Constructed during the Civil War to house officers’ and their families, these homes on Funston Avenue were originally designed to face the new Civil War parade ground to the west. In 1878, however, the front porch on each house was reattached to the back side, reorienting the houses to provide a more pleasing appearance to visitors from San Francisco entering the Presidio on
the Alameda. By the mid-1880’s, the addition of white picket fences, street lamps, and gardens further enhanced the beauty of Funston Avenue, and over the years, bay windows, gables, and dormers were added to create the charming homes seen today.
