The theme song from the hit ABC sitcom “Full House,” which aired from 1987 through 1995, tells us that “Everywhere you look, there’s a heart, a hand to hold on to.” Lately, though, it seems that everywhere you look, there’s bad news to be had, like the sudden and unexpected January 9th passing of Bob Saget, who played Danny Tanner on the popular show. As reports of his death ripped across social media, fans, friends and former co-stars expressed sadness and utter shock over the devastating loss.
Famous for a plethora of big and small screen roles (including voicing a grown-up Ted Mosby on “How I Met Your Mother”), as well as a rather raunchy stand-up routine, Saget will undoubtedly best be remembered as the Tanner family’s good-natured patriarch. Though incredibly, while the part was conceived with him in mind, he was not actually the first actor cast as the beloved television dad. “Full House” creator/executive producer Jeff Franklin explained on Instagram, “I wrote the role of Danny Tanner for my friend, Bob Saget. The character was kind, genuine, neurotic, a bit nerdy, a hugger with a heart of gold, and endearingly funny. That was Bob.” But when it came time to shoot the pilot in early 1987, scheduling conflicts prevented the comedian from signing on. So actor John Posey was hired instead. The pilot (which never aired, but portions of which can be viewed on YouTube) was then filmed, shopped around and ultimately acquired by ABC. As fate would have it, Saget’s schedule had opened up by that time, resulting in the network booting Posey, replacing him with Bob and reshooting the pilot. The rest is TV history!
One “Full House” role that was secured right from the start? The handsome San Francisco Victorian that portrayed the Tanner residence on the series. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Franklin “handpicked” the three-story Italianate-style property in early 1987 “after a location manager visited San Francisco to select options.” He told the outlet, “I wanted the family to live in one of those classic Victorian homes. For some reason, that one jumped out at me. There were lots of candidates but that was the winner.”
Though it is often erroneously reported that the Tanners reside in one of SF’s famed Painted Ladies, those structures only appear in the series’ opening credits as the family picnics in nearby Alamo Square. The actual dwelling featured on the show can be found about a mile away at 1709 Broderick St. in Lower Pacific Heights. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
Throughout the years, the idyllic abode has become a virtual icon, one as synonymous with “Full House” as Saget himself, so it is no surprise that fans are now heading there to memorialize the comedian, leaving flowers, notes and even bread and beer on the sidewalk out front.
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television -
Image Credit: Google The picturesque residence appeared regularly in establishing shots of the Tanner home throughout “Full House’s” eight-season run. Interestingly, the production team only captured imagery of it once, though, in early 1987 when “Full House” was in pre-production. The Hollywood Reporter notes that the crew filmed “a bunch of shots of the home – everything from lights on, lights off, daytime and nighttime – so they would have options moving forward.” So much footage was lensed that Franklin recalled, “We didn’t need to go back there until several years later, but by that point the owner, I guess, had become annoyed with fans coming by and they weren’t in a cooperative mood.” The 1987 imagery was therefore utilized throughout the show’s entire run and in the 2016 “Fuller House” reboot, as well. As Franklin stated, “Our audience has watched the same cars drive by that house now for 29 years.” Fans never seemed to mind, though.
-
Image Credit: Facebook The gorgeous property, which is pretty much the quintessential San Francisco Victorian, was originally designed by architect Charles Lewis Hinkel way back in 1883. While there seems to be a bit of discrepancy amongst real estate websites regarding the pad’s measurement details due to a series of recent renovations, in truth, the place currently boasts four bedrooms and four baths in a spacious (especially for San Francisco) 3,728 square feet.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com In a highly unusual turn of events, when the residence hit the market in 2016, it was scooped up by none other than Franklin, who secured it in a $4-million deal. Though the producer initially hoped to redesign the interior to look like the “Full House” sets (a near-impossible feat, as the team behind “A Very Brady Renovation” will tell you), neighbors, who had long grown tired of the place’s status as a tourist attraction, were not too keen on the idea and thwarted his plans. (How rude, right?) So Franklin set out to renovate and flip the property instead, with architect Richard Landry at the helm. As evidenced by pre-renovation photos, the job was an extensive one in which the floor plan was opened up and the fixtures modernized. The re-imagined Victorian was ultimately off-loaded in October 2020 for a cool $5.35 million, with the listing deeming it “an ethereal residence that offers comfort, class and opulent finishes.”
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com Though Landry has been called the “king of the tasteless megamansion” (Oh, Mylanta!), the architect did manage to leave many of the property’s original elements, like its Corinthian columns, large bay windows and wide crown moldings, intact. More modern amenities include skylights, marble-fronted fireplaces and wide plank hardwood flooring.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com Updated living spaces include a family room, a formal living room and a kitchen outfitted with a walk-in pantry, Viking appliances, custom navy blue cabinetry and Calacatta Oro marble counters.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com The luxe owners’ suite, situated on the third floor along with two other bedrooms, features a fireplace, a walk-in closet and a spa-like bathroom with penny-tile floors and a spacious shower.
The lower level is comprised of an additional bedroom and bathroom, a walk-in closet, a laundry room and a den with a wet bar.
-
Image Credit: Realtor.com The house also boasts an attached two-car garage with a large storage room and a well-manicured rear garden on its 0.07-acre lot.
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television Only the front exterior of the dwelling appeared on “Full House.” The inside of the Tanner residence and the adjacent backyard were sets created by art director Lynn Griffin, initially on Stage 28 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, where the first six seasons of the show were lensed, and then on Stage 24 at Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, where the production moved for its final two seasons. The latter stage was also utilized for the “Fuller House” reboot, as well as for seasons two through 10 of the iconic series “Friends.”
-
Image Credit: Warner Bros. Television -
Image Credit: Realtor.com Though the Tanner house set is markedly different in design from the actual residence, the decorative archways that frame the bay windows throughout are an obvious carryover.
-
Image Credit: Michael Rankinen “Full House” aficionados hoping to see the pad in person, but unwilling to brave the unfriendly neighbors shouldn’t sell their dreams so soon as a replica of the residence now stands at Warner Bros. Studio. Built for promotional purposes for “Fuller House,” the façade is a popular stop on the lot’s two-hour guided tours, which are offered several times daily. There, fans can snap photos, pose for selfies on the stoop and even say a private thank you to Saget for the years of laughs while gazing at that familiar red front door.