San Francisco Neighborhoods · Merced Manor
Merced Manor
Persistent Fog zoneA hushed pocket of 1930s storybook homes tucked between Stern Grove and Lake Merced in San Francisco's quiet southwest.
- Quiet, tree-lined streets
- Steps from Stern Grove's free summer concerts
- Walkable to West Portal
- Easy Muni Metro and 19th Ave access
On the map
Open Merced Manor on the map →The story
Merced Manor was laid out as a residential subdivision in the 1930s on former Rancho Laguna de la Merced lands near Lake Merced, on terrain that had once been windswept coastal sand dunes. The tract filled in with the Spanish- and Mediterranean-influenced single-family homes that still define it today. Its signature landmark is the Merced Manor Reservoir, a covered 9.6-million-gallon SFPUC facility along Sloat Boulevard, fronted by a classical valve house. Just to the north lies Sigmund Stern Grove, the eucalyptus-and-redwood canyon that has hosted the free Stern Grove Festival concerts since 1938.
Things most people don’t know
Free summer concerts
Sigmund Stern Grove, just north of the neighborhood, has hosted the free Stern Grove Festival concert series since 1938.
The reservoir at the edge
The Merced Manor Reservoir, a covered 9.6-million-gallon SFPUC facility with a classical valve house, sits along Sloat Boulevard at the neighborhood's northern edge.
1930s storybook tract
The neighborhood was subdivided in the 1930s and is filled with Spanish- and Mediterranean-style single-family homes from that era.
Beside Lake Merced
Built on former Rancho Laguna de la Merced lands, the tract sits just east of Lake Merced and its surrounding parkland and trails.
Eating and drinking near Merced Manor
Merced Manor is primarily residential — these sit in West Portal.
Restaurants
- Trattoria da Vittorio · 150 West Portal Ave
- Little Original Joe's · 393 West Portal Ave
Bars
- The Dubliner · 328 West Portal Ave
Getting around and getting care
Transit. Muni Metro K-Ingleside and M-Ocean View run nearby along 19th Avenue and St. Francis Circle, with West Portal Station a short ride away. Buses include the 28-19th Avenue, 17, 23 and 57.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, 505 Parnassus Ave (about 3.5 mi)
Thinking about Merced Manor?
Send me an address and I will come back with its sun, wind and fog, what is under it, and what has closed on the block.