A Bernal Heights home made from two of San Francisco’s few remaining “earthquake shacks” came to market this week. Listing agent Rachel Swann of Coldwell Banker said buyers are likely to put a premium on owning a unique, historic home in such a popular neighborhood, and she anticipates multiple offers on the two-bedroom, one-bath, which is listed for $1.175 million.
That’s about $100,000 less than seller Claudia Viek, founder of the Invest in Women Entrepreneurs Initiative, paid for the 800-square-foot home at 20 Newman Street near the height of the pandemic market in March 2021, according to public records. But it could end up going for well over the previous sales price if buyers bid it up as Swann anticipates.
Swann said her client was drawn to owning a piece of San Francisco history, as well as the neighborhood, when she purchased the property near hilly Holly Park. But the seller’s son recently decided to live in San Francisco, so they bought a larger home a few blocks away.
More than 5,600 “earthquake shacks” were built by the U.S. Army and the San Francisco Relief Corporation and placed in the city’s parks after the devastating earthquake and fire of 1906. According to preservation group the Western Neighborhoods Project, there are only about 30 remaining in the city, some of which have been rehabbed as historical exhibits and are not used as residences. The bulk of the remaining shacks are in Bernal Heights, which has small lots perfect for these federally-produced starter homes and, until recently, a blue-collar population less likely to tear them down and build back bigger, Western Neighborhoods Project co-founder Woody LaBounty told Atlas Obscura.
The shacks are made of California Redwood, with fir floors, and were painted green to blend in with their original park settings. Shacks were “rent to own” for $2 a month and cost $50 a piece to buy. They were brought to their new locations via horse-drawn carriage after the city started closing the park camps in 1907.
The shacks came in three sizes and 20 Newman Street is made up of two Type B cottages, each of which is 14 feet wide and 18 feet deep, according to the historical preservation group. It also appears to have a small addition on one side to allow for a second bedroom and a little patio off the main bedroom. It also has skylights put into its wood-paneled A-frame ceilings. The home has been updated, Swann confirmed, and the foundation was structurally upgraded but many of the original details are still present.
This isn’t the first earthquake shack that she’s represented but they are very rare, she said. She had no concerns about bringing the listing on so late in the fall market.
“People are out and buying,” Swann said. “Plus, this is a special home.”
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