The longtime San Francisco home of the late George Shultz, a former secretary of state, is listing for $29 million.
Mr. Shultz and his late second wife, the socialite Charlotte Mailliard Shultz, lived for decades in two adjacent duplex penthouses in the Russian Hill neighborhood, according to Karen Mendelsohn Gould of Compass, who is marketing the condos with colleague Max Armour. Both Shultzes died last year, Mr. Shultz at age 100 and Mrs. Shultz at age 88. The north penthouse is listing for $17 million and the south penthouse is asking $12 million.
The adjacent apartments, which span a total of roughly 10,400 square feet, provided the backdrop to many of the couple’s high-profile parties for fashion designers, politicians and dignitaries, according to Richard Bohonsky, Mrs. Shultz’s friend and longtime interior designer. Over the years, guests included Henry Kissinger, another former secretary of state, as well as former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the singer Tony Bennett, according to Stanlee Gatti, a friend and an event planner who worked with Mrs. Shultz to plan many of the events.
The Shultzes used the north penthouse as their main residence, while the south penthouse served as guest quarters and entertaining space, Mr. Bohonsky said. The north penthouse, with three bedrooms and around 5,400 square feet, has a large skylight, two wood-burning fireplaces, two wet bars and a wool-paneled study, Ms. Gould said. The south penthouse is approximately 5,000 square feet with three bedrooms and a large wraparound terrace with views from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge. “It’s like box seats at the opera,” she said. “You have this perfect view.”
Charlotte Mailliard Shultz and George Shultz in 1997.
PHOTO: RON SACHS/CNP/ZUMA PRESSThe units each have dramatic spiral staircases and steel-framed, floor-to-ceiling windows, she said. Although the penthouses’ layouts prevent them from being combined, they are connected by hallways, said Ms. Gould.
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Mrs. Shultz initially bought the north penthouse for $3.3 million in 1989 with her then-husband, the late real-estate developer Melvin Swig, records show. After she and Mr. Shultz were married, they bought the south penthouse in 1997 for around $5 million, records show.
Known for entertaining often—and for hundreds of people at a time—the Shultzes outfitted the kitchen in the south penthouse with a catering refrigerator and two prep sinks, Ms. Gould said. A storage room off the kitchen has shelves lined with navy-blue velvet for the couple’s silver, and a hallway between the two units’ kitchens was used during parties, she said.
Mrs. Shultz also converted a room off the kitchen into a “gown room” that held hundreds of dresses, Mr. Bohonsky said. When the Shultzes threw large parties, movers removed most of the furniture from the north penthouse to make room for tables and chairs, he said, and the doors between the two apartments were left open to let guests mingle between the two residences. “The place has some crazy history,” he said. A collection of Mrs. Shultz’s jewelry is being auctioned by Bonhams.
A Home for Entertaining, Yesterday and Today
The Shultzes, who married in 1997, split their time between Russian Hill and a home on the campus of Stanford University, where Mr. Shultz was a fellow at the school’s Hoover Institution think tank, according to Mr. Bohonsky. They also had a family compound in Massachusetts and a ranch in Mendocino County, Calif.
Mr. Shultz played a major role in Republican foreign policy for decades. He held cabinet posts in the Nixon and Reagan administrations and, as secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan, is credited with helping to end the Cold War. In addition to being a fellow at the Hoover Institution, he was a director of Theranos Inc., the now-defunct Silicon Valley blood-testing firm. Mrs. Shultz was San Francisco’s longtime chief of protocol.
Overall, San Francisco’s median condo sale price rose approximately 7.5% in April compared with the same month of last year, according to Compass data. “What used to be a $3 million property is now a $4.5 million to $5 million property,” Ms. Gould said.
Write to E.B. Solomont at eb.solomont@wsj.com
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Appeared in the May 27, 2022, print edition as 'In San Francisco, the Longtime Home of George Shultz Is for Sale.'
Former Secretary of State George Shultz's San Francisco penthouse for sale
The north and south units at 999 Green were combined into one tremendous penthouse
At 999 Green in San Francisco's Russian Hill, the Summit penthouses are for sale. Buy the north penthouse (pictured here) for $17 million; buy the south penthouse for $12 million; buy them both for $29 million.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe Summit building at 999 Green is an iconic San Francisco tower. Its Joseph Eichler-designed angles have soared above Russian Hill since the early 1970s and now, its two penthouses are for sale. The north penthouse hit the market at $17 million, while the south penthouse is for sale for $12 million — or buy both penthouses for $29 million.
In the north penthouse, the view towards the North Bay is framed in a tower of glass.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe north and south penthouse units were most recently a single domicile, a sprawling unit of more than 10,000 square feet with soaring ceilings, towering windows and endless views.
In the north penthouse, every common space enjoys the panorama.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinIt's also where former Secretary of State George Shultz and his wife Charlotte lived, enjoying six bedrooms, seven full bathrooms, and three half-bathrooms.
A large, well-equipped kitchen in the north penthouse looks out over the city, the bay and mountains.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe building is the epitome of 1970s-era modernist luxury, designed by Joseph Eichler. The sale and ownership history of the penthouses tells of only three owners, each illustrious in their own way. "The property is a part of San Francisco history," co-listing agent Karen Mendelsohn Gould of Compass told SFGATE.
The primary suite in the North Tower offers 1970s luxe and drama.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinDevelopers Gerson Bakar and Al Wilsey brought Eichler's design to life in 1973, after which Wilsey himself occupied the two penthouses with his wife, socialite Pat Montandon. When the Wilseys sold the property, the unit was broken into two: a north and a south penthouse.
Next, Charlotte and Mel Swig of the Fairmont Hotel family purchased the north penthouse and called it home. "After Mel Swig passed, and for the past 25 years, the Shultzes owned both of the penthouses together. That is where they lived and entertained dignitaries from all over the world, and George Shultz continued his work to end nuclear proliferation," said Gould.
The south penthouse has south-facing views and sunlight.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe next owner has many options, whether to keep the two units as one lavish, glass-encased set or buy just the north or the south penthouse.
This deck off the south penthouse brings the city views to the table.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe north penthouse (unit 3201) is 5,380 square feet and offers three bedrooms, four full bathrooms and one half-bathroom. It's wrapped by a deck that frames jaw-dropping bay views. Inside, 20-foot ceilings soar over the two levels, with surfaces covered in glass, marble and wood. Residents can traverse these levels via the stunning staircase or the in-unit elevator.
On the mezzanine level of the south penthouse is this landing/lounge.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe south penthouse (unit 3202) also overlooks iconic bay and city views from floor-to-ceiling windows that are 20 feet tall. There are two levels in this 4,935 square foot unit, with an upper-level mezzanine complete with a wet bar and wood-burning fireplace. This unit includes three bedrooms, three bathrooms and two half-bathrooms.
At sunset, the south penthouse is at its most cinematic.
R. BRAD KNIPSTEIN, R. Brad KnipsteinThe Summit, which houses these units, enjoys a much-coveted Russian Hill location, deeded parking and 24-hour doorperson service. "I grew up in the shadow of 999 Green on Florence Street at Vallejo and Jones. I remember looking up and imagining what was transpiring in there. The Penthouses have the best views in San Francisco so naturally, the curiosity surrounding them looms large," said co-listing agent Max Armour.