Buena Vista / Ashbury

Just above the Parnassus and Ashbury Heights neighborhood rises the slopes of Buena Vista Park, a densely wooded 36-acre urban escape in the center of the City. Atop the stairs at Haight and Baker Streets you'll find fantastic views of the City, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Angel Island. Some of the most picturesque architecture in San Francisco inhabits the Ashbury Height and Buena Vista neighborhoods. Notable properties include the “other” Spreckels mansion - a gorgeous Victorian mansion at 737 Buena Vista Avenue - and St. Joseph’s Hospital, now a condominium project and part of the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Housing in Ashbury Heights and Buena Vista includes fine examples of grand Victorians, colonial revival homes, restored carriage houses, shingled Tudors, and Queen Anne towers, boasting ornate scroll work, onion domes and stained glass windows. The location is serene and secluded yet it offers convenient access to three lively shopping/dining areas (Cole Valley, and Haight Ashbury) plus several public transportation options. Fantastic panoramas abound in these neighborhoods (“buena vista” means “good view”). Buena Vista Park itself was created in 1867 as Hill Park. It is the City’s third largest park, with a children’s playground, walking paths, and some views through the thick trees. Most residents shop and dine downhill along Cole Street in Cole Valley, the small markets on Parnassus, and the Haight. Golden Gate Park is minutes away by foot.