But here's what's actually worth thinking about: these homes were built by private developers over 130 years ago, without environmental impact reviews, without a decade-long permitting process, and without a single community meeting where someone objected to the shadow cast on a neighboring blade of grass. They just… built them. Beautiful, lasting, iconic structures that have defined San Francisco's identity for over a century.

Now consider what it takes to build anything in this city today. The average housing project takes years — sometimes over a *decade* — to navigate the city's labyrinthine approval process. The budget bloats, the timelines stretch, and by the time shovels hit dirt, costs have doubled and the housing crisis has deepened.