Brittan Party House - A Bohemian Hunting Lodge

Photo: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)

A stop on San Carlos History Walk, a free self-guided tour.

On this quiet street stands one of the most unusual houses on the Peninsula: a redwood Victorian with steep gables, shiplap siding, an octagonal folly and a windowed eight-sided cupola. It dates to 1872 and was built by Nathaniel Brittan, whose family once owned a huge share of San Carlos.

His father, San Francisco hardware merchant John Brittan, bought about 3,000 acres of the old rancho in 1858. Nathaniel inherited a large piece of it, and the family name lives on in Brittan Avenue. He was a founder of San Francisco's Bohemian Club in 1872, and he used this house to entertain club friends and as a hunting lodge. His larger Manor House stands about half a block away on Pine Avenue.

The Party House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 as one of the few octagon-style buildings left in the Bay Area. Both houses are private homes, so enjoy them from the sidewalk and look for the eight-sided tower above the trees.

Getting here: Continue southwest and gently uphill, about 10 minutes, to 125 Dale Avenue near Pine Avenue. This is the walk's one steady climb.

Did you know?: Nathaniel Brittan helped found the Bohemian Club in 1872 and was its president by 1892.

Photo op: From the sidewalk across Dale Avenue, frame the octagonal cupola and steep gables - no need to step onto private property.

More on Wikipedia: Nathanial Brittan Party House · Bohemian Club · Octagon house

Stops on this tour

1. San Carlos Depot - The Stone Station That Started a Town
2. Arguello Site - Lamchin Land and the Rancho of Fleas
3. Brittan Party House - A Bohemian Hunting Lodge
4. Elm Street - Victorian Hopes for a Paper Town
5. City Hall - From Schoolhouse to the City of Good Living
6. Casa de Flores - A Church for a Growing Town
7. Terminal Way - Where San Carlos Learned to Fly
8. Brittan Avenue - Airstrip, Racetrack and Radio Tubes
9. Museum of San Carlos History - The Firehouse, Rebuilt
10. Laurel Street - Main Street of the City of Good Living