Remodel of Presidio Terrace House earns Plath the NARI San Francisco Bay Area Chapter 1995 First Place

Plath & Company won First Place, Residential Exterior from the National Association of Remodeling Industry, San Francisco in 1995, for restoring the Presidio Terrace home to its deserved place among San Francisco’s treasures. This is an architecturally significant home designed by Charles Whittlesey, a protégé of Louis Sullivan of Chicago, one of America’s first great architects. Whittlesey also designed the 1909 Pueblo Revival Home remodeled by Plath.

Plath & Company completely rebuilt the exterior while preserving the gracious semi-circular arched entryway, designed by Whittlesey as an homage to Sullivan. To recreate the original surfaces, Plath examined details that had been covered over in previous remodels and compared them to historic photographs. The company devised a method to re-attach the brick base and arch to the wood substructure in the front of the house.

Plath created a new interior with the modern architect’s update of traditional themes. They built a master bedroom suite and a new family room, and rebuilt the existing stairway. Plath built a new kitchen, and the dining room and living room were refinished and detailed. In the kitchen Plath installed bright new English sycamore cabinetry, which is continued in the family room. The upstairs library was intact and Plath restored the original redwood shelves and cabinets. They also made new trims and moldings for every other room.

Of the Presidio Terrace House, Patrick McGrew, AIA wrote in his book The Historic Houses of Presidio Terrace: “...recent alterations reveal a commitment to restore the building’s architectural integrity.” © 1995 Friends of the Presidio Terrace Association.