Paige Motor Car Co. Building
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Why it's listed
At the southwest corner of Van Ness Avenue and Sacramento Street in San Francisco, this concrete building of four stories and a mezzanine was built as an automobile showroom. Its first three bays went up in 1919 and two more bays were added in 1922, following a single design by architect Sylvain Schnaittacher. Both street facades have a five-bay arcade of segment arches enclosing large windows, with casement windows above and a consoled cornice at the top. The building housed dealers for Paige, Graham-Paige and later other brands, yet it changed very little over the decades. The only apparent exterior changes are a bulkhead cover and the loss of the roofline balustrade and entry lamps. It was considered notable as one of the grandest showrooms on Van Ness Avenue's "Auto Row," as one of few with arched display openings, and as the work of a prominent architect who led the local and regional American Institute of Architects. The Bransten family owned it for more than sixty years.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a nearly intact 60-year-old auto showroom and one of the half-dozen grandest buildings on Van Ness Avenue's "Auto Row." It is also an important work by architect Sylvain Schnaittacher, and it has long been owned by the Bransten family, prominent in San Francisco business and charitable life. Its arched show windows are unusual among Van Ness showrooms.
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 83001234, listed February 24, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1699 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco |
|---|---|
| County | San Francisco |
| Listed | February 24, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001234 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1919, 1922) |
| Architect / builder | Sylvain Schnaittacher |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as occupied and in good condition, with only minor exterior alterations (bulkhead cover, loss of the roofline balustrade and entry lamps). Adaptive reuse as offices was proposed, with the balustrade to be restored. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 37.79094, -122.42265 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 83001234.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q56276015
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.