On a recent visit of California my adventurous brother suggested we head out in search of the “Painted Ladies” of San Francisco. Giving him my ‘Is this going to be another epic-almost-get-us-thrown-in-jail-kind-of-outing?‘ look, he quickly reassured me we were on the search of architecture not interesting companions.

The term “Painted Ladies” refers to Victorian or Edwardian styled buildings, usually houses, painted with three or more colors to embellish their architectural and angular details. Following the release in 1978 of the book ‘Painted Ladies – San Francisco’s Resplendent Victorians’, where the phrase was coined to describe these pretty houses, the term has become commonplace. Well apparently not to me but definitely if you live in San Francisco.

Although the term “Painted Ladies” would not be known until the late 1970’s the architectural history began much earlier. By 1915 48,000 Victorian and Edwardian homes had been built in San Francisco and many…