SF Billionaires’ Row Home Asking $26 Million Finds Buyer

A pricey Billionaires’ Row home in San Francisco that was one of the most expensive to list in the city this year is under contract.

Jim Willenborg, managing partner at local investment firm Baker Street Partners, found a buyer for 2898 Broadway at a price point of $26 million, the San Francisco Business Times reported. That’s $2,364 for the 11,000-square-foot home. The manse was originally listed in 2023 for $32 million.

The asking price is more than eight times what Willenborg and his wife, Barbara, paid for the home nearly four decades ago. The couple purchased the property in 1988 for $3.4 million; the house has undergone extensive renovations since then.

If the sale closes, it would be one of the biggest luxury purchases in San Francisco this year.

The top spot goes to an 8,300-square-foot property at 260 Sea Cliff Avenue which sold off-market in January for $30 million. In March, the Jewett House at 2990 Broadway, a block away from Willenborg’s home, sold for $26.5 million. The onetime San Francisco Decorator Showcase home at 3701 Washington Street also sold off-market for $26 million.

The home at 2898 Broadway was completed in 1899 and designed by architect Walter D. Bliss, who went on to design landmarks like the St. Francis Hotel, Oakland Hotel, California State Building, the James Flood Mansion, Southern Pacific Building and the Geary Theatre.

It gained recognition on screen, appearing in movies like 1960’s “Portrait in Black” with Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn and 1985’s “Jagged Edge” with Jeff Bridges and Glenn Close. The home was also used for filming in 2001’s “Sweet November” starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron and 2013’s “Blue Jasmine” with Cate Blanchett.

The five-story mansion has 10 bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, eight fireplaces, two laundry rooms and three storerooms as well as extensive wine storage, a caretaker apartment and a garden.

In 1989, the house was chosen for the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, undergoing a makeover by a team of 40 decorators and attracting approximately 20,000 visitors to the home. The Willenborgs spent roughly $2 million renovating and remodeling the home for the showcase.

— Chris Malone Méndez