“The Princess Diaries” Firehouse

My friend Nat is a definite hostess with the mostest.  When I last visited her in San Francisco in October 2016, she not only had champagne chilling in the fridge, but an itinerary of area stalking locales she thought might interest me compiled and mapped out on her phone.  The spot on the list I was most excited about seeing was former Engine Company No. 43, where Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) lived with her mom, Helen (Caroline Goodall), and cat, Fat Louis, in 2001’s The Princess Diaries.  This stalker loves herself any adaptive reuse and in person, the firehouse-turned-home did not disappoint.  Somehow I forgot to blog about the place after returning home from my trip, though, and was not reminded of it until last Thursday when Mandy Moore, who played meanie cheerleader Lana Thomas in the film, posted a #tbt image of The Princess Diaries July 2001 premiere on Instagram.  Seeing the photo brought me right back to the day I stalked the firehouse and I figured there was no time like the present to finally blog about it.

The Mission Revival-style Engine Company No. 43 was originally built in 1911, back when firemen were still fighting blazes via horse-drawn carriages.

Following its decommission, the 4,800-square-foot wood frame structure was sold to a private buyer at a surplus auction in 1976 and subsequently transformed into a residence.

Today, the unique homestead boasts 8 rooms, 2 stories, a 340-square-foot outbuilding that initially housed Company No. 43’s kitchen, a double 0.11-acre lot, parking for 4+ cars, and original detailing throughout including a fireman’s pole.

The residence last hit the market in late 2014 with an asking price of $2.6 million (at the time it was being utilized as a 2-unit rental property) and was sold the following March for $1.85 million.  That’s quite a bargain to call The Princess Diaries firehouse home, if you ask me!

Engine Company No. 43 pops up numerous times throughout the film.

In person, the place still looks much the same as it did onscreen 17 years ago.

Only the front exterior of the structure is featured in the movie.

The home’s massive side staircase also makes a couple of appearances.

Because those scenes were shot from the backyard, I was, obviously, unable to snap any photos matching the angle shown in the flick.  But I was thrilled to see that the staircase is visible from the street.

The interior of Mia and Helen’s pad was nothing more than an elaborate set built inside of a soundstage a good 350 miles away at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.  You can check out some fabulous photos of it on art director Caty Maxey’s website.

Engine Company No. 43’s actual interior (which you can see here) is a far cry from its onscreen counterpart.  While Mia and Helen’s home is colorful and lovingly cluttered, the firehouse’s real life inside is sophisticated and minimalist.  I honestly can’t decide which I like better.

Interestingly, while The Princess Diaries was set in San Francisco, not much of the movie was shot there.  Along with Engine Company No. 43, the Anthony R. Grove High School exterior (which Nat took me to stalk many moons ago) can also be found in the City by the Bay at 2601 Lyon Street in Cow Hollow.  The school’s courtyard scenes were lensed a bit closer to home, though, at Alverno Heights Academy in Sierra Madre, which I blogged about here.

Big THANK YOU to my friend Nat for telling me about and taking me to this location! 

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Until next time, Happy Stalking!

Stalk It: Engine Company No. 43, aka The Princess Diaries firehouse, is located at 724 Brazil Avenue in San Francisco’s Excelsior District.

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