HOME / 2026 Historic House Fall Tour / 770 Dolores – Integral Yoga Institute
770 Dolores – Integral Yoga Institute
Architecture
Despite the alteration or removal of some decorative elements from its construction that resulted in its current cement render cladding, 770 Dolores retains enough of its decorative elements to get a sense of how this home was originally intended to appear. Beginning at street level is the very impressive retaining wall and entrance stairs sculpted to resemble rusticated stone blocks. Moving up, the final approach to the front door is built with buff brick and marble. The whole stair is further accented with cast and wrought iron railings.
The home itself has elements of the Queen Anne and Classical Revival styles. The most recognizable feature of the home is its corner tower, rising two and half stories before culminating in a metal-clad dome featuring “bulls-eye windows” with highly-decorated surrounds. The decoration is echoed in the other attic-level window surrounds. On the front of the second floor is a set of three windows set in a palladian-style surround with a shell or sunburst carving below the pediment, supported by ionic columns. The porch below and the band above the second floor were simplified when the imitation stone render was added to the building, but the porch columns likely had similar decorative capitals when first constructed. The front door and surrounding millwork are original.
Inside the entrance hall and parlors retain the original woodwork and some light fixtures as well. Though furniture is limited so that the spaces can be used for group instruction, it is not difficult to imagine how they might have been used.
HISTORY
On May 15 1904, The San Francisco Call noted the sale of a parcel of land “50 by 135 feet on the West side of Dolores Street, South of Liberty, for $1300, to the Golden State Investment Company (GSIC).”
The GSIC did not wait too long to improve the lot. On June 9, 1905, a permit notice was published of work on the site including, “concrete work, including all excavating, concrete work for building and retaining walls cement plastering artificial marble steps and tiling basement floors and walks for a 2-story attic and basement frame building.” The total for this work came to $2700. Three days later a second permit was filed for “brick, stone and carpenter work, glazing, tinning, plastering, hardwood finish, hardware, wrought iron and marble work,” for another $8600. The Architect of record was Robert H. White. White had an office in the Flood Building and there are records of at least a handful of other projects by him in San Francisco, though 770 Dolores may be one of the few still standing.
Including the price of the lot, the GSIC spent at least $12,600 to build 770 Dolores (close to $480,000 dollars today). This was a substantial amount of money for a single home, and more remarkable because it appears that the home was built speculatively and not for a specific client. The GSIC would continue to own 770 Dolores for several years. During that time they appear to have rented it.
In 1912, the GSIC finally sold the property to Victor Etienne, Jr. Victor was the Secretary of the Cyclops Iron Works, which had been founded in partnership with his brother Joseph and their father Victor Sr. A description in a city directory stated that Cyclops manufactured “brewing machinery, patent wood-branding and printing presses, ice making and refrigerating machinery.” The company operated out of a foundry on the east side of Main Street between Folsom and Howard Streets.
Victor’s time in the house would turn out to be short. In 1913, Victor’s wife Annie sued for divorce on the grounds that Victor had been neglectful and cruel to her, including telling Annie that he wished they had never married and that he felt she did not move in the same social circles as his own friends. Annie’s divorce was granted, and she was awarded the house on Dolores Street and $60,000 dollars in cash, equivalent to $2 million in 2026. While he did vacate the home, Victor refused to pay the money, forcing Annie to pursue him in the courts for more than six years. Annie remarried and continued to live at 770 Dolores for at least a few more years with her new husband.
The trail of ownership was unfortunately challenging to follow for several years, but, by 1938, 770 Dolores had become home to physician Harry Arthur Deering, his wife, Mary, and their growing family. Harry and Mary raised their children in the home, and the family continued to live there until Mary made the decision to sell 770 Dolores to the Integral Yoga Institute in 1970.
The Institute has since become the longest resident at 770 Dolores, offering yoga classes, teacher training, and a residency program, among many other activities.
Research completed by Adam Klafter
Editing by Max Mertens