Farewell Favorites: Redwood Cottages

132 Laidley Street as it appeared in 1907.
132 Laidley Street as it appeared in 2002.
132 Laidley Street Then and Now (2002).

132 Laidley Street as it appeared in 2004. Detail

Archive photo courtesy of Noe Valley neighbors.
Every year San Francisco comes closer to losing another among a finite number of century old redwood cottages. This footprint is all that's left of one such irreplaceable cottage at 132 Laidley Street in the southern part of Noe Valley. When it was demolished in 2000, its redwood planks filled a dumpster with a reddish gleam. Preservationists are in a constant struggle for development that balances neighborhood character with the wants of commercial interests in San Francisco. An association of Noe Valley neighbors wary of development here sprang up overnight to prevent the construction of a mansion on a hill not far from the Laidley property. The neighborhood group was no match for the lawyers, architects, and city planners lined up against them. Construction of a so-called monster home - a 4,000 square foot, 4-story, single-family home with working elevator - on Zircon Place was well underway in 2001.

Detail

Telegraph Hill Cottages
The Fontanas


Copyright 2002 Hank Donat
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