Rob

Here's Why Richmond District is so Coveted... During the Roaring Twenties, the Outer Richmond District roared with the sound of saws and hammers. After World War I, prosperity was high and the growing popularity of private automobiles allowed San Franciscans to settle in neighborhoods farther away from the congested Downtown. Block upon block of sp... eculative houses went up across the sand dunes, turning western San Francisco into a vibrant residential district. The house at 5750 Fulton Street was built in 1923 by carpenter Samuel F. Johnson and architect Charles J. Strothoff. The two were partners in designing and building numerous houses in the Richmond District, including the entire western blockface of 33rd Avenue, around the corner from 5750 Fulton Street. As those houses demonstrate, Johnson and Strothoff built tracts of houses identical in plan and facade arrangement but set apart by unique architectural detailing. 5750 Fulton Street, standing independently, facing Golden Gate Park, is even more unique. Its detached situation and generous lot afforded Strothoff freedom in designing ornamental detailing that is showcased within a side courtyard. 5750 Fulton Street was also unusual in that it was not sold to a buyer immediately upon completion. The first known occupant of the house was Samuel Johnnson's daughter, Marion Frances Johnson. At the time, she was about 24 years old and an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. By 1926, however, she again lived at her parent's house on Cabrillo Street, suggesting that she may have been acting as a caretaker of the Fulton Street house until her father was able to sell it. The house was first owned by Aaron and Rose Cohen. The Cohens were Russian Jews who immigrated to the United States via Canada in 1909. Aaron Cohen was the president of the Cohen Furniture Company and the couple housed a lodger. Irene Manuck was a 19-year-old girl of Russian decent, who paid her rent by working as a stenographer for a wholesale clothing company. The ...Read More