior design, lives nearby and says she’s seen an influx of families buying homes there. “It’s an eclectic area, very central and walkable. I love it,” she says.

Other properties for sale in the neighborhood include a school at Grove Street and Alamo Square, and 925 Fulton St., a restored six-bedroom Queen Anne home. Each of the properties is listed at $2.75 million.
The vitals

Address: 924 Grove St., San Francisco 94117

Details: Six bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms; 5,100 square feet

Price: $3,390,000 ($665/square foot)

Web site: www.924grove.com

History: The home was designed by architect Frank Van Trees in 1903 for Joseph Colgate-McQueen of toothpaste fame. Its interior has been gutted and completely remodeled in a contemporary style by architect Marc Topeture and interior designers Maryam Monsef and Jhoanne Loubé.

Walk score: 89/100 – “very walkable”

Listing: Bonnie Spindler, Zephyr Real Estate; (415) 474 4445; bonnie@bonniespindler.com

Read on for the latest news and updates from the BRAVO! CLUB!. We hope you enjoy the news snippets and photos we’ve pulled together for you. If you’d like to contribute, please email the editor at bravoclub@sfopera.com

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Susan Graham and David Gockley dazzled at the BRAVO! Luminary Dinner

Held in the panoramic Alexandra’s Room at the Westin St. Francis on June 6, the Luminary Dinner was an intimate event comprising a reception, dinner and an interview conducted by David Gockley with acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham. Old friends, Mr. Gockley and Ms. Graham brought down the house with their candor, humor and entertaining anecdotes. An edited version of the interview will be podcast for wider distribution.