Edwardian Architecture

A History of Edwardian Architecture In San Francisco

Edwardian Architecture is an architectural style in the late 19th century that briefly lasted from 1901 to 1918. It was coined after Queen Victoria’s son, King Edward VII’s reign. Edwardian Architecture has features resembling a mixture of 18th century France architecture and of the 17th century Sir Christopher Wren’s English Baroque architecture. It has distinct characteristics such as rough or patterned surface, elaborated arched opening, domed cornered pavilions, and a long sequence of columns in the Ionic order. Other unique features of Edwardian Architecture includes lighter colors, simple decorative patterns, and grouped ornaments.

In 1906, a disastrous earthquake and fire in San Francisco destroyed numerous Victorian houses. San Franciscans started to rebuild their city that happened simultaneously during the Edwardian period. The myriad of houses constructed displayed the trend and cultural taste of the early 20th century. Even wealthy San Franciscans veered away from flamboyant and flashy homes and opted for simple and solid ones. Edwardian Architecture styled homes are mostly in the south of Market, Downtown, and Mission neighborhoods. Thus, San Francisco became an architecturally Edwardian City.