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It was all about appearance.
The houses were also painted to make them look as though they were built of stone, not wood which was considered cheap and common.

Those famous psychedelic color schemes were hippie-originated.

that is hilarious...
regarding the bright hippie colors- there are a couple of books published in the 70's (?) called painted ladies, that are a great reference for them!

"These houses may not be what they seem. "

What does that mean, exactly? What did you think they were, based on the protruding fronts? (hope they don't fall off).

Victorians were all about style over substance - therefore all the gingerbread trim, false fronts, and heavy ornamentation.

They obviously didn't have the technology for flat roofs back then - I'm kinda surprised Sarah didn't realize this...

I was surprised to read that the bright color scheme of Victorian houses actually came about way before the 1960s. People started painting their Victorians in bright multi-colors after the Civil War. Probably not the day glow colors you sometimes see around SF, but still... the origins go back!

kimg924: I mean that you might expect that there is actual structure behind the false front. Not all Victorians, nor all Italianate Victorians, have free-standing facades like these ones do.

bepsf: Actually, one of the key design elements of Italianates, which were heavily influenced by early Roman architecture, is that they have flat roofs. So it seems that the technology did exist. As lifesized doll says, it was all about appearance.

Odds are the roofs isn't FLAT flat, but on a slight tilt... at least that's a concern here for snow melting and rain and stuff...

The Painted Ladies have a fairly sober post-hippy color palate these days. Tastefully done (and obviously well-loved), but verging ever so slightly on dull.

If you're in San Francisco, take the Haas-Lilienthal victorian house tour (somber colored this one: everything battleship grey, but impressive in scale and level of detail). Very informative docent-led 1.5 hour tour. Gives you a historical background on the family's former home (related to Levis, yes the jeans), you get a peek into social norms and decor of the time, and even a furniture lesson or two. Come out having a better understanding of how the architecture came to be and also realizing how much culture has changed since 1860.

ChristineBadina is right. The roofs are not flat and though snow is not a concern in SF, rainfall is. I used to own a condo in an 1884 Italianate building. The roof looked flat from below but wasn't.

There is also another James Dunn bldg at 2415 Franklin which was one of my favorite buildings in the City since childhood, until I saw the inside of the 2nd flr lit up at night. All the interior moldings seem to have been ripped out and done 80's style, louver doors and all(?) Think it was on the market not too long ago as well.