09/20/2026
Every building has a story. This one has a legend.
Before he ever picked up a drafting pencil, Henry T. Bestor was a Union sharpshooter — enlisted with Birge's Western Sharpshooters, he fought through Fort Donelson, Shiloh, and the siege of Corinth before mustering out a Sergeant-Major and heading west to San Francisco in 1863. A Mason. An Odd Fellow. A charter figure in the city's volunteer firefighting circles. The kind of man who built his client list at the lodge and his reputation on the job site.
By the time he designed 3428 22nd Street in 1883, Bestor was becoming one of the city's most connected architects — he'd go on to lead the local AIA chapter and launch his own architecture journal. This building was part of a trio he designed on the same block, a rare, intact piece of Noe Valley's earliest residential architecture, built by a man who'd already survived a war before he ever survived City Hall politics.
In 2020, Sutro Architects wrote the second chapter: a full renovation down to the studs. New foundation. New systems, plumbing, and 400-amp electrical. The historic bones, made new again.
What's left is a top-floor residence with the same swagger — wide-plank European oak floors, rich walnut cabinetry, a Thermador chef's kitchen, eleven-foot ceilings, three bedrooms filled with light. A shared deck for the golden hour. A huge dedicated garage — 12x44 feet — parking, gym, or storage, your call.
Some homes are new. Some are old. This one has a history worth bragging about.
Open today, 11am–1pm — stop by, or reach out for a private tour.
Rachel Swann | The Swann Group SF | DRE #01860456
(San Francisco MLS) For Sale: 3 beds, 2 baths ∙ 3428 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94110 ∙ $1,775,000 ∙ MLS # 426162862 ∙ Where 1892 meets 2022, and neither apologizes for it, a visual masterpiece unfolds from the pairing...
