James C. Flood Mansion, Westside Travel Guide

The James C. Flood Mansion, prominently situated at 1000 California Street on Nob Hill, is a captivating landmark that whispers tales of San Francisco’s opulent past. Constructed in 1886 for James Clair Flood, a self-made millionaire who amassed his fortune in the Comstock Lode silver mines, the mansion stands as a symbol of the Gilded Age and a testament to the city's resilience.Designed by architect Augustus Laver, the mansion was inspired by the grand houses of the East Coast and was the first brownstone building west of the Mississippi River. The brownstone was quarried in Portland, Connecticut, and shipped around Cape Horn. The mansion occupies an entire city block, bounded by California, Cushman, Mason, and Sacramento streets, and is surrounded on three sides by a bronze fence installed during its construction.While the interiors are not open to the public, the exterior showcases elaborate Classical Revival architecture, featuring corner quoining, a balustraded roof edge, and windows framed by pilasters and elaborate pediments. The main entrance, facing California Street, is sheltered by a broad portico supported by clustered square columns.The Flood Mansion was the only Nob Hill mansion to survive the 1906 earthquake and fire, though its interior was gutted. The Pacific-Union Club purchased the building in 1907 and commissioned Willis Polk to design alterations, including a third floor and a new interior, while preserving the historic brownstone exterior. Today, the mansion continues to serve as the Pacific-Union Club.