An 11-unit apartment building perched on a San Francisco cliffside, once home to artist Frida Kahlo, has been listed for sale for $8 million. The property, located at 36-52 Calhoun Terrace on Telegraph Hill, is being offered for the first time in decades.
The structure, built directly into exposed bedrock in 1938, presents a construction style that would be exceedingly difficult to replicate under current building regulations. "They literally don't build things like they used to," Dan Sider, San Francisco Planning Chief of Staff, told The San Francisco Standard, noting the "remarkable" complex.
The apartments themselves are not large, with none exceeding 950 square feet. Most units feature a single bedroom, and the building lacks dedicated parking. Residents on lower levels must navigate several flights of stairs to reach street level. Some interior layouts are particularly unconventional; one approximately 600-square-foot unit features a narrow kitchen and a bathroom accessible only through the bedroom.
Despite these quirks, the views are a significant draw. One resident described watching cargo ships, coyotes, and the city's wild parrots from his apartment. The building is fully leased, with current tenants having moved in since 2020, benefiting from San Francisco's rental market.
The property also holds a notable place in art history. Diego Rivera lived at a nearby address when he was in San Francisco in 1940 to paint "Pan American Unity." Kahlo, who was divorced from Rivera at the time, was encouraged by her doctor to reconcile with him. After Rivera's other companion moved out, Kahlo moved into the cliffside residence, and the couple remarried in December 1940. Kahlo created "Self Portrait, Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser" during this period while recovering from chronic pain in San Francisco.
In addition to its artistic connections, the cliffside property was also a filming location for the 1952 film noir "The Sniper."