The historic Abner Phelps House, an iconic piece of San Francisco's past, has been sold. The property at 1111 Oak Street, known as the city's oldest home, was acquired for $2 million by Jordan Kurland, a prominent figure in the San Francisco music scene. Kurland, whose company Brilliant Corners Artist Management represents acts like Death Cab for Cutie, confirmed the purchase, as per SFGATE.
After struggling to lease the property as a commercial office space, the previous owner, Pamela Munn, listed the 3,500-square-foot colonial house for $3 million earlier this year. "I was done," Munn told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I loved that building for a very long time. It was time for someone else to love it." Kurland plans to move his musician management team to the storied location, and his company Noise Pop is also expected to relocate its operations to the building in November.
According to SFGATE, the origin of the Abner Phelps House is a subject of debate. A popular story attests that a homesick bride prompted lawyer Abner Phelps to have the entire residence shipped from New Orleans to San Francisco in the mid-19th century. However, records conflict with some attributing its construction to local builders using Maine lumber or California redwood. The home, which is older than any other San Francisco residential structure, has been physically moved several times within the city.
Notable for its vibrant history and the fact it has been relocated multiple times within San Francisco, the residence previously sat invisibly from the street – accessible only via a narrow 75-foot alley. A real estate agent, David Finn, bought the home in 1969 and pivoted it 180 degrees to face north, granting it the 1111 Oak St. address and street visibility, per SFGATE. A distinctive feature of the property, a large metal heart sculpture, was part of a 2004 fundraising effort by the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation. Its future under the new ownership remains uncertain.
