Burr House

1. 1878

   Built as a wedding present from Ephraim Willard Burr, the former mayor, to his son, its construction supervised by the bride's father, Thomas Barnard, a Nantucket builder: a three-storey Italianate house with a Second Empire roof, finished on every side, in a large garden with a cottage behind. Water was turned on on 2 August 1878, and the family kept the house until 1969; the architect has never been confirmed.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
2. 1900

   Built.

3. April 18, 1906

   The earthquake badly shook the front porch and steps and displaced the moulding above the brick foundation; the porch was rebuilt with its present columns and roof by 1913.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
4. 1916

   A one-storey Arts and Crafts photography studio, designed by Henry H. Gutterson, was built for a daughter of the family on the north side of the property facing Green Street; Gutterson raised it to two storeys in 1937. It has since been split off as a lot of its own.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
5. June 26, 1969

   The Burr House stood in an unusually spacious garden that set it apart from its neighbors. The City Planning Commission approved designating the Burr House a city landmark, with the owner's consent.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
6. May 3, 1970

   Designated San Francisco Landmark No. 31. The house was then turned to lawyers' offices before becoming a home again in 1995.

   National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
7. December 3, 1970

   The Burr House, an official city landmark (Ordinance 103-70), stood unoccupied on the 13,473-square-foot lot along with a greenhouse, an outhouse and an old shed; most of the site was open space. The City Planning Commission approved, with six conditions, converting the landmark Burr House into professional offices for attorneys without altering its exterior, with parking in the rear yard.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
8. January 10, 1974

   The irregular 13,473-square-foot parcel, with 106.17 feet on Vallejo Street, was occupied by the Burr House, an officially designated Landmark; the building stood empty, with old sheds and off-street parking on the site. The City Planning Commission unanimously approved, with six conditions, modifying Resolution No. 6659 so the Burr House could be used for professional offices other than lawyers' offices, excluding medical and dental offices.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
9. August 15, 1974

   The City Planning Commission unanimously advised the Zoning Administrator that using the landmark Burr House for psychiatric offices fell within the conditional use authorization granted on 10 January 1974, leaving him free to refuse if neighbours raised strong objections within a week.

   San Francisco City Planning Commission minutes, San Francisco Public Library (Internet Archive)
10. Mar 1984

    Permit 8402370 $$$ $7,000

    Insulate and sheetrock basement ceiling.

11. Sep 1991

    Permit 9116594 $$$ $12,750

    Reroofing.

12. Oct 1995

    Permit 9516746 $$$ $3,000

    Non-struct int demolition/remove cabinets/lath/plaster/trim.

13. Apr 1996

    Permit 9605425 $$$ $5,500

    Provide sprinkler system.

14. Nov 1996

    Permit 9621632 $$$ $100

    Renew expired appl #9517432.

15. Jan 2009

    Permit 200901270915 $$$ $8,000

    Reroofing.

16. Oct 2009

    Permit 200910028193 $$$ $1

    To obtain final inspection for work approved uner permit application #9700841.

17. Sep 2014

    Issued Permit 201409095911 $$$ $16,800

    Remove existing gutter, install copper gutter, no changes made, only replacing old gutter material with new. n/a ordinance #155-13.

18. Sep 2014

    Issued Permit 201409095785 $$$ $1,200

    Remove a section of a cement pad behind the house. replace section with flagstones, grass and garden. approx. 240 sq. feet.

19. June 8, 2015

    Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Italianate house with Second Empire elements and for its large garden, rare in the city.

    National Register of Historic Places nomination, National Park Service
20. Jun 2015

    Issued Permit 201506260130 $$$ $3,800

    Replace existing wire mesh fence. length of 34'3" & height ranging from 6' to 9' made of redwood 6' tall from neighbor's back yard. b/c of slope the goal is to have a consistent fence running the length of the property. n/a for maher ordinance no. 155-13.

21. Mar 2020

    Filed Permit 202003056316 $$$ $417,000

    Rear addition. remodel kitchen & master bath.

22. Jul 2020

    Issued Permit 202007109972 $$$ $10,000

    Reroofing - tear off roofing, install app base sheet, install gta modified bitumen system.

23. Nov 2022

    Permit 202211035844 $$$ $20,000

    Voluntary strengthening of existing brick masonry foundation. the strengthening compris of a conditions grade bram around the prrimeter existing brick masonry walls & replacement of isolated interior brick masonry pad footings with a contitions footing.

24. Feb 2023

    Permit 202302101759 $$$ $10,000

    Demolition bathrom and powder room to accomplish permit number 202211035844: voluntary seismic upgrade. replace in kind on ground floor: bathroom and one powder room. replace in kind laundry room.

25. Feb 2026

    Issued Permit 202602196180 $$$ $12,000

    Replace driveway in kind. trench for utilities under driveway location with replacement of trench drain & collection drain. new landscaping including planting & site wall repair with replacement of existing french drain. all work under 30" in height.

26. May 2026

    Issued Permit 202605292192 $$$ $12,000

    Rear cottage (detached garage): in kind overhead door replacement, voluntary strengthening by bracing of openings and in kind repair of masonry at garage only.

DBI holds 30 permits for this parcel, most of them tenant improvements on individual floors. The timeline shows the 24 largest by stated cost, plus the earliest on file; the DBI query in the sources below returns all 30. 2 of them are nominal $1 street-space or sidewalk permits. 8 expired permits are not shown. The house is dated 1875 in the city's landmark designation and about 1878 from its water service record.