Located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, St. Francis Wood is a prime example of the “Garden City” ideals of neighborhood planning popular at the turn of the 20th century. The Olmsted Brothers firm laid out the curving street plan as well as the neighborhood parks. John Galen Howard acted as the first supervising architect and also designed the entrance gates, the Circle fountain and other neighborhood amenities and infrastructure. Howard turned the role of supervising architect over to Henry Higby Gutterson who served from 1914-1954. Unlike many residential developments that offered only stock plans, St. Francis Wood developers encouraged houses designed by prominent architects for specific clients.

Although Henry H. Gutterson (75 houses) and Masten & Hurd (77 houses) designed nearly 1/3 of the houses in the subdivision (152 total of 509), many of the prominent San Francisco architects are represented here. These include: Julia Morgan, Martin Rist, Kent & Hass, Walter Ratcliff, Jr., Herman C. Baumann, Warren Perry, William Merchant, Harold Stoner, Gertrude Comfort Morrow, and others. Landscape areas have been designed by the Olmsted Brothers, Harry Shepherd, and others.

Period Revivals of traditional English, French and Italian idioms dominate. The St. Francis Wood Home Association, formed by Duncan McDuffie in 1912, took over the maintenance of the neighborhood’s parks and boulevards a decade later. Today, much of Duncan McDuffie’s original vision remains. St. Francis Wood is recognizably different from many of the neighborhoods that surround it. Its wide lots, curving streets and lush landscaping make the neighborhood a retreat from the rush of urban life.