Whittier Mansion | German Spies In San Francisco

Posted: 11.06.2019 | Updated: 02.06.2025

The Whittier Mansion was one of many luxury homes built in the early days of San Francisco’s history. The 1896 sandstone mansion was the home of one of the wealthiest people in the country at the time.

Since then, the historic home served various purposes. But for many, it’s a place that might still have numerous residents from ages past.

Which occupants that have taken up residence here realized that they had otherworldy guests? Lets talk about the Whittier Mansion and the story of how it came to be haunted.

It may be one of the best looking houses in San Francisco today, but would never know it was haunted. It is only one of many that hide dark secrets. Join us for a San Francisco ghost tour to learn the haunted stories waiting in the streets of San Francisco.

Who Haunts The Whittier Mansion?

Although San Francisco’s Whittier Mansion has a dark past full of Nazi’s spies, these seditious facists are not what gives the house its haunted reputation. The original owner, William Whittier, and his alcoholic son are said to remain in the historic site long after they expired.

History of The Whittier Mansion

Ground was broken on the Whittier Mansion in San Francisco in 1894. The construction took two years and was completed in 1896.

The home was built for William Franklin Whittier, a notable figure in the railroad and shipping industry. It was one of the first built in California that used steel framework, thus making it a really tough building that could be considered almost indestructible.

When The Whitter Mansion was finished it stood at three stories, measured at a total of 3500-square-feet, and thirty rooks.

Unfortunately, Whittier’s wife did not live to see the finished home as she died in an accident. But nonetheless, Whittier had lived in the home up until his passing in 1917.

However, his son Billy resided there as well. He was known for throwing parties late into the night and early morning hours. The younger Whittier lived off his father’s money and was lazy and incorrigible.

Despite this, he inherited the home after his father’s passing. He lived there until 1938 when he sold it to the German Reich.

Whittier Mansion Throughout San Francisco

The house was used as a German consulate between 1938 to 1941. However, word had it that the consulate had housed German spies. It was a dark time in the Whittier Mansion’s otherwise glamarous history.

The man who later purchased the home was a known Nazi and a top advisor to Adolf Hitler during the facists’s tyrannical reign. His name was Fritz Wiedmann. He, along with his wife and childred, lived in the home.

In 1941, the presence of the German government in San Francisco unsurprisingly raised a lot of suspicion. By the time the United States had entered the war, the Germans had vacated the Whittier Mansion and the US government had seized it.

By the time the US Government had retaken control of the Whittier Mansion, Wiedmann and his family had been ordered to leave. Word had it that Wiedmann had traveled to Japan at some point before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

This raises suspicions of whether or not the Germans had passed on any information to the Imperial Japanese. The attack on Pearl Harbor eventually led to the US entering World War II. Germany declared war on the United States the following day.

After a nine-year hold, the government auctioned it off to a new buyer named Mortimer Adler. Adler used the home as part of his philosophical institute until 1956. The State of California owned it at one point and used it as a government office until it was sold once more to another buyer.

Today, the Whittier Manasion stands as a private San Francisco residence.

However, with so many people coming in and out of the home, the stories of possible hauntings are numerous.

Hauntings of The Whittier Mansion

 For many years, the Whittier Mansion sat in the San Francisco fog in silence; dark, alone, and haunted. According to one resident, while walking near the mansion, he saw someone s short and bald dressed in formal clothing.

Whether it was a butler or maybe one of the staffers that Whittier once hired remains to be seen. Some have even seen a shadowy figure walk past the windows of the house.

There have been stories that the ghost of William Whittier himself remains at the house, hoping his wife may return home to the house she never lived to see.

Visitors of the home once saw what appeared to be a figure of a man in the wine cellar. Rumor has it that the spirit of Billy Whittier haunts this area. Afterall, he was a man known for drinking wine and throwing massive parties.

There have been several ghosts seen inside the home or even outside of it. Whoever the spirits were or who they belonged to still remains to be unseen to this day. But we can bet that whoever lives in the home might have a story or two about this San Francisco haunted house.

Conclusion

The Whittier Mansion might have been home to one of the richest people in America at one time, and is one of the last few buildings standing after a huge earthquake and fire. But the home has seen its share of tenants both living and dead.

Whether it housed ghosts or possible German spies, the Whittier Mansion has so many stories to tell. If you want to go on an adventure, San Francisco has plenty of haunted place. Take a walk past the Whittier Mansion and you may see or even feel something unforgettable.

The best way to experience this chilling feeling is on a walking ghost tour with SF Ghosts! Be sure to read our blog before you hit the streets of San Francisco hunting for these spirits.

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Sources:

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Nazi-Consulate-once-called-the-Whittier-Mansion-10869519.php

http://www.weirdca.com/location.php?location=17

http://www.hauntedbay.com/features/whittiermansion.shtml