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San Francisco · a catalogue study
Edition 2026-10-09.1
A remote or manually navigated catalogue study. The order follows recorded dates, not a pedestrian route; nearby regional places may be far apart. No walking duration is estimated.
Check each place's actual location and visitor rules. A catalogue pin does not grant entry or confirm present access. Use the atlas record and linked sources to plan a visit.
Automatically assembled catalogue study. Where text is drawn from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 applies to that text. Wikipedia article and contributor links are included with each applicable stop. Passages may be excerpted or abridged and include additional editorial date context. Other sources and original observation prompts retain their own terms.
1. Old St. Mary's Cathedral
Old St. Mary's Cathedral · Completed (Wikipedia): 1854
Completed in 1854, the church lost its interior to the 1906 fire. Its exterior walls and bell tower survived, and renovation followed by 1909.
Observe: Study the surviving exterior and tower while keeping the post-fire interior reconstruction distinct.
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q7084891&detail=1
2. Casebolt House
Casebolt House · Recorded year (source inventory): 1865
Casebolt House is a historic residence in the Cow Hollow district of San Francisco, California, U.S. It is the oldest house in the neighborhood, built in c. 1865. It is a San Francisco designated landmark since 1973. The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Observe: Choose one visible architectural detail. Compare it with another place in this study, then follow a source to check what its date describes.
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Record context: The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q115488068&detail=1
3. Old San Francisco Mint
Old San Francisco Mint · Reported completion / phase: 1874
A granite-and-sandstone mint with a severe Doric portico and enclosed courtyard. It survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. 1869–1874. Construction began April 1869 and finished in November 1874. This is the Old Mint at Fifth and Mission, not the separate 1937 mint.
Observe: Choose one visible architectural detail. Compare it with another place in this study, then follow a source to check what its date describes.
Access: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.
Record context: 1869–1874. Construction began April 1869 and finished in November 1874. This is the Old Mint at Fifth and Mission, not the separate 1937 mint.
Record context: Published coordinate for the identified building; not a city-centre estimate.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=mullett-old-san-francisco-mint&detail=1
4. Original Palace Hotel — former site
Original Palace Hotel — former site · Original hotel opened (Wikipedia): 1875
The original Palace Hotel opened in 1875 with a skylit Grand Court and tiers of balconies. It was gutted in the 1906 fire and replaced by the current hotel in 1909. This node is for the lost 1875 hotel. The 1909 replacement has a separate construction history.
Observe: Compare historic views of the Grand Court with the replacement hotel's interior. Which spatial ideas survived?
Access: This point refers to the current hotel on the same site, not a surveyed footprint of the 1875 building.
Record context: This node is for the lost 1875 hotel. The 1909 replacement has a separate construction history.
Record context: This point refers to the current hotel on the same site, not a surveyed footprint of the 1875 building.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=site-san-francisco-original-palace-hotel&detail=1
5. Conservatory of Flowers
Conservatory of Flowers · Completed (Wikipedia): 1879
The conservatory was completed in 1879. Its central dome was rebuilt after an 1883 fire, so the present silhouette includes that later work.
Observe: Study the glasshouse ribs and dome, then look for evidence of the later dome reconstruction.
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q5163145&detail=1
6. Haas–Lilienthal House
Haas–Lilienthal House · Built (Wikipedia): 1886
Built in 1886, the house preserves elaborate residential ornament and a layered roofline from San Francisco's Victorian period.
Observe: Compare the bay windows, roof forms, and surface trim. Which details make this house feel theatrical?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q5636548&detail=1
7. Bourn Mansion
Bourn Mansion · Recorded year (source inventory): 1896
Bourn Mansion is a historic home built in 1896, and located at 2550 Webster Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Observe: Choose one visible architectural detail. Compare it with another place in this study, then follow a source to check what its date describes.
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Record context: The year is the source inventory’s recorded inception date. Construction start, opening and later alterations may have separate dates in the linked article.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q115048940&detail=1
8. San Francisco Ferry Building
San Francisco Ferry Building · Completed and opened (Wikipedia): 1898
The ferry terminal opened in 1898. Its long arcades and clock tower anchored an important gateway to the city.
Observe: Follow the repeated arches toward the clock tower. How did the building frame arrival from the water?
Access: Catalogue location only. Confirm current access and the observation point before travelling.
Atlas: https://tartariamaps.com/?city=san-francisco-ca&candidate=Q1408117&detail=1