Robert Louis Stevenson’s Widow!

Robert Louis Stevenson’s Widow!

Robert Louis Stevenson's Widow!

Must SeeTop 10 Florida Condos For Sale

Robert Louis Stevenson, will always be best known for his wonderful classics, "Treasure Island," "Kidnapped," and "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." What many of us never knew was that much of his inspiration and much of his adventure was due to his great romance with Fanny Osborn in the 1800s. He and Fanny met in France where she was studying art after leaving her philandering husband in California. When she abruptly left France and returned to California to determine whether or not to end her marriage, he followed. A longtime sufferer of bronchiectasis, after he and Fanny finally married, they travelled constantly trying to find a climate that would ease his illness, finally settling in Western Samoa, where he died in 1894 at the young age of 44. Six years after his death, Fanny returned to San Francisco to resume her life and in 1900, commissioned noted architect, Willis Polk, to design her Russian Hill mansion.

The mansions that line the hills of San Francisco are known for their grand architecture, sturdy structure and intricate flourishing details laboriously executed by old world craftsmen. Entrances were grand with their swirling staircases, rooms were large and airy and windows were expansive to capture the views over San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz island and beyond. Fanny Stevenson’s mansion had and has today, all of those attributes with one very special extra. Ensconced in a tall arched window in the staircase is a circular stained glass picture of the ship, Hispaniola, riding the seas from Stevenson’s most famous novel, Treasure Island. At 8,846 square feet, the mansion includes three levels with elevator, six bedrooms, seven baths, rooftop terrace and balcony walkouts on other levels. Grounds are formally landscaped with patio and parking for four cars. For more information.

Home was commissioned by Fanny Osborn-Stevenson, the widow of author Robert Louis Stevenson, in 1900. Offered at $15.9 million

Source: www.2323hydestreet.com