Owning a home in Saint Francis Wood means living within one of San Francisco’s most carefully designed landscapes. The Olmsted Brothers laid out its curving streets to follow the natural slope of Mount Davidson, and more than a century later its tree-lined parkways remain ideal for long, quiet walks. St. Francis Boulevard is the heart of the plan, running from the Beaux-Arts entrance portals near St. Francis Circle past a circle fountain to a terraced upper fountain with views west toward the Pacific. West Portal Avenue’s shops, cafes, and services sit just beyond the gates, and Muni Metro lines at St. Francis Circle connect to downtown.

Saint Francis Wood was developed by the Mason-McDuffie Company in the early twentieth century, with architects John Galen Howard and Henry Gutterson guiding its look. Gutterson reviewed home designs for decades, which gives the neighborhood its cohesive feel. Italian Renaissance villas came first, followed in the 1920s by Spanish Colonial, Tudor, French Norman, Dutch Colonial, and English cottage revivals, with Ranch and split-level homes adding later variety. Lots are generous by city standards. In a neighborhood recognized as a National Register historic district, homes for sale in Saint Francis Wood offer distinctive period architecture.