It’s not a miracle, it’s just good timing. The 101-year-old onetime church next to Dolores Park, with its signature dome, had fallen on hard times and was very nearly demolished. But a local developer and seismic engineering Solon bought it up for $2.3 million and turned it into townhouses (dubbed "The Light House"), including a secret lair in the dome that he lives in himself.
Two of the three downstairs units sold earlier this year, but they held the last in reserve as a rental—for an unbelievable $28,000/month. (We still don’t believe it.) Now, that tenant has moved out—presumably for a domed church townhouse somewhere that charges only $25,000/month—so the last of the litter is finally up for sale, asking more than $6.14 million.
That’s a slightly slender price compared to the nearly $6.5 million that the neighbors listed for, although with three beds, three and a half baths, and over 5,400 square feet of space it’s certainly not a slender offering. As we’ve noted before, that’s the kicker about building in a church: There’s a whole lot of volume to fill inside a building like that.
Nobody has shot the new place yet, so these photos are of the neighboring townhouse, taken during our first visit earlier this year. The rear unit is a bit different, but things like the original brick and 101-year-old Carnegie steel still are constant throughout. Say what you want about Andrew Carnegie, but that’s good value.
- 93 Cumberland [Redfin]
- Light House Ready To Sell [Curbed SF]
- Inside the Light House Dome [Curbed SF]