26 December 2006

Real Location # 5 - The House on Telegraph Hill


















"The house on Telegraph Hill, as seen in the film, did not excist. The mansion was superimposed photographically on an actual site in Telegraph Hill, at 1541 Montgomery Street. As in the film, the property sits on a dead end cliff at the edge of Telegraph Hill."

From 'San Francisco Noir: The City in Film Noir from 1940 to the Present' by Nathaniel Rich, 2005.

Rich goes on to describe Julius Castle, the building that is actually on the site and has been since 1922 and how the decor of this restuarant resembles that of the house in the film. Sadly when I visited, as can be seen below the building was closed for refurbishment which was a real shame. However I was very pleasantly suprised at how this location was in close proximity to another delightful Noir location...

2 comments:

Brian Darr said...

My family and I climbed the Filbert steps yesterday (something I'd never done from the bottom all the way up to Coit Tower before), and we took a little side tour of that stretch of Montgomery Street. Julius' Castle is still not open but it looks a lot closer to ready than it was in your photo.

Richard Gibson said...

That's a serious hike up those steps Brian...the gardens out the back were lovely.

I carried the bike I rented on my back down those steps and that was bad enough. I am sure that's what contributed to my ankles hurting for the next few days...

It was a disappointment that Julius Castle was closed, I was thinking of maybe grabbing a bite to eat there.