builder filesfile 01 of 18built c. 1927–1960sboyenga team at compass
Doelger homes
From 1927 into the 1960s, Henry Doelger built thousands of houses in San Francisco’s Sunset District and Golden Gate Heights, then the planned community of Westlake in Daly City. Here’s where they are, how the designs changed from barrel fronts to Streamline Moderne, and what they sell for.
- builder
- Henry Doelger Builder Inc.
- founder
- Henry Doelger (1896–1978)
- first house
- 1427 39th Ave, San Francisco, 1927
- designers
- Chester Dolphin and Ed Hageman; architect Charles O. Clausen
- san francisco
- about 11,000 buildings, per SF Planning (may be high)
- westlake
- about 6,500 houses and 3,000 apartments
- listings say
- “Doelger”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- Westlake housesabout 6,500
where they are
Where the houses are
From San Francisco Planning’s Sunset District historic context statement, its Doelger Building landmark report and Daly City records.
| tract | city | built | homes | streets and notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First tract1400 block of 39th Ave | San Francisco | 1927 | — | Between Judah and Kirkham, starting with 1427 39th Ave: barrel-front Mediterranean Revival houses with alternating parapets. SF Planning recommends a focused survey of the block. |
| 31st and 32nd AvenuesCentral Sunset | San Francisco | 1931–1932 | — | Period Revival blocks, including the 1932 tract on 31st Ave between Lawton and Moraga with model homes such as El Cadre (1647) and Casa Alhambra (1687). |
| “Doelger City”Sunset | San Francisco | late 1920s–1942 | 2,500+ by 1940 | 26th to 36th avenues between Noriega and Quintara, as a 1940 Doelger brochure defined it. SF Planning notes many non-Doelger buildings inside it. |
| Streamline Moderne housesCentral Sunset | San Francisco | 1937–1942 | 23 eligible | On 27th to 35th avenues and Moraga, Lawton, Noriega, Pacheco and Ortega streets, such as 1839 29th Ave and 2701 Lawton St. |
| Split-levelsCentral Sunset | San Francisco | 1942 | — | Dispersed blocks on 31st and 33rd avenues, including the 1900 block of 31st Ave. |
| Golden Gate Heights and Sunset Terrace | San Francisco | 1932–1940s | — | Larger, often detached houses, including 1939 houses on 15th Ave with front lawns and mailboxes built as miniatures of each house. |
| Westlake | Daly City | 1949–1960s | about 6,500 | A planned community on land annexed to Daly City in 1948. The first 32 houses were finished in 1950, with about 3,000 apartments and a shopping center at its core. |
Doelger’s 1932 office at 320 Judah Street is San Francisco Landmark No. 265. He also built in the Richmond and Parkside districts and wartime military housing elsewhere in the Bay Area, which aren’t mapped here. Serramonte and St. Francis Heights in Daly City aren’t confirmed as Doelger.
how to spot one
How to spot a Doelger
From SF Planning’s Sunset District historic context statement. The look changed a lot over 15 years.
- format
Living over the garage
One living floor over a ground-floor garage with a deeply recessed opening, a flat roof with a decorated parapet and a short front setback.
- plan
Five rooms, under 1,000 sq ft
The typical plan was five rooms of slightly under 1,000 sq ft with a tandem two-car garage. Variations added a nook, sunroom, third bedroom or downstairs rooms.
- 1927–1930
Barrel fronts
The earliest rows are near-identical barrel-front Mediterranean Revival houses, varied only by windows, trim and parapet shapes.
- early 1930s
Storybook facades
In the early-to-mid 1930s the same plans got Spanish, Tudor, French Provincial and storybook facades, some with towers and crenellated parapets.
- 1937–1942
Streamline Moderne
The “Styleocrat” and “Rainbow House” options brought glass block, curved balconies and porthole windows.
- 1942
Split-levels
Split-level houses with living space a short flight above the street, unusual for the Sunset.
- westlake
A planned community
Westlake combined single-family houses, apartments, schools and a central shopping center, built over about two decades.
- myth check
Not every Sunset house
SF Planning notes many non-Doelger buildings inside “Doelger City,” and other builders borrowed his look, so check the records for any address.
side by side
Doelger and Rousseau
Two Sunset builders who worked a few blocks apart in the early 1930s.
| Doelger | Rousseau | |
|---|---|---|
| built | 1927–1960s | 1931–1933 |
| houses | thousands in the Sunset; about 6,500 at Westlake | fewer than 200 |
| designers | in-house designers and architect Charles O. Clausen | the brothers, both trained architects |
| signature | five-room plan over a tandem garage, with facades that changed by era | the upper-floor patio plan and storybook towers |
| where | Sunset, Golden Gate Heights and Westlake | Sunset only |
From SF Planning’s Sunset District historic context statement and Doelger Building landmark report.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Doelger sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Doelger, in San Francisco or Westlake. Hover a dot for the address, date and price. The orange line is the median price per square foot for each year.
- sales on record…
- median price…
- median $ per sq ft…
- latest sale…
one recorded salemedian for the yearprice per sq ft = sale price ÷ listed living area
| sold | address | price | $/sq ft | bd / ba | sq ft |
|---|
Use the city filter to compare San Francisco and Daly City. Sales come from the MLS records available to us and include every sold listing whose description names the builder, so a few homes may be labeled by the listing agent rather than confirmed from tract records. Sold data is shown with the listing brokerage. Price per square foot uses the living area in the listing. Ask us for a full comparable-sales report on any address.
on the market
For sale now
Active listings whose description names Doelger.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- San Francisco preservation reviewThe Sunset survey isn’t a landmark designation, but SF Planning says alterations to buildings over 50 years old can need environmental review, and its window and design guidelines apply.
- Individually significant housesSF Planning found 84 Sunset houses individually significant, and 26 of them are Doelger’s. Check whether an address is on the list.
- Westlake rulesDaly City has its own guidelines for residential additions, and part of Westlake is in the Coastal Zone, which adds review.
- Older systemsPlan for foundation, seismic, electrical and plumbing checks. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
the nerd check
Buying or selling one
What we check when you buy
- Which Doelger era?We match the address to SF Planning’s survey records or Westlake’s tracts, since era and style affect both updates and value.
- Preservation firstIn San Francisco we check how preservation review affects your plans before you buy.
- Seismic and systemsWe plan for foundation, seismic, electrical and plumbing checks on a house of this age.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar Sunset or Westlake houses, separating originals from expanded ones.
How we market one when you sell
- Tell the storyModel names, original details and the era of the facade are part of the value; we document them from city records.
- Photograph the detailsParapets, towers, glass block and original interiors, shot to show what’s original.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs that respect original features.
- Price from real salesWe set the price from recent sales in the same neighborhood.
questions
Questions we hear
Who was Henry Doelger?
A San Francisco builder (1896–1978) who built his first house at 1427 39th Avenue in 1927 and went on to build much of the Sunset District and then Westlake in Daly City, according to SF Planning.
How many houses did Doelger build?
SF Planning cites about 11,000 buildings in San Francisco but cautions the figure may be high, since he destroyed his business records. Westlake added about 6,500 houses and 3,000 apartments.
What is “Doelger City”?
The area of 26th to 36th avenues between Noriega and Quintara streets, as a 1940 Doelger brochure defined it. It includes many houses by other builders.
Is Westlake in San Francisco?
No. It’s in Daly City, which annexed the land in 1948.
sources
Sources
San Francisco Planning and Daly City records, checked October 2026.
- SF Planning: Sunset District historic context statement (adopted 2013)Doelger’s career, tracts, plans and stylesdefault.sfplanning.org/Preservation/sunset_survey/Adopted_SunsetHCS.pdf
- SF Planning: Doelger Building landmark designation report320 Judah Street, Landmark No. 265; Westlakedefault.sfplanning.org/Preservation/landmarks_designation/Approved_Doelger_Final_LM_Report.pdf
- SF Planning: Streamline Moderne significance listIndividually eligible Doelger housesdefault.sfplanning.org/Preservation/sunset_survey/StreamlineModerne_Significance.pdf
- SF Planning: Period Revival significance listIndividually eligible 1930s housesdefault.sfplanning.org/Preservation/sunset_survey/PeriodRevival_Significance.pdf
- City of Daly City: historyWestlake land and 1948 annexationwww.dalycity.org/760/History-of-Daly-City
- City of Daly City: General Plan Land Use ElementWestlake planning area and Coastal Zonewww.dalycity.org/DocumentCenter/View/901/Land-Use-Element-PDF
- City of Daly City: residential additions guidelinesRules for adding ondalycity.org/207/Residential-Additions-Guidelines
builder files
Every builder file, by era
Bars show the years each builder was building here. See all builders or the home styles field guide.
- Doelger1927–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
talk to a property nerd
Own a Doelger?
We can check the preservation rules, document what’s original and value it against recent Sunset or Westlake sales. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
