When Karen Groebli bought an 1888 Victorian in San Diego in 1997, she wasn’t exactly getting a move-in-ready historic home.
The property was boarded up, city-condemned, and in severe disrepair.
Bringing it back would eventually require stripping the house down to its studs, reinforcing its foundation, replacing aging systems, restoring original architectural details, and embarking on an ambitious renovation that stretched across eight years.
Nearly three decades later, that same Victorian has become one of the more unusual historic homes in San Diego — and it’s now looking for its next owner.
The four-bedroom residence at 2133 2nd Avenue in Bankers Hill has been listed for $4.7 million with Lindsay Dunlap of Compass.
Spanning approximately 4,502 square feet, the home combines meticulously restored Victorian architecture with a collection of antiques, architectural salvage, and unexpected additions accumulated during Groebli’s years-long preservation effort.
Groebli, an artist and preservationist whose creative background includes theater, fashion, mural work, and interior design, approached the project as much like an artistic undertaking as a conventional renovation.
Working with an architect and structural engineer, she took the house down to its framing and rebuilt its infrastructure, updating the electrical and plumbing systems and reinforcing the foundation.
At the same time, original millwork was carefully restored rather than discarded.
Years spent studying Victorian architecture informed the restoration, but Groebli wasn’t interested in creating a period-perfect museum.
Instead, she added her own ideas to the house, including one of its most dramatic architectural features: a freestanding spiral staircase that she designed herself.
There’s also an elevator, although even that received an appropriately theatrical treatment.
The system was reimagined with an antique cab and vintage-style scissor gates, turning a practical modern convenience into something that feels like it has been part of the house for generations.
Lighting provides another layer of drama.
More than 30 chandeliers, along with custom sconces, illuminate the interiors, creating an atmosphere considerably more elaborate than the stripped-back aesthetic found in many contemporary renovations.
And some of the home’s decorative elements come with stories of their own.
Four columns incorporated into the property reportedly came from the set of James Cameron’s Titanic, while antique stained-glass doors are believed to have originated at San Diego’s historic Tivoli Bar.
Period antiques and salvaged architectural pieces appear throughout, giving the interiors the collected-over-time character Groebli was after.
For a house dating to the late 19th century, there are also some decidedly fun surprises.
Hidden inside is a private speakeasy, tucked away as an intimate spot for drinks and entertaining. Outside, a secluded backyard provides another gathering space away from the city around it.
The home’s bedrooms are spread across several levels, with two guest suites and another ensuite guest bedroom providing accommodations below the top floor.
That entire third level is reserved for the primary suite.
Multiple private decks take advantage of the home’s elevated Bankers Hill position, opening up views across downtown San Diego, the harbor, Coronado Bridge, and out toward the Pacific.
From here, ships moving through the bay and planes approaching San Diego International Airport become part of the panorama.
The location also puts the house close to Balboa Park, Little Italy, Downtown San Diego, Petco Park, and the waterfront, while Coronado and La Jolla are within relatively easy reach.
Its historic status comes with a financial distinction as well.
The property is historically designated and participates in California’s Mills Act program, which can provide property-tax benefits for qualifying historic properties in exchange for their continued preservation.
The home can also be purchased furnished, potentially keeping much of Groebli’s highly specific vision intact.
The owners of the adjacent three-unit building are additionally open to discussing its sale, according to the listing, presenting the possibility of adding guest accommodations, rental units, or more space to the property.
Groebli’s restoration work isn’t her only long-running passion project. For the past 17 years, she has also operated a boutique nonprofit focused on rescuing and rehabilitating off-track Thoroughbreds and other horses.
But in Bankers Hill, her most visible undertaking remains the Victorian she rescued decades earlier.
What started as a boarded-up, condemned house from 1888 now has its original character restored alongside a spiral staircase, antique elevator, hidden drinking room, dozens of chandeliers, Hollywood-set artifacts, and some of the city’s most recognizable views.
For the next buyer, the $4.7 million asking price buys a very different house from the one Groebli took on in 1997.
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