SF WEST HISTORY OCT-DEC 2014 Newsletter of the Western Neighborhoods Project VOLUME 10 NUMBER 4 INSIDE 1 Inside the Outside Lands SF WEST HISTORY 2 Where in West SF? Newsletter of the Western Neighborhoods Project 3 Researching Residence Parks October-December 2014: Volume 10, Number 4 by Richard Brandi EDITOR: Woody LaBounty CONTRIBUTORS: Richard Brandi, Patrick F. Cunneen, 6 Ewing Field 1915-1939 Emiliano Echeverria, David Gallagher, Angus Macfarlane, Nicole Meldahl, Dennis O’Rorke Better than Make-Believe, Part III by Angus Macfarlane Board of Directors 2014 David Gallagher, President; Richard Brandi, Vice President; 10 Memories: Patrick F. Cunneen Paul Rosenberg, Secretary; Woody LaBounty, Treasurer; Jamie O’Keefe, Lorri Ungaretti, Arnold Woods 14 The Richmond District in the late 1920s: Board of Directors 2015 Minutes by Minutes Woody LaBounty, President; Lorri Ungaretti, Vice President; Nicole Meldahl, Secretary; David Gallagher, Treasurer; Richard Brandi, Gretchen Hilyard, Chelsea Sellin, Nate Tico, 19 Zeros and Fives (2014 Anniversaries) Arnold Woods 27 Courtesy of a Private Collector Advisory Board by David Gallagher Al Harris, Brady Lea, Felicity O’Meara Western Neighborhoods Project 4016 Geary Boulevard, Suite A San Francisco, CA 94118 Tel: 415/661-1000 Email: [email protected] Website: www.outsidelands.org 3 10 facebook.com/outsidelands twitter.com/outsidelandz Cover photograph Shack in the sand dunes of San Francisco’s Richmond 6 District, early 1900s. Courtesy of a private collector. Back cover photograph Photograph of Market Street Railway streetcar in front of Polytechnic High School on Frederick Street in 1927. Courtesy of Emiliano Echeverria. More information from West Portal News, September 2, 1927: 14 27 “School Special. Through the insistent efforts of the Ingleside Improvement Club for better streetcar accommodations for the young people going to high schools in the city, arrangements were completed last week for a special car which will transport the boys and girls at the rush hour.” 24 © 2014 Western Neighborhoods Project. All rights reserved. Inside the Outside Lands Woody LaBounty hirty-two color pages of history A big part of our 2014 and news from the western activity has been processing Tneighborhoods all magazine- an amazing gift from a friend slick? Yes, we could get used to this. of the organization in the form These days organizations are of more than 1,500 historical stopping or cutting back on print images of the Ocean Beach and journals, newsletters, and magazines Sutro areas. Accessioning the because, frankly, it’s expensive. But, prints, negatives, and slides to oh, the guilty pleasure of paper… professional standards has meant Rationale: our mission to a lot of organization, cataloging, preserve and share the history of San storing, and scanning. We have Francisco’s western neighborhoods Nicole Meldahl and David should probably range across Gallagher to thank for most of multiple formats, right? When all the work, with help from Paul Judge, Chelsea Sellin, and Nate Tico to the electricity goes away, some Dustin Magidson and John Martini. our board of directors. Each has a hard-copy editions of SF West The Bland Family Foundation terrific combination of experience History will be safe for posterity. came through with a generous and enthusiasm that gives promise We can’t promise this is more financial donation, allowing us to to a lively and successful 2015 for than a one-time splurge, but maybe purchase new equipment and software the Western Neighborhoods Project. some funding or sponsorship for to make the collection available to We’ll tell you more about these this format and size can be found. the public. Read more about the fantastic people next newsletter! Share your ideas with us. project, and see some highlights Many of you are receiving this from the collection on page 27. 2015 OUTLOOK electronically, and we thank you for We have had some excellent In the fifteen years since I co-founded that. You’re saving paper, postage, member walks this year, courtesy the Western Neighborhoods Project, I and our pocketbooks. The more of Mary Brown, John Freeman, do not think I have been more excited who choose to read these words John Martini, Jacquie Proctor, about our future. We’re still a poor little on their screens, the more money and Lorri Ungaretti. Thanks to board nonprofit, with a budget perhaps one we have for other activities. But member Richard Brandi for planning percent of some historical societies, if you want to indulge this one and coordinating the walks, and but our impact is much greater than time, loyal member, drop us a line thanks to the members who gave our bank balance. We have a larger and we’ll mail you a hard copy. extra donations in appreciation. office space and a growing archive of historical material. We have dedicated THANKSGIVING CONCLUDING KELLY’S volunteers and patrons. Our programs There will be lots of gratitude offered Our Tales from Kelly’s Cove project, continue to expand and get better. throughout this publication and I interviewing the men and women who How many Bay Area history groups want to begin by noting the years have been part of the cold-water surf offer walks; talks; movie nights; an of hard work that board member culture on Ocean Beach from the ever-growing website of photos, Lorri Ungaretti has put into editing 1950s on, ended with a nice reunion articles, and message boards; plus a and writing WNP’s newsletter. and movie night on October 18. We Facebook page, Twitter feed, weekly Lorri is such a pro that it seems displayed large signboards featuring podcast, and (new) glossy magazine? every SF history group has put photographs by Dennis O’Rorke Just one. her to work on their journals and and excerpts from our interviews. Our $30 base membership newsletters. We’ll strive to match We couldn’t have done it without donation has never gone up, so her high standards going forward. the support of Cal Humanities, and we’re likely the best deal in town. The terms of WNP board especial thanks to Kelly’s Cove And speaking of money… members Jamie O’Keefe and Paul Reunion organizer Arne Wong. Our year-end fundraising drive Rosenberg have ended, and I can’t Read some excerpts from one of our accounts for almost half of our yearly thank them both enough for the interviews on page 10 and on our budget. When our envelope arrives exemplary work they have done over website: outsidelands.org/kellys. in your mailbox this year I hope you’ll the past four years. Each served as consider us a worthy candidate of secretary of the board and made NEW BOARD MEMBERS a little extra attention. Your support great contributions in the areas of We’re very excited to welcome makes all of this possible. • member outreach and events. Gretchen Hilyard, Nicole Meldahl, SF WEST HISTORY | 1 Where in West S.F.? ongratulations to Joan Cinquini and CDaniel Hollander, both of whom successfully guessed our mystery image from the last newsletter. The three handsome homes, all built about 1907, stood together on the north side of Taraval Street near 24th Avenue in the Parkside District. McCoppin Square is visible on the right side of this view from the early 1920s. The Parkside branch of the San Francisco library, a familiar landmark to many today, Taraval Street at 24th Avenue in the early 1920s. wouldn’t be built until 1951. Of the three houses, only the one on the far right of the photograph, us your best answer as to where and [email protected] or by the currently addressed as 1420 when the Parkwood Coffee Shop and good old postal service. Our street Taraval Street, still stands today. the surrounding businesses served address can be found on the inside Time for another round! Take a the west side. Send your guesses, front cover of the newsletter. look at the photograph below and give thoughts, and memories by email to Good luck and thanks for playing! Where was the Parkwood Coffee Shop? Send us your guesses, theories, and memories! 2 | OCT-DEC 2014 Researching Residence Parks hanks to a grant from cost, yard size, and lot use (no 2) Sea Cliff: 28th through 32nd San Francisco’s Historic commercial activity). Most also had Avenues, California Street; 25th, TPreservation Fund Committee, racial restrictions banning minority 26th, and 27th Avenues north of El the Western Neighborhoods Project ownership and occupancy. Camino del Mar; Lincoln Park, the is compiling an architectural history In San Francisco, residence Presidio, and the Golden Gate. of eight neighborhoods constructed parks were promoted after the 1906 3) West Clay Park: 22nd more than 100 years ago. earthquake and fire to compete with and 24th Avenues between Lake These master-planned attractive new subdivisions in the East Street and the Presidio. “residence parks” were landscaped Bay and Peninsula that lured away 4) Jordan Park: Geary enclaves created to provide the many of the city’s white-collar workers. Boulevard, California Street, Arguello pleasures of suburban living within Growing slowly at first, sales took Boulevard to Parker Avenue. reach of work downtown. off during the 1920s. Most of the tracts 5) Forest Hill: 7th Avenue, Laguna Inspired by lofty ideals of the were built out by 1930, with a few filling Honda and Dewey Boulevards, Taraval City Beautiful and Garden City in during the years after World War II. Street and, on the west, a north-south movements, residence parks The residence parks being line running between the junctions of had curving boulevards and lush studied, with their boundaries, are: 8th Avenue and Linares Avenue and landscaping —trees, greens, and 1) Lincoln Manor: Geary 9th Avenue and Pacheco Street.