A Stunning Home in a Sophisticated Neighborhood
Cow Hollow offers Elegance, Atmosphere and Glamour
A Family-friendly Destination
additional images of Cow Hollow
Even the most sophisticated people, places and things spring from somewhere. In the case of Cow Hollow, which is today one of San Francisco’s most elegant and coveted neighborhoods, it might be hard to imagine that cows once roamed its grassy hills and drank from a spring-fed fresh water lagoon until 1891.
That’s when the cows were moved to greener pastures and the lagoon was filled in to make way for San Francisco’s most prominent citizens, who wanted Cow Hollow’s spectacular views and good weather. They built dozens of extraordinary homes here in the late 1800s and early 1900s, of which 2820 Scott Street is just one example.
Frank Pixley, editor of The Argonaut, built a mansion at Union and Pierce. The mayor of San Francisco, Ephraim Burr, built a beautiful home at Filbert and Van Ness. One of the most famous houses is open to the public every Wednesday: William McElroy’s Octagon House at Gough and Union.
Unscathed by Earthquake
Although the 1906 earthquake devastated many areas of the city, Cow Hollow emerged relatively unscathed. The great fire stopped at Van Ness Avenue, which is why you can still see many of the neighborhood’s original, spectacular mansions.
A walking tour of the neighborhood reveals dozens of gorgeous homes, maintained in pristine condition — many of which date back to the 1880s-1890s.
At 2040 Union, the center of present day Union Street, you can take in the mansion built by dairy rancher James Cudworth — as well as the two identical Victorian houses he erected as wedding presents for his two daughters at 1980 Union.
Cow Hollow sits nicely between elegant Pacific Heights and the Marina, offering easy access to the City and points north and south. The neighborhood’s boundaries are Greenwich Street in the north, Pierce Street in the east, Pacific Avenue in the south and Lyon Street in the west.
Fantastic Shopping
By the 1950s, Union Street became one of the City’s foremost shopping districts. Old carriage houses, mansions, barns and Victorians were saved and lovingly renovated. New stores and restaurants moved in, giving the street a vibrant and lively air. Virtually every building and business on the street has a story, a wonderful rarity in today’s world of big-box stores and uniformity.
Today, Union Street is teeming with boutiques, designer galleries, bed and breakfast inns, art galleries, restaurants and sidewalk cafes. It’s the perfect place to spend an afternoon shopping, followed by a glass of wine at MatrixFillmore (3138 Fillmore Street) or dinner at Pane e Vino (1715 Union Street).
Given its sophisticated nature, It’s probably no surprise that Cow Hollow also home to the Plumpjack Group, the restaurant and hospitality company founded by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Cow Hollow simply offers everything a city dweller needs, and it’s all within easy walking distance of 2820 Scott.
An International Neighborhood
Several international consulates are located in Cow Hollow and neighboring Pacific Heights, including the consulate generals of The Russian Federation, Greece, Egypt, Vietnam, Italy and Indonesia. The neighborhood also boasts a number of consular residences, including The Kingdom of Norway (Normandie Street), Italy (Webster Street), Germany (Jackson Street) and France (Jackson Street). In fact, the Consul General of Indonesia, H. Yudhistiranto Sungadi, lives next door to 2820 Scott.
Family-Friendly, Great Schools
Cow Hollow is considered one of the best places in San Francisco to raise a family. With easy access to the Marina and the Presidio (the largest open space in the City and a national park) and a reputation as being one of the safest neighborhoods in the city, it is a great place to share the pleasures of urban life with children. Many of the City's best private schools and finishing schools call Cow Hollow and Pacific Heights home. Here’s a sampling:
The Hamlin School
For over 140 years, The Hamlin School has provided girls in the San Francisco Bay Area with the finest education possible. Parents who seek a challenging contemporary education for their daughters should consider Hamlin, a school which provides a sound scholastic environment for qualified students from kindergarten through eighth grade.
Convent and Stuart Hall
A K-12, four-school complex, Schools of the Sacred Heart, San Francisco offer the unique experience of single-sex education within a coed community. Students are expected to achieve their highest level of scholarship while learning to assume leadership roles as responsible, compassionate and contributing members of society. Convent & Stuart Hall remain committed to academic excellence, to the endowment of spiritual and ethical values, to the continued representation of the ethnic, religious and socio-economic diversity of the Bay Area and to single-sex education.
Cathedral School for Boys
Cathedral School for Boys, founded in 1957, strives to provide education in the best traditions of the Episcopal Church and in consonance with the mission of Grace Cathedral. We believe that this education is derived from three main sources: the highest academic and personal standards humanely applied; a diverse community united in its concern for the school and for the world; and an active engagement with religion and the spiritual dimension.
Town School for Boys
Town School for Boys is a K-8 independent day school. Since its founding in 1939, Town School has been committed to providing the best possible education for boys and is recognized as one of California's leading independent elementary schools. An intensive academic program is supplemented by fine arts offerings and outdoor education trips that take advantage of the school's Bay Area coastal location. The school's facilities feature a state-of-the-art theater, a recently upgraded gymnasium, and a premiere technology lab and laptop learning program in which each 5th through 8th grader owns his own laptop.
Drew School
Founded in 1908 by the respected Bay Area educator John Sheehan Drew, the school has grown from a one student “coaching school” to a fully accredited co-educational college preparatory school enrolling 250 students in grades 9 through 12. Drew School moved to its present location at California and Broderick, a residential neighborhood between Pacific Heights and Presidio Heights, in 1911 and became a nonprofit institution with an independent Board of Trustees in 1973.
University High School
Established in 1973 in response to a deeply felt need for an innovative, co-educational, independent secondary school in the Bay area, San Francisco University High School officially opened in September 1975. Enrollment stands at approximately 390 students this year. The school is located in a Pacific Heights. The School's original building, designed by Julia Morgan, was constructed at 3065 Jackson Street in 1917. The Middle Campus, across the courtyard and facing Washington Street, was constructed in the late 1960's and has undergone several transformations. The academic center with the Dennis A. Collins Library, a student center and cafeteria, science laboratories, and multiple performance venues, including a 400-seat theatre that was rebuilt in 2001, are located in the Middle Campus. Across Washington Street, the Lower Campus holds enhanced math, science, technology and athletics facilities. South Campus, at 3220 Sacramento Street, opened in the fall of 2006. The new building adds 17,000 square feet to the campus, with painting, ceramics, film and photography studios, language classrooms and the language lab, college counseling and the Summerbridge program calling it home.
