The Pacific Heights home featured in Mrs. Doubtfire was set on fire last night, with two small blazes scorching the front door and the side of the garage. Police say the fires were set by an arsonist—an event that now seems heavily foreshadowed by the very coinage of Mrs. Doubtfire's name, a portmanteau Robin Williams' character derived on the fly from a Chronicle headline, "Police Doubt Fire Was Accidental." The police are now investigating whether or not the crime has anything to do with the profession of the home's current owner, Dr. Douglas K. Ousterhout, a plastic surgeon who operates on transgender patients. Dr. Osterhout said that he was having problems with a former patient, but no arrests have been made.
The home, which sits at Steiner and Broadway, first rose to fame as one of the main settings for the comedy Mrs. Doubtfire. It was built back in 1906 and last sold in 1997 to Dr. Osterhout for $1.395 million. After Williams' death last August, the house, which has received a fresh coat of paint since its movie star turn, briefly became a shrine to the late actor.
· Police Investigating Arson at "Mrs. Doubtfire" Home [NBC Bay Area]
· 'Mrs. Doubtfire' Home in San Francisco Singed By Arsonist [SFGate]
· Scripted Realty [Curbed SF]
· The Classic San Francisco Victorian in "Mrs. Doubtfire" [HookedonHouses]
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