Listing of the Week: Castle, catacombs included
This San Francisco home sits above tunneled water caverns.
881 Innes Ave, San Francisco, CA 94124For Sale: $975,000
It’s not every day that you find a home for sale with underwater stone caverns, but this is not just any home. This unique property on the San Francisco real estate market is the Albion Castle, and it has a fascinating story behind it.
According to San Francisco City Guide, London brewer John Burnell immigrated to San Francisco in 1868 and bought waterfront property in a section of San Francisco now known as Hunter’s Point. The parcel featured underwater springs, and he set about starting Albion Porter & Ale Brewery.
Burnell dug out low, arched tunnels to serve as reservoirs and built a three-story, Norman castle-style stone tower in which to store the casked beer in a cool, dry space. Although popular, the brewery was short-lived. Upon the onset of Prohibition in 1920, the brewery was shut down and the property was abandoned.
Skip ahead to 1928 when the property found new life. Leonard Mees, president of the Mountain Springs Water Company, bought the water rights to the springs and reportedly supplied San Francisco with spring water until 1947.
While Mees was tapping into the spring water, the property was falling into disrepair until 1933 when sculptor Adrien Alexander Voisin bought the property and built a home and adjacent studio amidst the ruins.
And now, the uncommon mix of medieval-style stone work and 1930s home is for sale for $975,000. The Hunter’s Point home has bounced on and off the San Francisco real estate market in recent years, first listed in 2009 for $2.95 million with a few price changes before the listing was removed in 2011 and re-listed at $1.1 million, and then $975,000, respectively.
The home last sold at an auction for $2.1 million in 2005. Median San Francisco home values are $679,000. According to a mortgage calculator, at the current price, this home will have a $3,619 monthly payment with a 30-year-fixed rate mortgage and 20 percent down.
The home offers 1,436 square feet of living space. An updated kitchen offers new Viking appliances. Besides underwater caverns and sweeping views of the San Francisco Bay and Skyline from its stone tower, the property grounds have stone patios and mature landscaping all behind locking gates and high walls.
The listing is held by agent Debbie Herzfeld.
The home was built in the 1930s on the site of a former brewery.
The underground caverns still hold spring water.
The home’s uncommon vibe continues with a literal throne in the bathroom.
See more pics of the Albion Castle on .
‘s site is filled with information on homes for sale and apartments for rent, plus we have data on more than 100 million homes in the U.S., so lots of homes catch our eye.
More source:
Life Inc. - Listing of the Week: Albion castle and its underground ...Pictures at an Exhibition - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Catacombs-lined Via Appia Antica (Ancient Appian Way) in ...
Walkthrough - Planet Wolfenstein
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Submited at Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 at 1:00 pm on News by dave
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