San Francisco Neighborhoods · Midtown Terrace
Midtown Terrace
Fog zoneA quiet 1950s hilltop tract of near-identical view homes spread across the western slope of Twin Peaks, directly beneath the soaring Sutro Tower.
- Sweeping westside and ocean views
- Peaceful residential streets
- Under the iconic Sutro Tower
- Minutes from Twin Peaks and Forest Hill Station
On the map
Open Midtown Terrace on the map →The story
The neighborhood rose on 150 acres of the old Rancho San Miguel land that Adolph Sutro later planted with eucalyptus. Beginning in 1953, the Standard Building Company, owned by brothers Carl and Fred Gellert, developed roughly 1,000 modest two- and three-bedroom single-family homes across seven terraced streets engineered to capture the view. By February 1959 about 900 of the planned homes were complete, with a covered Sutro Reservoir and a playground built into the tract. Since 1973 the 977-foot Sutro Tower has loomed directly over the rooftops, becoming the neighborhood's defining landmark.
Things most people don’t know
Sutro Tower overhead
The 977-foot Sutro Tower, completed in 1973 with first transmissions on July 4 of that year, rises on the ridge directly above the neighborhood.
A mid-century tract
Beginning in 1953 the Gellert brothers' Standard Building Company built roughly 1,000 near-uniform single-family homes terraced across the hillside for their views.
Built atop a reservoir
A covered Sutro Reservoir was incorporated into the tract, with the Midtown Terrace Playground built nearby.
Beneath Twin Peaks
The homes climb the western slope just below Twin Peaks, one of the highest points in San Francisco.
Eating and drinking near Midtown Terrace
Midtown Terrace is primarily residential — these sit in West Portal.
Restaurants
- Trattoria da Vittorio · 150 West Portal Ave
- Spiazzo Ristorante · 33 West Portal Ave
Bars
- The Dubliner · 328 West Portal Ave
Getting around and getting care
Transit. Forest Hill Station, on the Twin Peaks Tunnel, serves Muni Metro K, L, M and S lines. The 36-Teresita bus climbs into Midtown Terrace itself via Panorama Drive and Olympia Way; the 37-Corbett serves the Twin Peaks side of the hill.
Nearest hospital. UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus, 505 Parnassus Ave (about 2 mi)
Thinking about Midtown Terrace?
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.