hamilton building

Hamilton Penthouse, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Today's San Francisco penthouse has to be one of the most fabulous creations I have ever seen. It sits atop the Art Deco Hamilton building on O'Farrell in the Tenderloin District. The building was built as a hotel in 1929 but it was converted to condominiums in 1962. The crowning glory of the building is a 3,879 square foot penthouse. Socket Site has the story of the apartment which was created for a wealthy heiress by the name of Marcia McDonald. She combined four proposed units on the top floor into one full-floor unit with its own private elevator access. She also added the glass barrel-vaulted solarium with imported Greek-style columns. McDonald didn't finish the unit in her lifetime and never lived there. Instead, when she was told she had to spend another $500,000 to finish it she decided not to an lived in a pair of apartments lower in the building. The unit was finished after her death. The residence has three bedrooms,a library, two working fireplaces, formal dining room, gourmet kitchen and a pair of terraces, one of which has an antique fountain. It first hit the market in November and is still listed at $4.5 million.

Gallery: Hamilton Penthouse