Jordan Park / Laurel Heights, San Francisco: Homes, History

Discover Jordan Park / Laurel Heights, San Francisco: Homes, History & Local Life

Jordan Park has something almost no other San Francisco neighborhood can claim: 80-foot-wide streets in a six-block residential enclave, a deliberate design choice made by Bostonian land speculator James Clark Jordan when he developed the neighborhood from 1900 to 1920. Jordan, who had purchased the land in 1891 and watched the U.S. Army use it briefly during the Spanish-American War in 1898, created an unusually spacious streetscape. homes set back from the street on real lots, wide sidewalks, and an open, almost suburban scale. that feels different from the attached row-house fabric that defines most of The City. According to the SF Planning Department’s residence parks historic context statement, Jordan Park is one of only eight formally designated residence parks in San Francisco, established in 1906 and notable as the only one that explicitly allowed multi-family housing from the outset.

Laurel Heights occupies the broader hilltop west of Presidio Avenue, developed primarily in the 1940s and 1950s on the slopes of what was, until 1941, the site of Laurel Hill Cemetery, according to FoundSF’s Laurel Heights history. The two sub-neighborhoods are grouped together by SFAR (code 1C) and share access to the California Street corridor, Sacramento Street dining, and the same Muni lines.

Is Jordan Park / Laurel Heights right for you?

The combined Jordan Park/Laurel Heights market is one of the most consistently high-performing in the Richmond-adjacent corridor. Homes.com tracks the median sale price over the last 12 months at approximately $2.26 million, up about 19% from the prior year period, though the low transaction volume means individual sales move the number significantly.

The buyer profile is strongly established-professional and family-oriented. Jordan Park proper commands a significant premium for single-family home. A 2023 YouTube neighborhood guide noted that the six SFHs sold there between January 2022 and May 2023 averaged over $6 million. The Laurel Heights side offers broader inventory. flats, condos, and apartments. at a wider range of price points.

How do you get around Jordan Park / Laurel Heights?

The neighborhood has excellent transit access by west-side SF standards. The 1 California runs along California Street, connecting east to the Financial District in roughly 20-25 minutes. The 38 Geary and 38R Geary Rapid run along Geary Boulevard to the south. The 43 Masonic runs north-south through the neighborhood. There is no BART station in Jordan Park or Laurel Height. The nearest BART is at Civic Center or Powell Street, accessible via Muni.

Walk Score: 96. Transit Score: 70. Bike Score: 79. Source: walkscore.com, Laurel Heights-Jordan Park.

The neighborhood is relatively flat within its core, making walking to Clement Street, California Street retail, and the JCCSF straightforward.

For two-career households: one partner commuting to the Financial District can take the 1 California or 38R, typically under 25 minutes. A partner commuting to UCSF Parnassus Heights can take the 43 Masonic south. A South Bay commute via Caltrain requires a trip to 4th and King, adding meaningful time.

The history of Jordan Park / Laurel Heights

Jordan Park’s land history begins with James Clark Jordan (1850-1910), a Bostonian who came to San Francisco as a land speculator and purchased the “eno blocks” in 1891, per FoundSF. Jordan’s contribution was distinctive: Jordan Park was the only one of the eight major SF residence parks to allow multi-family housing from the outset, per the SF Planning residence parks study. The neighborhood was bounded by Geary Boulevard, California Street, Palm Avenue, and Parker Avenue, with 80-foot streets. a signature that is still visible today.

Jordan died in 1910, and development continued through 1920. The homes built in this period include Craftsman bungalows, shingle-style houses, and early Period Revival examples.

Laurel Heights’ history runs on a different track. The area was occupied by Laurel Hill Cemetery from the 1890s until the cemetery’s removal in 1941, per FoundSF. The former cemetery land was slated for Lowell High School but later rezoned for commercial use. In 1953, Firemen’s Fund Insurance Company purchased the hilltop and built a four-story office building that today serves as the Laurel Hill campus of the University of California. The slopes were developed in the 1940s and 1950s with houses, flats, and small apartment buildings.

What does the housing look like in Jordan Park / Laurel Heights?

Detached single-family homes in the core Jordan Park blocks are among the most distinctive in the Richmond area. The homes date from 1900 to 1920, with Craftsman, shingle-style, and Period Revival styles. Wide setbacks from the street and real front yards distinguish them from attached row houses. Prices for SFHs in the Jordan Park core have been tracked in the $4 million to $7 million+ range in recent years.

Attached homes, flats, and condominiums are the dominant housing type in the broader Laurel Heights portion. The 1940s-50s slopes contain a mix of attached Edwardians, stacked flats, and small apartment buildings. The 94118 zip code shows listings from approximately $399,000 for a 1-bedroom to $3 million+ for larger SFHs. Condos in the combined area typically trade from $1.1 million to $1.6 million for two-to-three bedrooms.

Multi-unit buildings are present throughout. Jordan Park’s uniqueness among residence parks is that multi-family housing was permitted from the outse. Small apartment buildings are present throughout the broader district, most pre-1979 and subject to rent control.

Where locals eat, drink, and shop in Jordan Park / Laurel Heights

Jordan Park has no commercial strip of its own. The Sacramento Street corridor between Spruce and Walnut in adjacent Presidio Heights and the Laurel Village shopping cluster on California Street between Spruce and Walnut both serve as the daily-use anchors, with both walkable from most Jordan Park addresses.

Sacramento Street holds a low-key high-end mix of Michelin-recognized restaurants, contemporary American dining rooms, serious bagels and bakeries, and small specialty shops. Laurel Village adds the family-grocery and daily-needs retail with a Cal-Mart, Bryan’s Grocery, and a deeper roster of small businesses. The JCCSF at 3200 California sits at the southern edge of the neighborhood and is a major cultural-and-fitness anchor for the residential blocks.

Jordan Park / Laurel Heights Pros:

Jordan Park’s 80-foot-wide streets and setback homes create an unusually spacious residential feel inside The City
Walk Score of approximately 95 puts daily errands on foot
1 California bus provides reliable access to the Financial District in under 25 minutes
Excellent proximity to two major parks: the Presidio and Golden Gate Park
Sacramento Street corridor gives walkable access to some of SF’s best independent restaurants

Jordan Park / Laurel Heights Cons:

Jordan Park SFH prices typically start well above the citywide median
No BAR. A Peninsula or East Bay commute requires a Muni transfer downtown
Very thin transaction volume in Jordan Park proper: fewer than a dozen SFHs sell per year
The broader district includes a range of housing quality. Laurel Heights’ 1940s-50s stock can feel more generic compared to the Jordan Park core
Fog and marine layer affect this area, particularly in summer

What’s the Jordan Park / Laurel Heights market doing?

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The Jordan Park/Laurel Heights market rewards knowing exactly what you’re buying. A home in the core Jordan Park blocks is in a completely different market from a flat on the Laurel Heights slopes. Reach out and I can give you a cleaner read: luba(at)lubasf(dotted)com

Jordan Park / Laurel Heights frequently asked questions

What is Jordan Park / Laurel Heights like to live in?

Who is Jordan Park / Laurel Heights right for?

How do you get around Jordan Park / Laurel Heights without a car?

Jordan Park / Laurel Heights has a Walk Score of 96, Transit Score of 70, and Bike Score of 79. The neighborhood has excellent transit access by west-side SF standards. The 1 California runs along California Street, connecting east to the Financial District in roughly 20-25 minutes.

What kind of homes are in Jordan Park / Laurel Heights?

What’s one thing people don’t know about Jordan Park / Laurel Heights?

Jordan Park’s land history begins with James Clark Jordan (1850-1910), a Bostonian who came to San Francisco as a land speculator and purchased the “eno blocks” in 1891, per FoundSF.