180 – 190  O’Farrell Street in San Francisco seems to defy an architectural category. I fell in love with the building while walking down the street and couldn’t wait to get home to research it and learn more about it. After 2 hours of research, the only firm thing I can tell you  is that it was built in 1919, period. I can’t find the architect, and it doesn’t seem to come up on any of the architectural/historical web sites. The only other thing I can find out about it is that it’s a St. Moritz Hotel…  one that isn’t well reviewed online. The kind of a place you might stay between homes, one that may or may not have bed bugs. You can tell by looking at the window draperies that it’s not a short term sort of residence… it looks very lived in.

Anyway. The reason that I loved this building is because of the motifs in the angled/slanted bay windows. Additionally, the vegetal pattern at the top of the bay window, just under the cornice, screams Art Nouveau. However, that period technically ended in 1910, before the outbreak of World War I. The types of buildings in San Francisco with angled bay windows and oversized cornices are usually referred to as Slanted Bay Italianates, a period that ended in the 1870’s. Another period that comes to mind is the Viennese Secessionist, again, a period that pretty much fizzled by 1915. Who knows, maybe our architect was German and brought decorative nuances from his home land to San Francisco.

So, what’s an architectural geek like myself to do? I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of research and have come up empty handed. I will say that the paint job on the building is superb. It beautifully emphasizes the decorative details of the cornice and angled bay windows. If by some chance someone finds this Design Diary entry and has an answer, please please email me!