Meussdorffer, Conrad Alfred
Entry Author: David
Parry
Architect
 Meussdorffer
was born in San Francisco on October 25, 1871, the son of
German immigrant parents who had settled here as pioneers
in 1853. His father Konrad was an importer and a retailer
of hats, with a store on Kearny Street.
Meussdorffer started work in 1892 for the architectural firm
of Salfield & Kohlberg, first as a draftsman and promoted
to architect after two years. In 1895 he entered into a partnership
with Victor de Prosse, mainly designing commercial buildings.
By 1897 he had opened his own practice.
Meussdorffer lived on Laurel Grove in Ross in a home he designed.
He was responsible for several other homes in Ross for clients.
In Pacific Heights fine examples of his early work may be
seen at 3016-18 Clay (1897), 3051-55 Clay (1902), and 3295
Clay (1904). Just across Presidio Avenue into Presidio Heights,
one particular block has three remaining buildings - a home
at 3320 Jackson and two pairs of flats, 3353-55 Jackson (1906)
and 3349-51 Jackson (1908). Another early building of his
on Russian Hill at 870-74 Chestnut (1904) was recently placed
on the market. Few properties east of Van Ness survived the
fire which raged for 3 days after the April 18, 1906 earthquake,
so this is a rare example.
Just prior to the 1906 earthquake, Meussdorffer had designed
the St. Regis apartments at 1925 Gough, which has the distinction
of being the only building which projects into Lafayette Park.
Finally opened in 1908, the (originally 12, now 15) large
apartments set a new standard for luxury. The building was
ahead of its time in its classical style and incorporation
of Beaux-Arts influences and established Meussdorffer as the
architect of choice for luxury apartment buildings in the
City. Examples of his designs can be seen in several prime
areas of the City, including Nob Hill and Russian Hill, but
particularly noteworthy in Pacific Heights are 2135 and 2205
Sacramento (both built in 1908, containing 36 and 16 units
respectively), 1824 and 1830 Jackson (1916, a matching pair
of buildings across a courtyard entry, each consisting of
9 half-floor apartments), 2145 Franklin (1917, 7 apartments),
1810 Jackson (1917, 8 apartments), 2000 Washington (1922,
7 apartments), 2100 Jackson (1923, 10 apartments), 1800 Gough
(1923, 8 apartments), 2006 Washington (1924, 11 apartments),
2500 Steiner (1927, 13 apartments), 2299 Pacific (1928, 15
apartments).
2006 Washington (pictured) represents Meussdorffer's best
known legacy to San Francisco architecture and is widely regarded
as the finest cooperative apartment building in Pacific Heights.
It was designed to take advantage of 100 feet of open space
to the west by facing towards the Golden Gate and so looks
down on the George Applegarth-designed Spreckels Mansion.
Each of the main floors is about 5500 square feet; larger
than most Pacific Heights homes. Every level has magnificent
views. Originally ten apartments, the 2200 square foot penthouse
has been separated from the tenth floor to create an eleventh
apartment. Shimmering in the afternoon light, it reflects
well on the quality of Meussdorffer's work and may be favorably
compared to the finest apartment buildings in New York, London
or Paris.
Entry taken from the website of David Parry at www.classicSFproperties.com
and is used by permission. Unauthorized use of this copyrighted
material is strictly forbidden without permission from the
author.
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Born: San Francisco, California, October 25, 1871