The Red Victorian, hotel in San Francisco, CA
The Red Victorian is a three-story building from 1904 on Haight Street in San Francisco, originally known as the Jefferson Hotel. It features a striking red facade, large ground-floor spaces, and windows that reflect its long history of varied uses over more than a century.
Built in 1904 as the Jefferson Hotel to welcome visitors to Golden Gate Park, it was a lively destination for travelers and guests. During the Summer of Love in 1967, it became a gathering place for the hippie movement, and after artist Sami Sunchild bought it in 1977, it transformed into a symbol of creativity and the peace movement in San Francisco.
The name "Red Victorian" refers to the bright red facade that Sami Sunchild painted in 1977, though the building is actually Edwardian in style rather than Victorian. The hotel served as a gathering place for people interested in peace and art, with the ground floor hosting art shows and Sunday morning discussions about world harmony and social causes.
The building is currently not operational and not open to the public while undergoing renovation. Visitors can view the exterior from the street, but it is not possible to tour the interior or book rooms at this time.
A 2010 Banksy artwork showed a rat with a marker and read "THIS IS WHERE I DRAW THE LINE" and was later removed from the building and displayed in art galleries. The building was also home to the Red Vic Movie House, which showed independent films on comfortable couches instead of regular seats for over twenty years, playing an important role in the community.
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