SF West History Minute

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Remembering Herb Caen

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Shipwrecks at Lands End
At the particularly low tides you can see a number of shipwrecks at Lands End
Speedway Meadow
How did Speedway Meadow get its name? Ask the people at Jimmy's Old Car Picnic.
World War II in San Francisco
John Martini recounts how close the war came on Christmas Eve 1941
Mystery Dividing Line
Funny shaped buildings in West Portal mark a link to San Francisco's Mexican era
The King Philip Shipwreck
On January 25, 1878, The King Philip was one of three ships to leave San Francisco Bay, but the only one to stay in San Francisco.
Polly Ann Ice Cream
A good gamble in the Outer Sunset for almost 60 years
Famous Gardeners
David and Katie take a look at some famous trees at the California Palace of Legion of Honor.
Mohawk Gas Sation
Closed for 25-30 years, the old Mohawk gas station on the southeast corner of Irving Street and 16th Avenue still has curb appeal.
Secret Past of 649 - 8th Avenue
The story of a curious building in the Inner Richmond District
Sunset Tank Houses and Wells
Lurking in backyards and underground are some Outer Sunset District water sources.
The Columbarium
Lindsey walks among the dead at the Columbarium, once part of the Odd Fellows Cemetery.
Artifact Discovery
A piece of Playland history found in West Portal
Laguna Honda Wall
History of Laguna Honda Hospital's old cobblestone wall at the intersection of Laguna Honda Boulevard, Woodside Avenue, and Dewey Boulevard.
Burger Memories
Bill Alvarado remembers Happy Herb's at the WNP Picnic/BBQ, October 3, 2010.
KGO House
The off-screen elf thinks he knows everything...
Seventh Avenue Station
Lindsey Fryar tells us what that odd shed is at 7th Avenue and Fulton Street.
A Family in Lakeshore Park
Home movie footage courtesy of the Prelinger Archives in the Gellert-built neighborhood south of Sloat Boulevard.
70 Years of Sunset Butchery
The Bowcock family opened their first butcher shop on 20th Avenue in 1908.
The Army Invades the Richmond District
The story of Camp Merritt
Apartment Building's Secret Past
Is this Ocean Beach building more than it seems?
Grove of Memory
A Golden Gate Park memorial to those who died serving in war.
Engine Company 33
117 Broad Street is a historic 1890s firehouse and formerly the home of Engine Company 33.
Monkey Island
A 1940 Trip to San Francisco Zoo's Monkey Island
Walking the Lakeside Neighborhood
An Icelandic enclave near Stonestown
Richmond Cheese Lovers
Some would argue that 22nd and Geary was once the Richmond District's heart of Mexican Cuisine.
48th Avenue Grocery
Frances Kniffin Larkin, a Sunset District resident for over 80 years, remembers when "Your Market, My Deli" at 1460-48th Avenue was Brucker's in the 1930s.
Backyard History
Marty Larkin has added bit and pieces of San Francisco's history to the backyard of his Outer Sunset District home.
The Mothers Building
Once a primary stopping place for any trip to the Zoo.
Sunset School Demolition
The Sunset Cooperative Nursery School was demolished after 59 years to make way for a new school.
House of Stone
In 1927, this house was the most popular destination in Forest Hill.
Tombstone Search
When the cemeteries were moved from the Richmond District, the remains went one place and the headstones another.
The Missing Rails of 20th Avenue
once upon a time 20th Avenue was the main north-south route through the Sunset
The Larkins Building
The Larkins Building on the NW corner of Arguello and Geary boulevards has in interesting and mostly unknown history.
David Warren Memorial
Remembering the former operator of the Giant Camera, first lighter of the Burning Man, and founder of the Suicide Club, at El Cerrito's Playland-Not-at-the-Beach on January 2, 2010.
Pine Lake's Many Names
An SF West History Minute on the different names for Pine Lake.
Sunnyside Conservatory
Reopening the Sunnyside Conservatory
Life Saving Station
Built in 1878, a building used by the Life Saving Service was moved in 1923 from Golden Gate Park to the Richmond District.
Smaller Stucco
In 1941, builder Ray Galli broke the Sunset District mold with his tiny single-story homes.
The Great Sign Search
We go looking throughout the hills West of Twin Peaks for artifacts of an earlier day
We Love the Beach
Ocean Beach. Sunset. See you there.
Balboa Theaters of San Francisco
The Richmond's beloved Balboa Theater wasn't the first.
Jimmy's Old Car Picnic
Jimmy's Old Car Picnic is an annual tradition in Golden Gate Park
Sutro Heights "Bunkers"
John Martini demystifies the concrete structures in Sutro Heights
We Love the Fog
Woody LaBounty waxes poetic on the west side's Summer visitor
Broderick-Terry Duel Reenactment
The 150th Anniversary of the last duel in California
Death's Crossing
Revisiting what was one of the most dangerous intersections in San Francisco
The Breon Gate
Why is there a huge gate at 19th and Lincoln?
Ortega Branch Library Goodbye
Tearing down our recent history
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel connected downtown with the west side in 1918
Laffin' Sal
Is Laffin' Sal one of a kind?
New Shack Identified
Recent renovations yield a historic dicovery in the Castro... another 1906 Earthquake refugee cottage.
Balboa Theaters of San Francisco
One of the city's last neighborhood theaters and a predecessor most haven't heard of before.
Business as Usual on Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue, a street of firsts.
Doggie Diner Head
The Doggie Diner Head, San Francisco Landmark #254 on Sloat Blvd
Honest Abe Avenue
Remnants of America's first highway, the Lincoln Highway.
Narrow Sidewalks
Reusing one the the Sunset's great buildings
Mystery Monoliths of the Richmond
What are those things at 45th Avenue and Geary?
SF's Widest Street
What is the widest street in the City? It's in the outside lands.
Larsen Park
One man's gift to the City
Patron Saint Against Earthquakes
The story of the Ingleside's St Emydius
WNP Open House
People come from all over to meet in the Westen Neighborhoods
Saved Shack in the Zoo
1906's temporary building finds a permanent home at the zoo.
Parking Lot Secret History
A parking lot in more ways than one.
Inner Richmond History Walk
A stroll though the Richmond