Oblique Front (South) Elevation
Julius Rehn Weber and Bruce & Robert Porter Houses
San Francisco, California

1902 and 1904 mark the dates of construction for these Ernest Coxhead designs.  Julius Weber, whose house is on the right, was the brother-in-law of Bruce and Robert Porter, whose house was next door on the left and down the hill.  Bruce Porter, would later be involved in the design of the spectacular gardens at Filoli, a National Trust Property in nearby Woodside, California.  He was a bon vivant and member of San Francisco's Bohemian community, as well as being an artist, writer, garden designer, and occasional architect who often associated with Willis Polk.  His brother, Robert, was an attorney.  They lived in the house with their widowed mother, whose husband had been a local newspaper publisher and politician.

The houses are variations on a theme, although the slightly older Weber house is arguably the more playful of the two.  Both exhibit the quieting influence of English Georgian architecture on the local interpretation of Arts and Crafts architecture.  Their formal composition, classical detailing, and shingled construction resulted in buildings that combined great dignity with rustic charm.  Architect John Funk remodeled the Weber house in 1959.  The tripartite windows that flank the central bay of the Weber house may have once looked much like those on the Porter house.  Photograph taken in 1999 by Howard J. Partridge.

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