25 Hill Street – The Geddes-Fuller House

Houses designed by renowned architect, Charles Geddes, have a well-defined jewel-like appearance. There are three in the Liberty-Hill area, including his own at 986 Guerrero, one at 116 Fair Oaks, and 25 Hill Street, which you will see today. G. R. Lang, contractor, completed construction of 25 Hill Street in August 1882 for a cost of $4,000.

Geddes, one of San Francisco’s best Victorian architects, was a Liberty-Hill resident. He designed and built his own house at 986 Guerrero in 1883. He would live there for twenty years with his wife until their golden wedding anniversary in 1902 and his death in 1903, aged 83. He was still a practicing architect at that time, believed to be the oldest in San Francisco.

Geddes would leave an architectural legacy of over 80 well-designed structures, including spectacular mansions for Mark Hopkins and John D. Spreckels, and a number of significant churches. His huge Grace Methodist Episcopal Church at 21st & Capp, constructed in 1886 and tragically demolished in 1968, used to be the principal landmark of the Mission, a wood cathedral at the heart of the district. Another notable design, the Noe Valley Ministry Church at 1021 Sanchez Street, now serves as a popular community center of Noe Valley and was a prominent feature of the VASF’s 2024 Noe Valley Tour.

The gorgeous 25 Hill Street was built for Sherwood W. Fuller, with the water turned on in 1882. Fuller lived across the street at 26 Hill Street. Designed as a two story residence in the Eastlake Stick style, there were tenants recorded living there the following year, including then famous actor Walter Moore Lehman. Leman later moved to his own home nearby, 35 Hill Street (later 65 Hill Street).

Leman’s memoirs would be published under the title “Memories of An Old Actor,” which contained fascinating glimpses into not just the actor’s life, but of life in California in 1854 when he first arrived. His steamer boat arrived carrying 500 passengers, including Leman, after a 29 day voyage from New York. The trip included carrying passengers by mule train across the Isthmus of Panama since the railroad was not yet complete. Leman would observe that “most (of the other passengers)…were resolved to make their pile in one year, or two at the most, and go back home to enjoy it”; an outlook that is emblematic of San Francisco’s boom and bust culture that has persisted for more than a century. Further, he writes, “a woman in San Francisco was as much of a sight as an elephant or a giraffe would be now.” About architecture, he notes that his arrival in 1854 was only three years after the first theater, the Jenny Lind, “a first-rate, thousand seats” facility was constructed and almost immediately was sold to create a City Hall.

Besides colorful actor Walter Lehman living there in 1883, other tenants included Leonardt Weglehner and collector Joseph Rosenberg. Leonardt died as a young man, only 35 years old, in 1885, survived by his wife Caroline. His funeral was held at 25 Hill Street. By 1886, new tenants moved in including widow Mary McDermot and James B. Clifford, a salesman for the Held Brothers.

While Mr. Fuller died in 1921, it isn’t clear when he sold this property or when it changed hands to the next owner. However, it does seem it was an investment property, as he rented it immediately upon completion.

History adapted by Max Mertens from VASF’s 1997 “A Fine Old Architect & Fine Old Actor”
NOTE: It appears that the VASF article written for its house tour in 1997 seems to have noted Leman’s residence at 25 Hill. We now know he was a tenant there, but later moved to his own home nearby (now 65 Hill),, at the time under construction. His description of life in San Francisco documents the quickly changing nature of the city in its early years.