Abner Phelps House facts for kids
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Abner Phelps House
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Abner Phelps House in San Francisco
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 Location in San Francisco County
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1111 Oak Street, San Francisco, California |
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| Area | 0.1 acres (0.040 ha) |
| Built | c. 1850 |
| Architectural style | Colonial |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000187 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | 23 May 1979 |
The Abner Phelps House is the oldest house in San Francisco, California. It was built around 1850 by Abner Phelps and his wife, Augusta Roussell. What's cool is that it was made from parts that were already built somewhere else!
You can find this historic home at 1111 Oak Street, near Divisadero Street, in San Francisco's Haight Ashbury district. The house is very important because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also San Francisco Landmark Number 32, a special title it received in 1979. Today, the house is a private business and is not open for public visits.
The Story of the Abner Phelps House
Abner Phelps was a busy man! He served as a colonel in the Mexican–American War from 1846 to 1848. After the war, he became a lawyer and worked in downtown San Francisco. He used to ride his horse all the way to his office!
By 1854, the city of San Francisco had grown quite a bit. Its borders reached all the way to where the Phelps house stood. The house itself has a unique look, mixing styles like Gothic Revival and Colonial features.
A House on the Move!
Believe it or not, the Abner Phelps House has been moved three times!
- The first time was in 1890. This happened because of road work on Divisadero Street. The house was moved and then put back in the same spot.
- The second move was in 1904. This time, the house was repositioned to make room for new stores along Divisadero Street.
- The third move happened in the 1970s. The house was shifted on its lot to create a front yard.
Before all these moves, its address was 329 Divisadero Street.
How the House Was Built
There are two interesting stories about how the Abner Phelps House came to be.
- Story One (from 1934): This story says the house was built in 1850 by a company called John Middleton & Sons. They were one of the first real estate businesses in San Francisco. The house was supposedly made from lumber that was cut into sections in Maine. These sections then traveled all the way around Cape Horn (the tip of South America) by ship to San Francisco. At that time, there weren't many sawmills in San Francisco.
- Story Two (from 1961): This version comes from Abner Phelps' great-granddaughter. She said the house was actually built in New Orleans. It was then taken apart, shipped in sections, and rebuilt in San Francisco between 1850 and 1851. Why New Orleans? Because Abner's wife, Augusta Roussell, was from Louisiana and missed her home. The house originally sat on a huge 160-acre property outside of San Francisco. This land even included the area that is now part of the Panhandle section of Golden Gate Park!
