On the market: Odd and implausible San Francisco octagonal dwelling designed by phrenologist

The magnificent Feusier Octagon House in San Francisco is for sale for $ 8.6 million. Its curious shape was described by a popular 1850s book, “A Home for All; or the Gravel Wall and Octagonal Construction,” by Orson Squire Fowler, a phrenologist who, according to SFGATE, argued that they were eight-sided houses for Better For the well-being, in part because it would get sunlight once per day in every room in the house. “Phrenology is the silly pseudoscience in which the size, shape, and texture of the skull supposedly indicate mental characteristics. From the SF-Gate:

Feusier was a well-known businessman who allegedly ran in the same circles as Leland Stanford and Mark Twain. There are only three octagonal houses in the Bay Area – the others are in Lands End and Gough Street – and only about a hundred in the country.

The Feusier Octagon House is also one of the oldest homes in San Francisco. Before the city was filled with towers and skyscrapers, it was one of the most notable landmarks on the skyline and must have offered incredible views from its many windows. During the fiery aftermath of the 1906 earthquake, several outbuildings were blown up as fire breaks, but the house was saved.

Here is the listing at Sotheby’s.

Images: Sotheby’s