The Ferdinand Thorntons, Trennahans, Hofers and others who had lost their
city homes on Nob Hill had not rebuilt, but lived the year round in their
country houses at Burlingame, San Mateo, Alta, Menlo Park, Atherton, or
"across the Bay," using the hotels when they came to town for dances, but
motoring home after the theater.
Fortunately the finest and all of the newest mansions had been built in the
Western Addition and escaped the fire. Sibyl Bascom's father-in-law had
erected, shortly before his death, a large square granite palace more or
less in the Italian style, and as his widow preferred to live in Santa
Barbara, Frank Bascom had taken it over for himself and his bride.
Olive had carried her millions to France and found her marquis. (As he
was wealthy himself they contributed little to the current gossip of San
Francisco.)
Janet Maynard lived with her mother, another widow of unrestricted means,
in a large low Spanish house with a patio, built by a famous local
architect with such success that Rex Roberts when he married Polly Luning,
had bought the nearest vacant lot and ordered a romantic mansion as nearly
like that of his wife's intimate friend as possible. He would live in it as
soon as the idiosyncrasies of The Architect and Labor would permit,
Mrs. Clement Hunter had another pale gray stone palace, supported in front
by noble pillars and commanding a superb view of the Bay, the Golden Gate,
and Mount Tamalpais.
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