builder filesfile 07 of 42built here c. 1930s–1960sboyenga team at compass
Gardner Dailey homes
Gardner Dailey ran his own San Francisco architecture office from 1926 until his death in 1967, and SF Planning calls him a pioneer of the Second Bay Tradition who designed several of the city’s earliest modern buildings. His houses stand on Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and Pacific Heights and in Woodside and Hillsborough, some with gardens by Thomas Church. Here’s where they are, how to spot one and what they sell for.
- architect
- Gardner A. Dailey (1895–1967)
- office
- San Francisco, 1926–1967
- started in
- landscape work
- honors
- AIA Fellow, 1948
- civic
- San Francisco Planning Commission
- gardens
- often with Thomas Church
- listings say
- “Gardner Dailey design”
- sales on record · live…
- median $/sq ft, last 2 yrs…
- for sale now · live…
- houses he’s said to have designed, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database200+
where they are
Where his houses are
From SF Planning’s architect biography, UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Listing-only credits are marked.
| work | city | years | homes | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russian Hill houses | San Francisco | 1937–1940 | several | Including a 1938 house on Montclair Terrace and a 1939–40 remodel that turned a post-earthquake house into a modern city house, per SF Planning and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. |
| Telegraph Hill houses and apartments | San Francisco | 1940–1961 | several | Including his own house on Telegraph Hill Blvd (1942), per SF Planning. |
| Pacific Heights houses | San Francisco | 1938–1951 | several | Including the Heil House (1941) and houses on Scott St (1938), Broadway (1949) and Raycliff Terrace (1951), per SF Planning. |
| Lowe House | Woodside | 1936 | 1 | First prize in House Beautiful’s small house competition, with a low, sweeping barn-like roof and redwood siding, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database. |
| De Bretteville House | Woodside | 1939 | 1 | A house for Charles de Bretteville, altered in 1950 and 1958, per SF Planning and the Berkeley archive. |
| McAllister House | Hillsborough | 1945–1948 | 1 | A house with a Thomas Church garden, per the Berkeley archive; the Pacific Coast Architecture Database also lists Hillsborough houses from 1937 and 1953. |
| Saratoga house | Saratoga | — | 1 | Listed in SF Planning’s biography; we couldn’t find the address or year. |
Listings also credit him with houses in Atherton, Belmont, Burlingame and Palo Alto; we couldn’t confirm those from records. At Stanford he designed campus buildings, not houses.
how to spot one
How to spot a Dailey house
From SF Planning, the archives and the Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
- modern
Early Bay Region modern
SF Planning calls him a pioneer of the Second Bay Tradition, the region’s modernism of wood, glass and gardens.
- roofs
Low, sweeping roofs
The prize-winning Lowe House paired a low roof recalling old California barns with redwood siding, per the Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
- gardens
Thomas Church gardens
He worked with landscape architect Thomas Church on several houses, per UC Berkeley’s archives, and listings often mention the pairing.
- city
Hillside city houses
His San Francisco houses and apartments cluster on Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and Pacific Heights, per SF Planning’s list.
- myth check
Check the credit
Many listings name him without documentation; the Berkeley archive’s project files and the original permits are the best proof.
the sales ledger
Every recorded Gardner Dailey sale
Each dot is a sale whose listing names Gardner Dailey, in San Francisco and on the Peninsula. Hover a dot for the address, date and price.
- 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 |
|---|
Many listings name the architect without documentation, and many Dailey houses sell without his name, so treat each credit as a lead to confirm. 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 Gardner Dailey.
Checking active listings…
owning one today
Owning one today
- San Francisco historic reviewSF Planning’s biography calls him an architect of merit, which can matter when the city reviews one of his houses for major changes. Check the Property Information Map first.
- Design reviewWoodside and Hillsborough review major remodels through their design boards. Check the town’s process before planning changes.
- Original drawingsUC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives holds much of his early residential work, so ask whether your house has a file before a restoration.
- Homes of this agePlan 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
- Confirm the architectWe look for plans, permits or an archive record, since a listing credit alone isn’t proof.
- Permits and historyWe check the permit history for additions and conversions before you plan a remodel.
- InspectionsRoof, foundation and systems matched to the home’s age. Our Inspection Decoder covers what to order.
- The right comparablesWe compare against similar homes in the same neighborhood first.
How we market one when you sell
- Document the designA documented Dailey design is part of the value; we gather the records that prove it.
- Photograph the detailsWindows, wood, views and the garden, shot to show the design.
- Prep with a planOur Prep Lab budgets repairs and refresh before you list.
- Price from real salesWe price from recent sales of similar homes nearby.
questions
Questions we hear
Who was Gardner Dailey?
A San Francisco architect (1895–1967), born in St. Paul, Minnesota, who started in landscape work and ran his own office from 1926 until his death. SF Planning calls him a pioneer of the Second Bay Tradition; he was made an AIA Fellow in 1948 and served on the San Francisco Planning Commission.
Where are his houses?
SF Planning lists about 15 houses and apartment buildings in San Francisco from 1937 to 1961, mostly on Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill and Pacific Heights. On the Peninsula, the Lowe House (1936) and De Bretteville House (1939) are in Woodside and the McAllister House (1945–1948) is in Hillsborough.
Did he work with Thomas Church?
Yes. UC Berkeley’s archive pairs them on the McAllister House in Hillsborough, and Church’s collection names Dailey among the architects he worked with.
How can I confirm a Dailey house?
Check the Gardner A. Dailey collection at UC Berkeley’s Environmental Design Archives and the original permits. Many listings name him without documentation.
sources
Sources
SF Planning, archives and architecture databases, checked October 2026.
- SF Planning: architect biographies, D (draft)Dailey’s career and San Francisco workssfplanning.s3.amazonaws.com/default/files/Preservation/biographies/Bios_DEF.pdf
- Online Archive of California: Gardner A. Dailey collectionHis office, clients and project recordsoac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt396nb7zw
- UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design: Gardner DaileyThe collection at the Environmental Design Archivesced.berkeley.edu/collections/dailey-gardner
- Calisphere: McAllister residence, HillsboroughDailey with Thomas Church, 1945–1948calisphere.org/item/ark:/28722/bk0000n7m1t/
- Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Lowe House, WoodsideThe 1936 prize-winning house (secondary source)pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/715/
- Pacific Coast Architecture Database: Gardner Acton DaileyHouses by year and city (secondary source)pcad.lib.washington.edu/person/44/
- SF Planning: Property Information MapHistoric status and permits for a San Francisco addresssfplanninggis.org/pim/
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.
- Fernando Nelson1880–1920s
- Gellert (Sunstream)1922–1972
- Birge Clark1922–1970s
- Stoneson1920s–1960s
- Doelger1927–1960s
- McKeon1927–early 1970s
- Gardner Dailey1930s–1960s
- William Wurster1930s–1960s
- Rousseau1931–1933
- Bohannon1936–1955
- Cliff May1950s
- Stern & Price1951–1953
- Mackay Homes1950s
- Mardell1955–1959
- Hayman Homes1960s–1970s
- Ditz-Crane1962–1984
- Brown & Kauffmann1960s–1981
- Bahl1968–1986
- Ponderosa Homes1970s–1990s
- Shapell1971–2000s
- SummerHill Homes1976–today
- Pinn Brothers1976–today
- Robson Homes1989–today
- Pacific Peninsula Group1989–today
- Barry Swenson Builder1990s–2010s
- Classic Communities1990s–2010s
- Warmington1990s–2020s
- DeNova Homes2000s–today
- City Ventures2011–today
- Trumark Homes2012–today
- Dividend Homes2010s–today
- KB Home1980s–today
- Brookfield1990s–today
- Pulte Homes2000s–today
- Shea Homes2000s–2010s
- Lennar2000s–today
- Toll Brothers2000s–today
- Taylor Morrison2007–today
- D.R. Horton2010s
- Tri Pointe Homes2012–today
- K. Hovnanian2014–2018
- Meritage Homes2010s
talk to a property nerd
Own a Gardner Dailey house?
We can help document the design, check the historic rules and value it against recent sales nearby. Commissions are negotiable, and we offer bundled services, so ask us what’s included.
