" The Altenheim, which means ‘old folks’ home' in German, is a historic German-American retirement home originally built in 1893-1896 to house retirees of Germanic descent. It was founded by San Francisco and Oakland's most prominent German-American families, including the Sutros and others, as an upscale home for older German-Americans to live out their golden years. Adolph Sutro wanted it built in San Francisco, and even donated land in Sutro Heights, but it was ultimately built in Oakland.
The towering Queen Anne wooden building burnt down in 1908, and was rebuilt in 1909 in a Colonial Revival style designed by Oscar Haupt, a San Francisco-based architect.
Due to financial difficulties, the facility closed in 2002, but reopened again in 2010 and is now housing for low income seniors of all nationalities." (
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