A striking row of Italianate Victorian houses stands on the west side of Scott Street at Ellis Street. The building at 1239-1245 was moved here from 1356-62 Scott Street in 1974 a year after it was listed on the National Register.

The San Francisco Water Department records show that this building was connected to the water system in 1882. It was built for John J. Dowling, a contractor. Mr. Dowling might well have built this building himself although he lived a few houses away. Since Mr. Dowling's ownership, the building has been owned by eight other parties until the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency purchased it in 1969.

Because of the zoning within the project area, this building has to be either demolished or moved to a more suitable location where it can be rehabilitated and preserved. It will be one of eight buildings to be moved onto a two-block development within the Western Addition Area 2.

These two city blocks will be intensively developed with projects including scattered public housing, moderately priced private housing, private rehabilitation and rehabilitation for public bidding and resale by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. A few rehabilitation projects have already been completed within these two blocks.

This building is so wide (it is two buildings joined by a common party wall) that it will have to be cut apart to move it successfully.

Excerpted from the 1973 NRHP nomination.