Rousseau “Storybook” Homes

In the 1930s, San Francisco architect and developer Oliver Rousseau enlivened the Sunset District by building homes that referenced a range of European archetypes, including Bavarian castles, French Second Empire townhouses, and Spanish villas. The kitschy charm of these modestly priced and proportioned homes caught on with middle-class buyers, and inspired others to follow suit; today, they are all dubbed “Rousseau” houses.