In the original “Matrix” movie, we learn that humans abhor perfection, as evidenced by their rejection of the flawless simulated reality created for them by the machines. Well, things have certainly changed in the future because the virtual world-within-a-world featured in the franchise’s 2021 follow-up, “The Matrix Resurrections,” is nothing short of idyllic!
Set in San Francisco 60 years after the events of the last film, the long-awaited fourth installment, which hit theaters and HBO Max last December, sees Neo (Keanu Reeves) living in the Matrix as Thomas Anderson, “the greatest video game designer of our generation.” The simulated world he is unknowingly trapped inside isn’t the muted, green-tinged, blue-less version presented in the initial trilogy, though, but one that is far sharper, richer and more vivid.
The flick’s “poppy” and “more colorful aesthetic,” according to production designer Peter Walpole, was directly inspired by the City by the Bay, namely “the architecture, and the light, and the extraordinary movement of the San Francisco fog.” Nowhere is that more apparent than in the striking seaside building chosen to portray the home and office of The Analyst (Neil Patrick Harris), Thomas’ blue-pill-pushing therapist.
Known as the Russian Hill Summit in real life, the fashionable six-unit complex, which sits at the end of a quaint cul-de-sac overlooking San Francisco Bay, the downtown skyline and the Bay Bridge, is pretty much the epitome of a Golden Gate residence.
And there is exciting news for fans of “The Matrix” and the city alike, as the exact unit used in the movie is now for sale! Located at 1039 Vallejo St. in tony Russian Hill, the chic townhouse is being offered for $4.2 million. (Fun fact – the Verdier Mansion, which figured prominently in the second season of “The OA,” can be found right next door at 1001 Vallejo St.) Repped by mother-and-son team David Werboff and Caroline Kahn Werboff of Sotheby’s International Realty, the listing marks the first time the property has been up for grabs since it sold to its original owners for $1,895,000 shortly after it was built in 1998. (Please remember this is a private home. Do not trespass or bother the residents or the property in any way.)
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Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty Commissioned by developer John Willis of Willis + Co., the luxe complex was designed by local architect Ed McEachron. The project got off the ground after plans by a different developer to build three 6,000-square-foot residences at the location failed in the late 1980s. The site’s acreage and zoning limitations presented specific challenges for McEachron, requiring him to work “carefully within the tight confines of having to respect three separate lots each zoned RH-2 in order to get the needed six-unit project.” The complex’s handsome shingled exterior was inspired by that of the neighboring Hermitage building, designed by Joseph Esherick in 1984, with the two complimentary façades constituting what Sotheby’s describes as a “storybook corner of Russian Hill.” 1039 Vallejo indeed looks straight out of a fairy tale!
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Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty Featuring three bedrooms and three baths in 2,611 square feet, the residence was recently renovated and currently offers the epitome of stylish city living. A pied-à-terre for the most discerning of buyers, building amenities include a full-time onsite manager, two underground secured parking spots and storage space. However, such fancy living doesn’t come cheap! HOA fees, which also include water, gas and maintenance, run $2,875 a month. But you get what you pay for, as they say!
Thoroughly well-appointed, inside you’ll find rich hardwood flooring, 10-foot ceilings, classic moldings, a plethora of built-ins, a fireplace, ocean and city views from nearly every room, a washer and dryer and an elevator leading straight from the garage to the home’s two levels. The main living areas, including the formal dining room and family room, are situated on the second floor so as to take full advantage of the stunning vistas. As such, large picture windows and French doors line the property’s entire front side.
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Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty The charming kitchen, also located upstairs, offers white and gray cabinetry, granite counters, a serving hatch that opens to the dining room and a handful of high-end stainless appliances, including an oversized fridge and a Viking Range.
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Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty The owners’ suite, which looks straight out of a swanky hotel, is situated downstairs and offers thick carpeting, built-in shelving, two walk-in closets, French doors leading to an adjacent patio and a bathroom with double vanities, a walk-in shower and a soaking tub.
The two additional bedrooms, also found on the lower level, share a bath and a second patio.
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Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty The townhouse’s lot feels larger than its 0.05 acres thanks to a leafy, sun-dappled 410-square-foot rear terrace, which boasts two sitting areas and a smattering of mature foliage. The front patio, situated off the guest rooms, measures 117 square feet and there is also an upstairs balcony on the premises.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures -
Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty Considering its picture-perfect aesthetic, the townhouse was an obvious choice to portray the home of The Analyst and his cat, Deja-Vu, in “The Matrix Resurrections,” though Walpole did have some reservations. He explained to SlashFilm, “I think his world really shouldn’t pop out too much. It should be a comfortable setting. [Director] Lana [Wachowski] had that location in mind, although we did have a look at some other things. We were all a little bit concerned that maybe the exterior looked a little bit too austere, because of its darkness and it was perched on that particular hill. But then when you move inside to the comfortable setting of the Analyst and the way that he discusses things with Thomas Anderson, I think it is all very easy on the eye. There’s nothing that really jumps out. It’s a good backdrop to their conversation.”
Interestingly, only the exterior of the unit was utilized in the film, though.
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Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures -
Image Credit: Open Homes Photography for Sotheby's International Realty For interior scenes involving The Analyst’s office, Walpole and his team scanned the living room of 1039 Vallejo St. using 3D technology and then re-created the space nearly 6,000 miles away on a soundstage at Studio Babelsberg in Berlin, Germany, where the majority of “Resurrections” was lensed. One of the “most technically advanced backlots” in the world, it is no surprise that the facility was chosen as the home base for the heavily-stylized, special-effects-laden production. As described by The Hollywood Reporter, Babelsberg “offers virtual production technology that allows filmmakers to digitally re-create far-flung locations, even imaginary ones, without leaving the confines of a soundstage,” an approach that seems tailor-made for the “Matrix” franchise.
The living room space was heavily reimagined for the film. Whereas the townhouse’s actual living area consists of bright neutrals and contemporary furnishings, the set was designed to be far more classic, traditional and dark, with crimson wallpaper lining the walls, Persian rugs draped across the floor and rich wood shelving at every turn. The central bay window is the only element of the room that seems to have been carried over to the set. Otherwise, the space is wholly unrecognizable as being the inspiration for The Analyst’s office. Such is the magic of Hollywood!