Telegraph Hill: Is This the Oldest Surviving House in SF?

Very possibly the oldest extant house in San Francisco, the Captain Andrews house at 31 Alta Street on Telegraph Hill dates to 1852, and the 3-bed/2-bath house, with one very charming parking space is hitting the MLS sometime today with an asking price of $3,800,000. The current owners purchased the house in the probate sale of a long-time owner and undertook a complete historic renovation- meaning that details like the stairs rails were taken apart and refinished spindle by spindle, and the original siding removed, cleaned and put back with stainless steel nails. The brick was repointed, the garden restored. Fundamentally unchanged since its construction in 1852, it looks like it would be equally at home in Maine or Provincetown and was very likely built by ship's carpenters. Plus housed it's share of San Francisco characters, including a woman named Myrtle who ran a tea room/speakeasy on the first floor during Prohibition. And apparently there's a flock of Telegraph Hill parrots who are very fond of the garden. No public open houses.
· 31 Alta Street [Paragon]