San Francisco - Octagon House

In the late 1850s San Francisco was gripped by a short-lived vogue for octagonal houses with dormer windows and roof lanterns. It was triggered by a book recommending the design as making for healthier living. Today only two such houses remain and only one, Octagon House, built in 1861, can be visited.

Octagon House is undoubtedly a curiosity. It is nowadays the Californian headquarters of the National Society of Colonial Dames in America. The items on display are something of an anachronism as far as San Francisco is concerned. Most date from the American colonial period long before the city was founded.