The Red Victorian at 1665 Haight Street was built in 1904 as the Jefferson Hotel, one of the small hotels that served visitors arriving for Golden Gate Park. Its place in Haight history comes from a later owner. In 1977 the artist and peace activist Sami Sunchild bought the building and ran it as a bed and breakfast and a center for what she called global peace, with themed rooms and a ground-floor cafe and meeting space.
Sunchild died in 2012. The building has changed hands and use since then, including stretches as co-living and boutique lodging, and its operating status shifts from year to year. The red facade, the peace symbols in the windows, and the painted detail are the constant.
It sits on the main stretch of Haight between Clayton and Cole, across from the old Superba Theatre. View it from the sidewalk, and check current hours before expecting the cafe or lobby to be open.