Sometimes the best things in San Francisco aren't built by city government — they're just hiding behind drywall, waiting to be rediscovered.

A 1930s-era mural by a well-known San Francisco artist has been uncovered inside a Pacific Heights home, adding another chapter to the city's rich — and often accidentally preserved — artistic history. Details on the exact artist and the circumstances of the discovery are still emerging, but the find is a reminder that this city's cultural heritage runs deep, literally embedded in its walls.

The 1930s were a golden era for public and private murals in San Francisco. The WPA and other Depression-era programs funded artists to beautify everything from Coit Tower to neighborhood post offices. Many of these works survived. Many didn't. And some, apparently, just got covered up by subsequent homeowners who preferred a fresh coat of Benjamin Moore to a piece of irreplaceable art history.

Here's what makes this interesting from a property rights angle: when you find a significant piece of art in your home, what happens next? In a city that loves to slap landmark designations and historic preservation orders on private property, a discovery like this can quickly turn from "cool find" to regulatory headache. The owner presumably bought a house, not a museum — but in San Francisco, the line between the two can blur fast once the preservation crowd gets involved.

We hope the mural gets the appreciation it deserves. We also hope the homeowner gets to make their own decisions about their own property without a parade of city commissioners telling them what they can and can't do with their walls.

San Francisco's history is worth preserving. But so is the principle that your home is yours — even when there's a masterpiece hiding behind the plaster.