875 California Street: Inside Crescent Nob Hill, One of the Neighborhood's Newest Luxury Buildings

Real Estate Colleen Cotter May 29, 2026

A boutique address at the top of the hill, in a moment when Nob Hill is coming back to life

875 California Street, known as Crescent Nob Hill, is an eight-story, 44-residence luxury condominium designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects with interiors by Champalimaud. Completed in 2020, it was the first new residential development built on Nob Hill in roughly 40 years. Recent residences have traded from about $1.7 million to $3.5 million.

I have always had a soft spot for this building. Part of it is the architecture. Most of it is the people. Walk through the door on California Street on any given morning and you are greeted by name, with a smile, by a daytime team that treats service as a craft. That is rare anywhere. On Nob Hill, at the top of the city, it feels exactly right.

What makes 875 California different from the rest of Nob Hill

Nob Hill is defined by its established buildings, and the housing stock is more varied than people assume. There are the grand prewar landmarks, like the Park Lane at 1100 Sacramento, an Art Deco building from 1925 with formal lobbies and detailing from another era. There are also celebrated mid-century towers, like 1170 Sacramento, built in 1963, and 1200 California, from the 1970s. Beautiful buildings, across very different eras.

What unites almost all of them is that they have been here for decades. Ground-up new construction on Nob Hill is genuinely rare.

875 California is the exception. Robert A.M. Stern designed it to belong here, drawing on the proportions and materials of its older neighbors rather than fighting them. The result reads as classic, not contemporary. It looks like it has always been there. It simply happens to have modern systems, modern layouts, and a LEED Gold envelope behind the traditional face.

For a certain buyer, that combination is the whole point. You get Nob Hill address and Nob Hill character. You also get new wiring, real soundproofing, and floor plans built for how people actually live now.

What amenities does Crescent Nob Hill at 875 California offer?

The building is boutique by design. Forty-four residences across eight stories, with three levels of amenities that feel private rather than corporate.

The Secret Garden, a sheltered landscaped courtyard tucked into the building
The SkyLine roof terrace, with city views and an outdoor kitchen
The Drawing Room, a residents' lounge connected to a catering kitchen
A fitness center with a dedicated yoga studio
A 24-hour attended lobby, with daily valet available

Residences range from roughly 650 to 1,825 square feet, from studios to three bedrooms, with a marble and Venetian plaster lobby and an underground garage. South-facing homes look onto the city and the Secret Garden. The northeast corner residences catch the skyline and the bay.

The part you cannot put in a brochure

Amenities are easy to list. Service is harder to find. The daytime manager who runs the door here is the kind of person who makes a building feel like home before you have even reached the elevator. She knows the residents. She knows their routines. She delivers a level of hospitality you usually only find in a five-star hotel, and she does it every single day, with warmth.

I tell buyers this often. You are not just buying square footage. You are buying who is standing at the door when you come home. At 875 California, that answer is exceptional.

Just across the street: Huntington Park

One of the quiet luxuries of this address is what sits directly outside it. Huntington Park is the green heart of Nob Hill, a full city block gifted to San Francisco in 1915 by Arabella Huntington and kept as public space ever since. At its center is the Fountain of the Tortoises, a bronze replica of a 400-year-old Roman original, lit softly after dark.

It is a true neighborhood park, not just a view. There is a children's playground, benches beneath mature trees, and open lawns, all maintained for decades by the Nob Hill Association, the city's oldest neighborhood organization. In December the park is strung with holiday lights and becomes a gathering point for the hill. Free neighborhood walking tours often begin here. And on Sunday mornings, you can hear the bells of Grace Cathedral, the French-Gothic landmark that faces the park directly.

For residents of 875 California, it functions as a front lawn at the top of the city.

Why Nob Hill is having a moment again

Here is the timing that makes this building especially interesting right now.

In March 2026, the Huntington Hotel reopened on Nob Hill after closing in 2020. The neon sign is lit again. Mayor Daniel Lurie cut the ribbon. And with the hotel came two institutions that locals have missed deeply.

The Big Four, the wood-paneled restaurant long known as the unofficial clubhouse of Nob Hill, returned in its 50th anniversary year. Designer Ken Fulk led the redesign, keeping the brass fixtures, the carved columns, and the noir-ish charm intact while chef David Intonato refreshed the menu. The chicken pot pie stayed. Tableside service and nightly piano came back. A new cocktail salon, Arabella's, joined it.

The Nob Hill Spa reopened too, reimagined across three levels with a pool, sauna, and treatment rooms.

For residents of 875 California, all of this sits within a short walk. The neighborhood that quieted during the pandemic now has its dining room, its bar, and its spa back. That matters for daily life. It also matters for value. Buyers pay for a neighborhood that feels alive, and Nob Hill, right now, feels alive again.

What does it cost to buy at 875 California Street?

Pricing has been strong and consistent. Based on recent SFAR/MLS activity, most homes fall in a range of roughly $1.7 million to $3.5 million, or about $1,200 to $1,920 per square foot depending on floor, view, and exposure. For new construction with full-service amenities on Nob Hill, those numbers are competitive.

2026 sales activity at 875 California

The building has been notably active this year, with sales across the price range and several homes moving quickly.

#603 closed in April 2026 at $2,075,000, selling at 104% of list price after just one day on the market
#PH4, the penthouse, sold off-market in February 2026 for $3,475,875
#504 went into contract within four days of listing, at $1,825,000, and is pending
#703, a three-bedroom, is in contract at $3,300,000
#407, a two-bedroom, is in contract at $1,729,000

Two clear signals come out of that activity. First, well-priced homes here move fast. The April closing went under contract in a single day, and the pending sale took four. Second, the building holds value across the range, from two-bedrooms near $1.7 million to penthouse pricing approaching $3.5 million. That kind of liquidity, in a 44-unit building, tells you demand for the address is real.

Who buys here

I see a clear profile. Buyers who want Nob Hill, but want it turnkey. Downsizers leaving a large home who are done with maintenance and ready for lock-and-leave living with a team at the door. Professionals who value the location and the privacy of a 44-unit building over the scale of a 300-unit tower. People who want the neighborhood's history without inheriting a 1925 building's quirks.

If that sounds like the chapter you are in, this is a building worth seeing in person. The architecture photographs well. The service has to be felt.

I know 875 California intimately, and I am always available for a confidential conversation about availability, pricing, and how it compares to other Nob Hill options.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the building at 875 California Street called?

It is Crescent Nob Hill, an eight-story, 44-residence luxury condominium completed in 2020. It was designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects with interiors by Champalimaud, and was the first new residential development on Nob Hill in roughly 40 years.

How much do condos at 875 California Street cost?

Recent residences have sold and listed between roughly $1.7 million and $3.5 million, or about $1,200 to $1,920 per square foot. A two-bedroom recently closed at $2,075,000, and the PH4 penthouse sold off-market for $3,475,875.

What amenities does Crescent Nob Hill have?

The building offers a Secret Garden courtyard, the SkyLine roof terrace with an outdoor kitchen, the Drawing Room residents' lounge with a catering kitchen, a fitness center with yoga studio, a 24-hour attended lobby, daily valet, and an underground garage.

Is the Huntington Hotel near 875 California open again?

Yes. The Huntington Hotel reopened on Nob Hill in March 2026. With it came the return of the Big Four restaurant, redesigned by Ken Fulk for its 50th anniversary, the new Arabella's cocktail salon, and the three-level Nob Hill Spa. All sit within a short walk of 875 California.

Is there a park near 875 California Street?

Yes. Huntington Park sits directly across the street, occupying a full block at the crest of Nob Hill. Gifted to the city by Arabella Huntington in 1915, it features the Fountain of the Tortoises, a children's playground, and open lawns, and it faces Grace Cathedral. In December it is lit with holiday lights.

Is 875 California Street a good investment?

It pairs a rare new-construction product with one of San Francisco's most established luxury neighborhoods, and recent sales have held strong, including a closing at 104% of list price. The reopening of the Huntington Hotel and the Big Four has also renewed energy and foot traffic in the immediate area.