Dallam-Merritt House

Built around 1870, this Victorian-style house became the home of George and Emma Merritt after they moved it to this location in 1900. Both of the Merritts were doctors, and practiced medicine from their home and other locations. Emma was a significant figure in the women's movement and lobbied the State Legislature in 1891 to give women the right to vote in school elections. The Merritts added onto the house and lived there until 1913. After they moved out, the home became a boarding house. The interior was rebuilt into seven apartments in the 1940s and reduced to three units in the 1980s. In 1984, the Dallam-Merritt House became a National Register of Historic Places listing for its exterior architectural style, with its distinctive round-gabled concave Mansard roof, and for its association with the Merritts. The private home is not open to the public.

The Dallam-Merritt House is a three-story detached house in Pacific Heights, designed in the Italianate style with rustic V-groove siding. The most striking feature is the unusual round-gabled concave Mansard roof, covered in alternating bands of scalloped shingles. This roof is so unique that it became a standout characteristic of the house, making it easily recognizable across the city, including in historic photographs of the city in the 1870s.

Since its construction in 1870 the house has undergone many changes. It originally stood at the northeast corner of Sutter and Mason (528 Sutter) and faced south. A small rear wing was added around 1880. The first known owner was Richard P. Dallam, a merchant who lived here with his wife and children by 1871. Dallam sold the house to Alsop J. Holmes, a retired miner, in 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Joaquin Bolado and their daughter Dulce lived in the house in the 1880s, where Mrs. Bolado often hosted dinners and dances. One reception in 1887 featured musicians playing in the back parlor, with parlors decorated with tropical plants that blended with the "rich upholstery and elegant draperies." Mrs. Bolado wore black velvet with diamonds and entertained the guests by playing piano. The Bolados also owned a ranch, the Santa Anita.

The house was purchased around 1888 by George Washington Merritt, a physician, and his wife, Emma Laura Sutro but was leased out to others. Emma also was a graduate of Vassar College, a doctor, and the eldest daughter of Adolph Sutro. Adolph was a millionaire and Mayor of San Francisco from 1895 to 1897. Emma traveled to London to study medicine in 1878; she and George later studied at L'Ecole de Medicine in Paris. George and Emma married in 1883 but never had children; they both were certified to practice medicine in 1887. In 1900, they lived and worked from their home at 1301 Van Ness Ave., according to a city directory. In mid-1900, the Merritts moved the Sutter St. house about a mile to its present site on Washington Street facing north. The Merritts had a large rear wing added, matching the Italianate style of the house, and remodeled the interior. A 1901 city directory listed George W. Merritt's medical office at 590 Sutter St., along with about five other physicians; Emma's medical practice was at the Washington St. house. George was an eye, ear, nose, and throat physician and Emma was a physician and a surgeon. They both lived and practiced medicine in the house. It is thought that they moved it as a way to escape the increased commercialization of Sutter and Mason; the new location also offered a larger lot, where a large stable previously stood. The address of the house, after its move, was 2323 Washington St. (the address was changed later to 2355 Washington). If the house had remained in its original spot, it would have been destroyed by the April 1906 earthquake and fires.

In the 1910 federal census, George (age 54) and Emma (53) shared their Washington St. home with two servants: Martine Gazabat (58) and Minnie Korper (34). George was listed as a California native, but Emma was born in the Philippines and emigrated to the U.S. in 1856. Martine, the cook, was a native of France and Minnie, the maid, was born in Austria. George W. and Emma's medical practices were both listed at the Washington St. house in a 1913 city directory. By 1914, the Merritts had moved to the Sutro Heights area of town, to Emma's late father's mansion. The Merritts later sold Sutro Heights to the city but retained the right for the couple to reside their for their lifetimes. The Merritts leased out the Washington St. house. Another doctor lived there by 1914, Dr. J. Henry Barbat; the address was listed when Dr. Barbat registered his car, a Metz Roadster.

The house subsequently became a boarding house. Later additions include a detached 1934 frame garage at the lot's southeast corner, a carport next to it from an uncertain date, and a 1982 rear wooden staircase to the third floor. Between about 1910 and 1940 there was a now-vanished structure in the slot between the house and the west lot line; all that remains of it now is an independent entrance to the former basement ballroom, flanked by a half-column and a half-pilaster which nearly match those of the portico. The interior was converted into seven apartments in the 1940s. Heirs of the Merritts sold the house in the 1950s. By the mid-1980s, owners had rebuilt the interior into three units.

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Anonymous. "Real Estate News." San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco) July 7th, 1900. 13-13.

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Noe Hill. National Register #84001185 Dallam-Merritt House. Noe Hill. Accessed March 23, 2017. http://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/nat1984001185.asp.

R. L. Polk. Polk's Crocker-Langley San Francisco City Directory. San Francisco, CA. R. L. Polk, 1900.

U.S. Census Bureau. Household of George W. Merritt at 2323 Washington St., San Francisco, CA, dwelling 4, family 4. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1910.