SEC. 6. CHARACTER-DEFINING FEATURES.
Whenever a building, district, site, object, or landscape is under consideration for Article 10 Landmark designation, the Historic Preservation Commission is required to identify
character-defining features. This is done to enable owners and the public to understand which elements are considered most important to preserve the historical and architectural character of
the proposed landmark or landmark district.
The character-defining interior features of buildings in the district are identified as: None.
The character-defining exterior features of contributory buildings in the district are identified as: All exterior elevations, rooflines, historic doors and fenestration, historic materials and
finishes, historic front setbacks, and historic architectural details, as described below.
The following section describes in further detail the character-defining features of the district and of individual buildings.
A. Overall Form, Scale and Proportion
Due to the brief period of construction – most buildings were constructed between 1890 and 1910 – buildings within the district exhibit characteristics of one of two basic residential
property types: single-family early residential or multi-family reconstruction residential (as defined in the Mission Dolores Neighborhood Context Statement).
District buildings are all residential, composed primarily of attached or semi-attached, single-family dwellings and residential flats or apartments. Buildings in the district range from 1 ½
story-over-basement to four stories in height, with 1-½ and three stories predominating. Roof forms are predominantly flat or front-facing gable behind a projecting parapet and/or cornice.
An exception is 1919-1923 15th Street which has a hipped roof.
The district’s smallest residences are on lots facing the neighborhood’s alleys and narrow mid-block streets. These buildings are typically 1 ½- to two-stories in height, have raised,
recessed entrances accessed by wood staircases with turned balustrades (most stairs have dogleg configurations, replacing original straight run), often have deep front setbacks, and feature
modest Italianate or Stick-Eastlake detailing on the primary, street-facing facades. Some of these smaller buildings have been converted from single- to two-units.
Buildings fronting wider streets – 15th, 16th, or Dolores streets – have larger footprints, are taller, and consist of residential flats or apartments. These buildings are typically 2 ½- to four-
stories in height, have recessed, raised entrances, straight run stairs, and feature Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Italianate, or Stick-Eastlake detailing on the primary, street-facing facades.
Romeo Flats buildings along 15th Street are built to the front lot line while residential flats buildings at 16th Street are setback with shallow front yards behind low cast stone walls topped
with metal railings. On Dolores Street, residential flats buildings are setback with raised front yards bounded by cast stone retaining walls.
Although the roof forms – particularly at the non-visible rear facade – of a substantial number of buildings have been altered to incorporate skylights, small dormer windows, fire escapes,
stair penthouses, or solar panels these alterations were constructed outside of the Period of Significance and have not gained significance.
General characteristics of the district’s two primary residential building types (Single-Family Early Residential and Multi-Family Reconstruction Residential) and one sub-type (Romeo
Flats) are:
Single-Family Early Residential: Properties dating from the ¡§Early Neighborhood Development (1864-1906)¡¨ period are unified by their small-scale form, massing, and materiality
representative of the early residential and agricultural development of the Mission Dolores neighborhood. Character-defining features of the properties within the district dating from this
period include:
• Small, one-story over- integrated garage or two-story massing
• Horizontal painted wood siding
• Flat front with front facing gable roof or Italianate style parapet roof form
• Original wood double-hung windows with ogee lugs
• Architectural ornament including brackets, applied columns, window and/or door hoods, and other façade ornamentation indicative of the Italianate style
• Front setback or location on lot in reference to street
• Central or offset primary entrance stair
Multi-Family Reconstruction Residential: Properties dating from the “Earthquake and Reconstruction (1906-1915)” period are unified by their larger scale, form, and massing to meet
housing needs of the growing population of the Mission Dolores neighborhood. Character-defining features of the residential flats or apartment buildings within the district dating from this
period include:
• Two or three-story over-integrated garage or three-story massing
• Horizontal painted wood siding
• Front-facing gable roof or projecting cornice
• Wood double-hung windows with ogee lugs
• Single or paired projecting bay(s) at front facade
• Front setback/location on lot in reference to street
• Offset entrance with original stair configuration
Romeo Flats: The Romeo flat, a San Francisco-based, high-density form of rental housing with four to six units, generally for working-class tenants, was typically built after the 1906
earthquake and fires. Romeo flats are multi-unit, residential buildings with three bays lining the façade. An open or enclosed, central winding staircase located in the central bay divides the
façade vertically. Balconies are located at each story of the central bay if it is open. When enclosed, windows are located at each landing. The district’s buildings along 16th Street include a
row of Romeo Flats.
B. Materials and Finishes
Buildings in the district are of wood frame construction and were historically clad in horizontal wood siding. Exterior surface finishes are painted. Channel drop wood siding is typical at
the secondary and rear facades, while a combination of flush lap, channel drop, clapboard, or shaped shingles are typically found at the primary facades. Most buildings retain their historic
siding though a few were later clad in stucco, masonite, or composite shingle siding. These replacement siding materials have not gained significance.
Historically, there were several types of stairs constructed in the district: longer flights of wood stairs that typically project out from Italianate or Stick-Eastlake style buildings and shorter
flights typically found within the recessed entries of Progressive-era flats and apartment buildings.
At the buildings along alleys and narrow streets, entry stairs were solid and uniform in appearance: featured closed risers, solid cheek walls beneath the stairs, turned wood balustrades,
and capped newel posts, and had a painted finish. Some flights of stairs were later replaced with new wood stairs and balusters. Raised entrances to these smaller residential buildings lead
to narrow openings highlighted with wood trim and bracketed hoods. Wood paneled and glazed doors with transom window sit within a shallow paneled recess.
Progressive-era buildings – Queen Anne or Classical Revival style – within the district, particularly those on 15th, 16th, and Dolores streets, feature wood or terrazzo steps with solid
cheek walls and landings. These stairs are typically located partially within the building envelope and provide access to recessed entrance doors. The recessed vestibules have wood paneled
walls, coffered or stucco-clad ceilings, and floors clad in wood, terrazzo, or tile (usually hexagonal tiles with a polychromatic trim or mosaic tile). Entrances of Progressive-era flats are
typically flanked by Classical columns or pilasters, and decorated with applied plaster ornament, such as garlands and floral friezes.
While compatible, replacement stairs have not gained significance in their own right.
Existing gable roofs are typically finished with asphalt or composite shingles. Though generally compatible, these roofing materials have not gained significance.
C. Doors and Fenestration
Many of the district’s buildings retain their original primary entrance doors. These paneled wood doors, often slightly wider than contemporary entrance doors, are commonly glazed at
the upper portion and feature corniced and bracketed hoods and incised or applied ornament. Occasionally, a single fixed window is located adjacent to the entry door of Queen Anne
buildings, and many entry doors are topped with transom windows.
Fenestration is remarkably consistent throughout the district, consisting of vertically oriented double-hung single-light wood sash windows, with ogee lugs, set in wood surrounds.
Windows are typically set in wide angled bays with smaller windows set flush with the facade, often adjacent to or above the primary entry. Window surrounds are typically topped with
cornices, occasionally featuring pediments, with ornamented details. Smaller vertically oriented windows, set in a single or paired configuration, are typical on Italianate buildings. Several
buildings, typically Progressive-era flats buildings, feature curved wood sash windows set in curved structural bays. Angled or curved bays typically contain three windows, though certain
bays of corner buildings contain four or five windows. Most windows are rectangular although there are several buildings with arched windows. The building at 1949 15th Street is the only
building that retains an original two-over-two light double-hung wood sash window on primary elevation.
Large flats buildings, particularly Romeo flats, have continuous stacked angled bays flanking enclosed central stair with flush window at each landing.
On visible side and rear elevations, windows are typically single or paired double-hung sash with simple wood surrounds.
While many buildings within the district retain some or all historic double-hung wood sash windows with ogee lugs on primary, street-facing elevations, many others have replacement
sash. Replacement windows made of aluminum or vinyl sash, casement or slider windows, or windows with divided lights that were added to buildings after the Period of Significance have
not gained significance.
The addition of garages has altered the front facades and yards of many District properties. Many of the historic buildings within the district were not originally constructed with an
integrated automobile garage. Portions of site walls were removed and front yards partially paved to accommodate driveways for garages inserted in the basement of many buildings.
Several properties feature detached or semi-attached pop-out garages in the front yard. Garage structures, openings, and driveways have not gained significance.
D. Architectural Details
Common traits found throughout the district are bay windows, gable roofs, parapets, decorative cornices, ornamental shingles, and spindle work, as well as more classically influenced
detailing such as dentils, pediments, columns, and applied plaster ornament.
Late Victorian- and Progressive-era architectural styles predominate with Italianate, Stick-Eastlake, Queen Anne, and Classical Revival styles most widely represented. Architectural
details commonly found on the district’s Italianate and Stick-Eastlake buildings – usually at the smaller dwellings on alleys and narrow streets – include cornice lintels, bracketed hoods,
raised panel friezes and bracketed cornices, and false shaped parapets sometimes with pent roofs for Italianates (1959 15th Street includes chamfered bay window decorated with pipe
colonnettes and arched window heads) and bracketed cornice caps, bracketed door hoods (flat or pedimented), false parapets with paneled friezes, brackets, and projecting cornices on
Stick-Eastlakes.
The district’s larger flats buildings, facing onto the wider, primary streets, are typically Classical Revival style, including all the district’s Romeo Flats buildings. Buildings in the district
in this style feature wide angled or round bay windows, flat roofs, bulky projecting cornices with modillions or dentils, raised panel spandrels, scroll keystones, broken entablatures, and
pedimented and columned porch or portico entries.
Architectural details commonly found on Queen Anne buildings in the district include raked cornices, flared eaves, shingled tympanums, fish-scale shingling, projecting bracketed
cornices, steeply pitched gable roofs, finials, geometric applied ornament at spandrel panels, dentils, friezes decorated with wood ornament, egg and dart molding, cut-out screens,
sunbursts, intermediate cornices, window and door hoods, spindle screens, turned wood balustrades and newel posts, turned wood porch supports, a variety of wood cladding and patterned
wood shingles, arched porticos, and Corinthian or Composite columns and pilasters.
(Added by Ord. 15-26, File No. 251101, App. 2/13/2026, Eff. 3/16/2026)