One of the most intriguing Castro homes has been listed for sale by its owner of 50 years.

The ornate blue Queen Anne at 701 Castro St. (at 20th St.) has been listed for $4.495 million.

In 2015, Hoodline profiled the home and its unusually large number of garages for a single-family Victorian: six lined the length of the house along 20th, and a seventh (now covered by a trellis) faces Castro from the front. Two of the garages along 20th St. have since been removed.

"Meticulously cared for by the same owner for over 50 years, the home retains its original fretwork, intricate plaster detailing, and exquisite period craftsmanship a rare find in today's market," the listing details.

 

The home was built by renowned builder Fernando Nelson (1860-1953) in 1897 and was "originally used as a showpiece to highlight his exceptional craftsmanship while developing in the surrounding neighborhood."

The 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom, and 3,315-square-foot home is "filled with timeless charm." Features include a double parlor, dining room, and eat-in kitchen. The property also includes a 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom cottage at 4183 20th St., "perfect for guests, au pair, friends, family, or income."

The current owner told Hoodline, "The house originally had no garage, and it was located at 709 Castro, now 707 Castro. Wooden stairs went perpendicularly to the porch, just as the rest of the houses in the block. The corner lot was originally a garden complete with a spring-fed fountain. Much correspondence about the source of the water still exists in the Water Department records."

 

"There was a full basement where Nelson used his horse, Bill, to power a saw used for cutting lumber. Sort of an early-day power tool. In his thrift, Nelson would bring broken barrels of nails home and set his children to sorting them," added the owner.

"The building at 4183 20th Street crossed both properties, 701 and 709. It was originally a bakery and there was a stall in the last eight feet or so for Bill. This building was not built to last, but we have kept most of it," the owner explained.

Nelson was a prolific builder in San Francisco, moving here from New York at the age of 16 and building his first house in Noe Valley that same year. Nelson built hundreds of houses around the Castro, Noe Valley, and Mission neighborhoods, and ultimately became most known for purchasing the land at the west end of the Twin Peaks Tunnel to establish the West Portal neighborhood, and developing the Richmond.

 

According to the Examiner, Nelson constructed more than half of the homes in the Duboce Park area alone.

Nelson was also one of California's early automobile enthusiasts, and even served as the first president of the San Francisco Motor Club. By 1900, he had begun to amass a collection of cars, and soon he had the house moved atop new brick garages, thus completing its construction as it looks today.

 

Nelson is believed to be the first to drive into Yosemite Valley, in 1903. Nelson also set the record for the first one-day drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles in November 1906: a mere 18 hours and 13 minutes. It took him another two years to break his own record, with a steam-powered car in just over 17 hours.

Nelson died in 1953 at the age of 93, leaving behind a uniquely San Franciscan architectural legacy that is still seen and appreciated by the public today.

Now you have the opportunity to buy a little bit of San Francisco history - for $4.495 million.