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Leon Lazare Roos of Roos Brothers Men's Clothing married Elizabeth Leslie Meyerfeld. In 1909, Elizabeth's father, Morris Meyerfeld, a partner in the Orpheum Theater Circuit, commissioned master architect Bernard Maybeck to design a new house for the couple. They moved into their house in 1910, on top of a steep hill in Presidio Heights, after vacationing in Europe. This was the largest house designed by Maybeck in San Francisco and was described at the time as the costliest house in the city, for its size. To protect from earthquakes, the foundation was built on 25-foot-deep piers. The Roos House became a National Register of Historic Places listing in 2009 as a well-preserved example of Maybeck's work. The private home is not open to the public.


View across intersection to Roos House in 2010 (Sanfranman59)

Home, Residential area, House, Door

Sketch of Leon Roos House from 1910 newspaper article (p. 9)

Sketch of Leon Roos House from 1910 newspaper article (p. 9)

Professional portrait photo of Mrs. Leon Roos and her dog, taken on May 30th, 1907 (Arnold Genthe)

Dog, Carnivores, Vertebrate, Monochrome photography

Detail of a balcony on the Roos House in 2008 (Caitlin Harvey)

Home, Yard, Historic house, Siding

Roos House dining room with Maybeck-designed wall sconces (Harvey)

Flooring, Floor, Furniture, Interior design

The building's architect, Bernard Maybeck, was born in New York City in 1862 before moving to Berkeley, California in 1892. The son of a German migrant, Maybeck learned his trade at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He became and instructor at the University of California and mentored some of the most important Californian architects, including William Wurster and Julia Morgan. Many of his buildings still stand. The First Church of Christ, built in 1910, is a National Historic Landmark and is considered to be one of his best works. A number of his buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other buildings he was involved with include the Maybeck Recital Hall in Berkeley, the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, the offices of the Family Service Agency in San Francisco, and Loma Park in Berkeley. Bernard Maybeck died in 1957 and is buried in the Mountain view Cemetery in Oakland. 

The Leon Roos House was featured in a local newspaper article in July 1910 on fine new residences in Presidio Heights. The article noted that the couple had recently moved into their new home, which was "the most costly for its size of any house in the city." Designed in a blend of Florentine and English architectural styles, the house's "lofty chimneys, high, steep, sloping roofs and projecting balconies" made it appear as though it was a number of houses added together over time. To protect against earthquakes, the foundation rested on 25-foot-deep wooden piers. The sturdy walls were created with "solid upright timbers interspersed with cement work" (half-timbered, Tudor style). Gothic ironwork decorated an overhanging bay window, and windows were diamond paned. Flower boxes and balconies jutted out from the street facades. Two gables atop the three-story residence intersected at right angles. The large front door, facing Jackson St. (the flatter street), was of red oak with Leon Roos' initials displayed in a golden designed by Maybeck. The color scheme within the house was reddish purple; most of the furniture was obtained in Europe and included many antiques. The living room's 20-foot-high ceilings were supported by redwood beams. Maybeck specially designed metal wall sconces for the dining room. The family's bedrooms and bathroom were on the second floor; a dressing room was installed in 1919, and a morning room was added onto the rear in 1926, all designed by Maybeck. Female servants' quarters were on the third floor while male servants were housed in the basement. A turntable in a detached garage, built in 1916, rotated cars so the driver never needed to back out. The garage was demolished in 1982 and then rebuilt in materials to match the house.

The house became the home of Mr. and Mrs. Roos for the rest of their lives. Mrs. Roos was a dog breeder and exhibitor of Pomeranians. She and Leon had a son named Leslie Leon who was born in 1913. Leon died in San Francisco in 1956 at age 79. Mrs. Roos lived until 1977, and Leslie Leon died in 1968. A formal garden area on an original part of the property was sold in 1989. A Roos descendant still owned the house in 2008 when it was studied for listing in the National Register.

Anonymous. "Handsome New Residences on Presidio Heights." San Francisco Call (San Francisco) July 30th, 1910. 9-9.

Anonymous. "First Show Exclusively for Toys to Be Held October 10." San Francisco Call (San Francisco) September 15th, 1912. 56-56.

Britannia. Bernard Maybeck AMERICAN ARCHITECT. Accessed May 13, 2017. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bernard-Maybeck.

Harvey, Caitlin. NRHP nomination, Roos House, 3500 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA. National Register of Historic Places. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 2008.

Maybeck Foundation. Maybeck and His Work. Accessed May 13, 2017. http://www.maybeck.org/maybeck.html. Accessed June 10th, 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20110721060810/http://www.maybeck.org/maybeck.html.

Noe Hill. San Francisco Landmark #56 Roos House. Accessed May 13, 2017. http://noehill.com/sf/landmarks/sf056.asp.

Reich, Diane. Memorial for Leon Lazare Roos (1877-1956), Find a Grave. March 6th, 2013. Accessed June 9th, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/106295515/leon-lazare-roos.

Wilson, Mark Anthony. Bernard Maybeck. Layton, UT. Gibbs Smith, 2011.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_San_Francisco#/media/File:Roos_House_3500_Jackson_St_San_Francisco_3-7-2010_12-50-26_PM.JPG

"Handsome New Residences on Presidio Heights." San Francisco Call, July 30th, 1910

Library of Congress (LOC): https://www.loc.gov/item/2018707718/

National Park Service (NPS): https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/09000805

NPS: https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/09000805

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