1515 19th Street a Ghostly Reminder of the Past

Neighbors, realtors, developers and passersby have long wondered about the derelict property located on the southeast corner of Connecticut and 19th streets. Situated in a steadily more valuable neighborhood, one plausible theory is that the house and adjacent yard remain vacant because the absent owner doesn’t want to sell an asset that holds substantial ‘sentimental value’ for their family.

While the property’s characteristics have evolved significantly over the years, its ownership has remained consistent. It’s been in possession of the same family since 1929, when Maria Erminia Cantou applied for a building permit to erect a 36 feet by 25 feet wood frame building at 400 Connecticut Street at an estimated cost of $3,000.

The Cantou’s made numerous alterations to the property over the years, including an addition around 1935 to accommodate the budding dental practice of Maria’s son Jean Pierre.  Years later, the adjacent 1515 19th Street property was added to the parcel. The growing Cantou family resided in the corner house while Dr. Cantou’s dental practice was housed in a renovated space in 1515 19th Street. 

Somewhere along the way the initial structure on the corner at 400 Connecticut was demolished. Local historian and Potrero Hill Archive Project Director Peter Linenthal believes it burned down, “Sometime between 1950 and 1970.”  

A photograph of the corner lot taken by the City’s Building Department in 1973 shows a property that looks much the same as it does today, with one exception.  Parked in the yard was an old Ford pickup truck attached to an even older shiny chrome Airstream trailer. Other than the pickup and trailer, two-thirds of the lot was vacant. The only structure on it was the house at the back of the parcel at 1515 19th Street. The rest consisted of overgrown grass and weeds and random debris surrounded by six-foot chain link fencing topped here and there with a bit of barbed wire and pad locks on two gates. It’s much the same today, more than 50 years later.

According to neighbors the remaining house has been vacant since the early 1980s. It’s been boarded up for years. Many in the community hope that any future improvements are modest and don’t impede the current open view of the City.

Dr. Jean Pierre Cantou and his wife Doris (Asplund) Cantou were engaged in San Francisco in the fall of 1935. Their oldest child, Pierre, was born a few years later, followed by a daughter Suzanne (Keller), and Jerome, who some knew as Jerry and others as Mo.  

“They built their initial family home at 400 Connecticut, but I believe it burned down long ago,” said local historian and long-time Potrero Hill resident Steven Herraiz.  “Dr. Cantou’s dentist practice was in 1515 19th Street for years. I became good friends with their youngest child, Jerry, who was a serious radio enthusiast. I took him dozens of transistor radios to repair. He could always fix them.”

Neighbors recall Jerry regularly holding garage sales at 1515 19th Street.  Some speculate that the boarded-up garage still houses intriguing items, possibly a World War II vintage Willy’s Jeep as well as an antique dentist’s chair.

“I’d love to add that dentist’s chair to our Potrero Hill Archives Project,” Linenthal lamented. “It would be an ideal historic addition.”

Along with raising their family and growing his dental practice, Dr. and Mrs. Cantou were involved in various civic organizations. A librarian, Mrs. Cantou served as president of the San Francisco chapter of the American Association of University Women. Founded in 1881, AAUW is a nonprofit that works to advance equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. 

Dr. Cantou, a graduate of the University of California and the College of Physicians & Surgeons, San Francisco, was an avid outdoorsman, serving in leadership positions in Ducks Unlimited, the Pacific Rod & Gun Club, and the Sierra Club. He was a member of La Ligue Henry IV, a 50-year member of La Parfaite Union #17, and a member in perpetuity of The National Sojourners. In 1942 he served as Vice Chairman of the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Commission of the Potrero District. As a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, he was ordered for active duty in October 1943.

Dr. Cantou died in San Francisco on March 31, 1996. Mrs. Cantou died here on April 18, 2001.

In December 2021, a Deed of Trust, Security Agreement and Fixture Filing was submitted to the City and County of San Francisco listing 1515 19th San Francisco LLC as the Owner/Trustor of the property. Pierre Cantou, oldest child of Dr. and Mrs. Cantou, is identified as the beneficiary. Numerous efforts were made to reach Mr. Cantou as well as representatives of the LLC Trustor and Trustee, without success.

Years ago, the Trust engaged an architectural firm to evaluate what could be built on the property, but there’s no indication that changes will be made anytime soon.