MUST LIKE FOG | CLAUDINE ZAP

Long-time conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Michael Tilson Thomas — known widely as MTT — died in April at age 81. His musical legacy is vast. But he also left behind quite a real estate legacy.

The conductor and his husband, Joshua Robison, who also died earlier this year, lived in a grand Pacific Heights mansion at 2670 Pierce Street, on the corner of Vallejo, for 35 years. It’s now on the market for $9.85 million. It last changed hands in 1994 for $1.4 million when they came to San Francisco. A “significant portion” of the sale will benefit organizations MTT supported, says the real estate trustee selling the home.

Dating back to 1906, the home was built by contractor Jeremiah Deneen as his own family residence. Deneen’s project is described in Anne and Arthur Bloomfield’s book, Gables and Fables, as “the house that graft built” because of Deneen’s ties to then-mayor Eugene Schmitz, who funneled jobs his way with hiked-up prices. Deneen lived in the mansion for only a year, selling it in 1907 when his company fell apart after graft trials exposed his corruption.

The expansive, four-level, 7,090-square-foot home’s original details are visible in the wood flooring, coffered ceilings and millwork on the staircases and walls. Highlights include grand living and dining rooms, complete with fireplaces and built-ins, a renovated kitchen and a solarium-style top floor that was MTT’s studio, with his grand piano overlooking the bay. All told, the mansion offers seven bedrooms, four full bathrooms and three half-bathrooms, including a guest suite on the ground floor.

MTT’s collection of Arts & Crafts furniture and objects has been removed. The collection will be sold separately at auction on November 19.

Veteran real estate journalist Claudine Zap writes Must Like Fog on Substack, which offers weekly local news and happenings from a real estate-obsessed writer. Follow or subscribe at mustlikefog.substack.com.

GREAT OLD HOUSES: “The house that graft built“