Pacific Heights Mansion Fetches African Government Buyer

The government of Algeria is the new owner of one of Pacific Heights’ most recognizable mansions.

On Tuesday, the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria finalized a deal to purchase 2800 Pacific Avenue for just under $10 million, the San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing public records. This comes as Algeria has been deepening its ties to San Francisco in recent months, driven by a desire to serve the western part of the country’s Algerian population.

It’s one of the few times in recent years that a foreign government has gotten involved in San Francisco’s luxury housing market, according to the Chronicle.

The sale didn’t come without hiccups along the way. Its most recent owners, Ken McNeely and Inder Dhillon, first listed the home for sale in late 2023 for approximately $15 million. The price was slashed frequently in the following months before ending up at $11.9 million in the summer of 2024. The owners took the home off the market that December but eventually re-listed it in March 2025 for $10.9 million.

The 127-year-old manse spans 8,200 square feet and was designed by architect Ernest Coxhead, giving the property its nickname of the “Coxhead Mansion.” The home is also referred to as the “Herbst Manor” in honor of onetime owners Adrian and Lee Herbst Gruhn, after whom San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre is named. The late San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen once described 2800 Pacific Avenue as the city’s “most iconic” mansion.

Last December, the Embassy of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria opened a consulate office in a space it leases at 465 California Street. The government is using the space as a temporary consulate while it searches for a permanent home, Daria Saraf, a Sotheby’s realtor who represented Algeria in the consulate lease and the 2800 Pacific purchase, told the Chronicle.

“They wanted to open a consulate here because we are the hub of technology, and they have a lot of natural resources, rare minerals and oil, used for the technology of the future,” Saraf said. “They also want to start getting up to speed on the tech world and become a more connected force in the global economy.”

If the North African nation opts to use 2800 Pacific as its consulate, the property would have sovereign immunity, meaning it would likely be shielded from most lawsuits or access by local law enforcement, Charles McCabe, a local commercial real estate broker, told the Chronicle.

— Chris Malone Méndez