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Russian Hill home once owned by ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde’ creator’s widow asks $13.8M

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Willis Polk mansion comes with a stained-glass window depicting the ship featured in Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.”

The facade is strewn with ivy and bears the mark of Wills Polk, an arched doorway.
Photos by Open Homes Photography, courtesy of Compass

Shortly after losing her husband, the noted writer Robert Louis Stevenson, Fanny Osbourne Stevenson, herself a magazine writer, commissioned Willis Polk to design this Mediterranean- and Tudor-style mansion near the top of Russian Hill.

The circa-1900 home, located at 2323 Hyde (any similarity to Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is coincidental), is a whopper of an abode, coming in at five-plus bedrooms, six full and two half bathrooms, and over 8,000 square feet.

Its exterior, melancholic yet graceful, features an arched doorway, one of Polk’s signatures. Inside you’ll find a marble-floored foyer prefacing a sweeping staircase with carved bannisters, punctuated by a towering stained-glass window. The window was designed by Polk himself. It depicts the ship Hispaniola, which was featured in Stevenson’s Treasure Island.

Other highlights include a dining room with glass roof and massive curtain treatment; an octagon-shaped sitting room with a Juliet balcony; a four-car garage, elevator to all floors; and, for better or for worse, a location right at the crest of Lombard Street’s famous curves.

On a historic note: The home was even bigger back in the day, stretching around the corner west down Lombard Street. The property, before being split off at a later date, was once used as a convent after Fanny’s death.

Asking is $13,800,000 listed by Nina Hatvany of Compass.

Marble, wood, and a stained-glass window highlight the entrance of this massive home.
One of several living rooms inside the property, a picture window frames views of the bay.
Chef’s kitchen with an island.
Formal dining room encased in windows and glass, protected from the sun by a dramatic curtain treatment.
Master bedroom.
This home has many staircases.
Sun room leading to a rooftop terrace.
The rear gardens.