Koshland House, Historic house in Presidio Heights, San Francisco, United States.
The Koshland House at 3800 Washington Street is a three-story brick residence with a Colusa sandstone veneer, built 1902–1904 to a design by Franklin S. Van Trees modeled on the Petit Trianon at Versailles. Its front has five bays separated by four two-story fluted Corinthian columns, under a balustraded parapet and a bracketed cornice. A red lichen on the stone gives the facade a pinkish cast.
Marcus and Corinne Koshland commissioned this residence during San Francisco's economic growth period, reflecting their prominence as merchants in the city. The house became an established landmark in one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods.
Corinne Koshland's love of music tied the house to the founding of the San Francisco Symphony and Opera; she helped finance Yehudi Menuhin's education. Guests and performers included Menuhin, Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein, Jascha Heifetz, Pierre Monteux and Igor Stravinsky. From 1928 to 1940 Cantor Reuben Rinder of Temple Emanu-El led Jewish musical services there each Hanukkah.
The house stands at 3800 Washington Street, at the corner of Washington and Maple streets, and is a private residence, so visits are limited to viewing the exterior from the public sidewalk. The east elevation on Maple Street shows the rusticated basement level and three large art glass windows by Bruce Porter, including the middle one bearing the greeting Salve and the date MCMIV. The entrance front faces Washington Street, where the marble terraced stair and four cast iron light standards with lavender glass spheres can be seen.
The design draws inspiration from Corinne Koshland's visit to the Petit Trianon at Versailles Palace during a 1900 European tour. This French influence distinguishes the house from other residences in the neighborhood.
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