Until the mid-20th century, the hills of Diamond Heights in San Francisco were largely undeveloped—used primarily for rock quarrying and cattle grazing. Gridiron platting had long made development of streets and lots impractical, resulting only in paper streets. However, the post-WWII housing boom created significant pressures on the geographically limited area of San Francisco, which is surrounded by large bodies of water on three sides. In 1950, the recently created San Francisco Redevelopment Agency set its sights on Diamond Heights. In 1951, prominent local architect, Vernon DeMars developed a master plan for the area—the suburban-feeling “neighborhood unit” was consciously designed to take advantage of the incredible views of downtown and the San Francisco Bay, and to accommodate a racially and economically diverse community. 

Diamond Heights is unique in San Francisco for its high concentration of Modernist architecture and its cohesive, Modernist master planning. The neighborhood, which was developed from 1961 to 1978, contains some of the best examples of regional idioms of Modernist architecture, including Second Bay Tradition, Third Bay Tradition, and local variations of Mid-Century Modernism. Many local architects and merchant builders were involved with the project, as well as a number of nationally recognized designers, such as Joseph Eichler, Beverly Willis, Joseph Esherick, Campbell & Wong, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill.