Ornate Noe Edwardian with Off-Putting Basement Asks $3.995M

Completed in 1910, the stately Edwardian at 263 29th Street in Noe Valley has only changed hands twice in its century-plus history. In its current state, the home is something of a split personality, with a stately upstairs featuring intricate woodwork, muraled ceilings, chandeliers, and a jade-green-tiled fireplace. The downstairs was last used as an office, and its dropped ceilings and scattering of gym equipment couldn't be more different from the living space above. Though the basement level has been staged as a living area, with a few hotel-like bedrooms lining the main office area, the primary vibe at work here is insurance office, with shades of upmarket rental car agency. The only tipoff that you're not standing in some anonymous corporate box is the original stained-glass window, glowing resplendently above a lone balance ball.

The vibe upstairs isn't wholly residential, either. With old beige wall-to-wall carpeting, an enormous green carved-wood fireplace, and matching green box-beam ceilings, the living room and dining room feel more like a worn country club than someone's living space. Per the brokerbabble, the original owners were Italian art fanciers, and they commissioned a set of not-super-masterful murals for the ceilings—a wreath of flowers and branches for the dining room, angels for the living room and master bedroom. In all, there are four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and about 4,500 square feet of space.

The property's biggest drawback is its tiny kitchen, which is really a maid's kitchen and is only suitable for one person at a time. The listing hedges by referring to a combination breakfast room/kitchen, but that just means there's a dining room with a Wedgewood stove parked at one end.

The list price of $3.995 million includes an upper-level two-bed, one-and-a-half-bath apartment out back, which is vacant. The rooms are small and a bit awkwardly laid out, but the wood floors are lovely and there's plenty of storage.

The apartment out back:

· 263-269A 29th Street [Official Site]