"Sunny Jim" Rolph’s love nest
Should you ever find yourself in Noe Valley, you’ll notice many pretty, long-standing Victorians, which were built in rows in the early 20th century for working-class residents. The charm of the homes, along with the fact that the area has one of the best microclimates in San Francisco, attracts mostly families with kids, dogs, and strollers. The neighborhood to this day offers a sleepy feeling of remoteness from the city.
On the top of Liberty Hill, which is a short, steep walk from Dolores Park, you’ll find magnificent views, from the Golden Gate Bridge to City Hall, the Bay Bridge and beyond. There, on the northeast corner of Sanchez and 21st Streets, you’ll notice an imposing Tudor Revival house. Just inside the wrought-iron gates, under the shade of a pine tree, is a bronze statue of a lithe nymph balancing on a pedestal, surrounded by three graces.
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Address Sanchez Street & 21st Street, San Francisco, CA, 94114 | Public Transport Light rail: J-Church (22nd St & Church St stop); Bus: 33 (18th St & Sanchez St stop) | Tip At Christmastime, admire the elaborate holiday decorations outside the home of Tom and Jerry, a San Francisco couple who have been decking out their yard every December for more than 25 years. Highlights include a lavishly ornamented and lit 65-foot Norfolk Island Pine tree (21st Street between Church Street and Sanchez Street).
The house, known as Casa Cielo, was built in 1931, and according to real-estate legend, was the occasional residence of then California governor “Sunny Jim” Rolph and his young mistress, Anita Page, the popular silent-film ingénue. As one story goes, the statue was a gift from Italian dictator Benito Mussolini to Page, who in turn gave it to Rolph.
According to a 2009 Historic Resource Evaluation Report, the truth is that “Sunny Jim” bought the lot vacant in 1927 and then sold it six weeks later to his son, who in turn sold it to a corporation in Burlingame in which his father had an interest. The house was built and Rolph’s son lived in it briefly. Eventually, a prominent eye surgeon bought the property. Apparently, he had performed surgery on a relative of Mussolini, who gave him the statue as a gift. It’s highly unlikely, therefore, that “Sunny Jim” ever lived in the house, much less Anita Page. That she was even ever Rolph’s mistress is questionable. Apparently, however, the starlet did meet Mussolini.
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