Engine House No. 31
Also known as: Russian Hill Firehouse
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Why it's listed
Engine House No. 31, also called the Russian Hill Firehouse, is a frame firehouse at 1088 Green Street in San Francisco. Built in 1908 to a design by City Architect Newton J. Tharp, it replaced firehouse capacity lost in the 1906 earthquake and fire. Its symmetrical facade mixes Craftsman and Tudor Revival elements, including false half-timbering, a flared dormer and a wide center bay. Tharp reportedly designed it to fit the private residences of the neighborhood. Of about 24 firehouses the city built between 1906 and 1912, only seven survive, and this is the only one known in this style. The fire company left in 1952, and a private owner bought the building in 1958, restoring it as a residence above with a small fire memorabilia museum and meeting space below. Much of the original tongue-and-groove interior, a cast-iron spiral staircase and the facade survive, making it a well-preserved example of post-fire municipal architecture.
Significance in brief: It is argued to be architecturally significant as a nearly intact Craftsman/Tudor Revival facade, the only firehouse known in that style in San Francisco. It is one of the few surviving firehouses built after the 1906 earthquake and fire, and it reflects the work of City Architect Newton J. Tharp. It is cited in a national study as an example of residential-influenced Tudor Revival firehouse design.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87002290, listed January 7, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1088 Green St., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | January 7, 1988 |
| Reference number | 87002290 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1908 |
| Architect / builder | Tharp, Newton J., City Architect; contractor John Dahlin |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival; Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a private residence upstairs, with meeting and museum rooms downstairs for community groups; most original interior and facade remain. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 37.79875, -122.41702 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87002290.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q60521329
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.