SEC. 8. PAINT COLOR.
Nothing in this legislation shall be construed as authorization to regulate paint colors used within the District.
(Added Ord. 324-84, App. 7/6/84)
APPENDIX F TO ARTICLE 10 - LIBERTY-HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT
PAINT COLOR
SF Planning Code § 8
in effectSEC. 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
The Board of Supervisors hereby finds that the area known and described in this ordinance as the Liberty-Hill Historic District contains a number of structures having a special character
and special historical, architectural and aesthetic interest and value and constitutes a distinct section of the City. The Board of Supervisors further finds that designation of said area as an
Historic District will be in furtherance of and in conformance with the purposes of Article 10 of the City Planning Code and the standards set forth therein, and that preservation on an area
basis rather than on the basis of individual structures alone is in order.
This ordinance is intended to further the general purpose of historic preservation legislation as set forth in Section 1004 of the City Planning Code, to promote the health, safety and
general welfare of the public.
(Added Ord. 484-85, App. 10/25/85)
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION.
Pursuant to Section 1004 of the City Planning Code, Chapter II, Part II of the San Francisco Municipal Code, the Liberty-Hill Historic District is hereby designated as an Historic
District, this designation having been duly approved by Resolution No. 10266 by the City Planning Commission.
(Added Ord. 484-85, App. 10/25/85)
SEC. 3. LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES.
The location and boundaries of the Liberty-Hill Historic District shall be as designated on the Liberty-Hill Historic District Map, the original of which is on file with the Clerk of the
board of Supervisors under File 90-85-2, which Map is hereby incorporated herein as though fully set forth.
(Added Ord. 484-85, App. 10/25/85)
SEC. 4. RELATION TO CITY PLANNING CODE.
(a) Article 10 of the City Planning Code is the basic law governing historic preservation in the City and County of San Francisco. This ordinance, being a specific application of Article
10, is both subject to and in addition to the provisions thereof.
(b) Except as may be specifically provided to the contrary in this ordinance, nothing in this ordinance shall supersede, impair or modify any City Planning Code provisions applicable to
property in the Liberty-Hill Historic District, including but not limited to existing and future regulations controlling uses, height, bulk, lot coverage, floor area ratio, required open space, off
street parking and signs.
(Added Ord. 484-85, App. 10/25/85)
SEC. 5. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE.
The Liberty-Hill Historic District is significant as an intact representation of nineteenth century middle class housing and developmental practices. It is one of the earliest residential
"suburbs" to be developed in San Francisco, with major development starting in the 1860s and continuing until the turn of the century. Since the fire following the 1906 earthquake was
stopped at the Twentieth Street boundary of the District, the District contains examples of all architectural styles prevalent during the developmental period.
The District's houses range in size from the small "workingman's cottages" on Lexington and San Carlos Streets, with their uniform facades and setbacks, to the individually built houses
found, for example, on Liberty and Fair Oaks Streets, with varying architectural facades and setbacks. While there are only a few "grand" houses in the District, a number were designed by
architects well known in the Bay Area, including Albert Pissis, the Newsom brothers, Charles Shaner, William H. Toepke, Charles Havens, and Charles J. Rousseau.
The "suburban" quality of the Liberty-Hill area is retained to this day. It is enhanced by extensive street tree plantings and the very low incidence of commercial establishments in the
residential areas. The great majority of District businesses are on Valencia Street, an historic and unifying commercial corridor, as compared to the typical San Francisco pattern of a
grocery store or saloon on nearly every corner.
The District is significant in its representation of San Francisco development modes of the period. The San Francisco Homestead Union, the earliest such organization in the City, owned
and subdivided one block in the District in the 1860s. The Real Estate Associates (TREA), the largest builder of speculative housing in San Francisco in the 1870's, developed Lexington
and San Carlos Streets as well as a number of other sites in the District. Other blocks were purchased by real estate developers and sold lot by lot.
Source: SF Municipal Code PDF (amlegal)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/san_francisco/latest/sf_planning/0-0-0-1Fetched: 7/4/2026