Frederick D. Stadtmuller had made his fortune in Silver City, Nevada, before relocating to San Francisco in 1879. Like most men who became wealthy from the various gold and silver booms in California and Nevada, Stadtmuller sold things to the miners rather than grubbing around in the dirt, usually a losing, if not terminal, wager.

His new San Francisco home was designed by architect P. R. Schmidt and situated in what was then a fine and prosperous neighborhood.

The house remained in the family until it was sold in 1951. It was a converted into a rooming house, a fate shared by large old homes everywhere. After more than a decade, it was restored and converted back to a single-family residence.

The Stadtmuller House is also National Register #76000523.