Home Tour: Iconic Violetta Autumn-designed home


Friday, June 20, 2025
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM (PDT)
Category: Center for A+D
Courtesy of Open Homes Photography
Get an inside look at an iconic home designed by Violetta Autumn!

Violetta Autumn was a trailblazing architect, artist, and environmental advocate whose bold vision helped shape the cultural and physical landscapes of Northern California. Born in Peru and educated at the University of Oklahoma under the legendary Bruce Goff, Autumn brought a fearless, iconoclastic spirit to everything she touched.

After relocating to Sausalito in the 1950s, she designed her own striking cliffside home, a masterpiece that caught the attention of Progressive Architecture and cemented her status as a creative force in the Bay Area’s rapidly evolving architectural scene. Beyond her architectural work, Autumn made waves in local politics as a Sausalito City Councilor and Planning Commissioner, passionately championing environmental preservation and thoughtful, context-driven urban planning.

A multitalented artist and published cookbook author, Autumn believed that the identity of a place should guide its future. As historian Rachel Engler reflects in Outré West: The American School of Architecture from Oklahoma to California (2024), Autumn’s work thrived on the tension between what a place was and what it could become, always rooting progress in authenticity.

Her Sanchez Street house remains a shining example of site-driven, innovative design, a testament to her enduring influence on Bay Area architecture and planning. 

Courtesy of Open Homes Photography

Please note that this tour involves walking approximately two blocks uphill and includes stairs. Unfortunately, it may not be fully accessible to those with mobility limitations.

House Rules: 

No food. Water is fine.

Shoes off household. Booties will be provided

Photography of the home is allowed. Photographs of the residents is prohibited.

1:30 PM - 1:45 PM

We will meet outside of Le Marais Bakery 

498 Sanchez St. San Francisco, CA 94114

1:50 PM - 2:00 PM We will walk as a group to Violetta Autumn Home
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM Tour of Violetta Autumn Home