Western Neighborhoods Project is dedicated to the history of San Francisco's Richmond, Sunset, OMI and West of Twin Peaks districts.   read more ...

WNP Past Events

Here are some of our recent events. Did you attend? Do you wish you had? Click the title of any event and send us a message about what you thought or a request for a re do.

We're happy to appear at street fairs, festivals, and other community events to show old photos of the neighborhood, give out free booklets, and chat with people about west SF history.

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    WNP Film Club: The Lineup(WNP Event)

    Apr 16, 2025 7:00pm-9:00pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    WNP Film Club is a film series at the 4 Star Theater brought to you by Western Neighborhoods Project, your friendly community history nonprofit, in partnership with Bay Area Movies. Join us in celebrating movies filmed on location in San Francisco, with an emphasis on the west side. Each screening will feature an introduction by WNP’s resident film buffs, John Martini and Chelsea Sellin, who will share some background about the film and its featured locations, including historical images from the OpenSFHistory photo archive. Optional Extra Credit: stick around after the movie to chat with John and Chelsea and indulge your inner film nerd.

    Join us on Wednesday, April 16, for the classic 1958 crime drama The Lineup. The SFPD are hot on a case involving heroin smuggled by unwitting travelers. They’re up against a sinister Eli Wallach and his criminal gang. If you think Bullitt basically invented the San Francisco car chase, you’ve got to check out The Lineup. Plus! An extensive sequence inside the former Sutro’s—it’s like you can step back in time and visit it yourself. Directed by Don Siegel, who later did Dirty Harry and Escape from Alcatraz, this is a true cine noir classic.

    The program begins at 7:00pm. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater! Please purchase tickets from the 4 Star Theater website. $15 General Admission; $12.50 for seniors and children.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/western-neighborhoods-project-presents-the-lineup

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    Legion of Honor 100th Anniversary Celebration: Obsessed with Light(WNP Event)

    Mar 26, 2025 7:00pm-9:30pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) for a very special screening of Obsessed with Light (2023), hosted in partnership with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (FAMSF) to celebrate the Legion of Honor on its 100th anniversary.

    Obsessed with Light pulls back the curtain on Loïe Fuller, one of the most daring American creators of modern dance, who originated a completely new kind of spectacle combining dance, fabric, and lighting. Anyone who has been to a rock concert has seen a modern version of her lighting designs. Fuller shot to international stardom after performing at the Folies Bergère in Paris. She became the embodiment of the Art Nouveau movement with her elaborate productions of ephemeral, shape-shifting abstractions. Her rise to fame also intertwined with the very beginning of cinema and her Serpentine dance became an iconic subject for the earliest filmmakers like Georges Méliès and Alice Guy Blaché. It was also among the earliest footage ever to be hand-colored.

    Obsessed with Light is about a woman who became famous on her own terms– unapologetic about her body type and open about her sexual preference. Fuller was a visionary artist who disrupted the prevailing notions of dance and the imagined limits of the human body. Creating a dialogue between the past and the present, the documentary delves into the astonishing influence Fuller's work has on contemporary artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Taylor Swift, Bill T. Jones, Shakira, and William Kentridge.

    WNP Executive Director Nicole Meldahl will introduce the film, highlighting Fuller’s connection to the Legion of Honor and the Richmond District. A conversation with filmmakers Sabine Krayenbühl and Zeva Oelbaum, moderated by Isabella Lores-Chavez, Associate Curator of European Paintings at FAMSF, will screen after the film. In celebration of Big Alma’s birthday, we’ll also have free slices of cake (first-come, first-served) from local baker Francesca (known for their recently retired project Fear the Feast!)

    The program begins at 7:00pm. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater. Please purchase tickets from the 4 Star Theater website. $15 General Admission; $12.50 for seniors and children.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/obsessed-with-light

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    Cole Valley Night Market

    Mar 13, 2025 4:00pm-9:00pm (Thursday)

    WNP will be celebrating the history of one of our newest neighborhoods with a table at the Cole Valley Night Market on Cole Street between Carl and Parnassus on Thursday, March 13th from 4-9pm.

    We'll have historic photos of the neighborhood, a kids activity, and friendly volunteers to answer questions about what's happening in San Francisco's west side, past and present. Come enjoy a family-friendly evening market in the heart of Cole Valley featuring live music, food and goods from local makers and merchants, and oodles of fun for all ages around the night's theme, celebrating St. Patrick's Day.

    The Cole Valley Night Market is presented by the Cole Valley Merchants Association in collaboration with Sunset Mercantile, Civic Joy Fund, and Avenue Greenlight. RSVP is not required to attend this event, but donations to WNP are always appreciated to support our nonprofit history work!


    map to: Cole Street and Carl Street
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org

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    WNP Book Club Silent Reading Party(WNP Event)

    Mar 8, 2025 11:00am-1:00pm (Saturday) at Bazaar Cafe

    Please join us for the next WNP Book Club Silent Reading Party at Bazaar Cafe on Saturday, March 8th!

    What is a Silent Reading Party, you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like: from 11:00am to 1:00pm, we’ll hang out with fellow bibliophiles at one of our favorite cafes and read to ourselves. There will be a specially curated soundtrack playing for you, and you’ll have food and beverages available for purchase. We encourage you to bring your copy of "We Run the Tides" by Vendela Vida, WNP Book Club’s featured title for March-April 2025, but you’re welcome to join no matter what you’re reading right now!

    WNP Book Club is the perfect excuse to read books and gather around a shared sense of place. Launched in January 2025, this Club is a partnership between Western Neighborhoods Project, your friend community history nonprofit; Sean Connelly, Humanities lecturer emeritus at San Francisco State University; Problem Library, an arts and education space for people of all-ages; and two of our favorite neighborhood businesses: Bazaar Cafe and Green Apple Books. All of our recommendations can be purchased at a 10% discount from either Green Apple on Clement Street or Books on the Park on 9th Avenue. We read one book that has a (sometimes abstract) connection to local history every two months. And, on the second Saturday of the month, WNP hosts either a Silent Reading Party or a salon-style Book Discussion in connection with every book.

    This event is free but donations are always helpful and RSVPs are appreciated so the cafe knows what kind of crowd to expect. We look forward to spending a very chill late morning with you soon!


    map to: Bazaar Cafe 5927 California Street
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1145930943299?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    The 1894 World’s Fair in Golden Gate Park(WNP Event)

    Mar 6, 2025 6:30pm-7:30pm (Thursday)
    Join Western Neighborhoods Project and retired National Park Service ranger John Martini for a free illustrated presentation via Zoom on the 1894 World's Fair in Golden Gate Park, on Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 6:30pm.

    Few people know that Golden Gate Park once hosted a World's Fair, the nearly-forgotten California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894. Designed to publicize California’s mild mid-winter weather, the Fair occupied the site of the present day Music Concourse and was a pared-down version of the famous 1893 Chicago World Columbian Exposition. In this PowerPoint show, John highlights the exotic but short-lived Fair that occupied the heart of Golden Gate Park, including scattered surviving remnants of the Exposition from 130 years ago.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. This event is free but donations are appreciated. Please RSVP to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1245675020519?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    WNP Film Club: Time After Time(WNP Event)

    Feb 19, 2025 7:00pm-9:30pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    WNP Film Club is a film series at the 4 Star Theater brought to you by Western Neighborhoods Project, your friendly community history nonprofit, in partnership with Bay Area Movies. Join us in celebrating movies filmed on location in San Francisco, with an emphasis on the west side. Each screening will feature an introduction by WNP’s resident film buffs, John Martini and Chelsea Sellin, who will share some background about the film and its featured locations, including historical images from the OpenSFHistory photo archive. Optional Extra Credit: stick around after the movie to chat with John and Chelsea and indulge your inner film nerd.

    On Wednesday, February 19, we’ll all be enjoying 1979’s Time After Time. Sometimes, a plot summary just sells itself: Jack the Ripper (David Warner) steals H.G. Wells’s time machine to travel to late 70s San Francisco and continue his reign of terror. Wells (Malcolm McDowell) pursues him and somehow also finds time to romance a bank teller (Mary Steenburgen). Who needs historic or scientific accuracy when you’ve got groovy special effects to illustrate the space time continuum?! The film features a generous array of San Francisco exteriors and interiors. Join us for this fun genre-mashup through our city, frozen in time.

    The program begins at 7:00pm. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater! Please purchase tickets from the 4 Star Theater website. $15 General Admission; $12.50 for seniors and children.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/western-neighborhoods-project-presents-experiment-in-terror-7pm-9mm5w

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    WNP Galentine’s Day Party(WNP Event)

    Feb 13, 2025 4:30pm-6:30pm (Thursday) at Rusty Ladle
    We’re commemorating our first exhibition on Great Highway, HER(E), with a closing party at our favorite Sunset soup spot, Rusty Ladle, on Thursday, February 13th from 4:30-6:30pm.

    Presented in partnership with The Great Highway gallery and Friends of Ocean Beach Park, HER(E) was installed in August 2024 and will be taken down at the end of February. The exhibition features eight mostly anonymous women from the OpenSFHistory archive that curator Nicole Meldahl “met” and couldn’t forget because they felt like family. Her emotional connection to these women rooted her within a feminine legacy in San Francisco and helped her feel at home here. By making them highly visible on large banners installed on street lamps along Great Highway, we had hoped someone would recognize them and give these women back their names. Although that didn’t come to pass, the exhibit has helped to temporarily correct a city-acknowledged gender imbalance in San Francisco’s public art.

    We’re so grateful to have held space for these women on the highway for six months, and this event is our thank you to San Francisco. We hope you’ll join us to say bon voyage to the exhibition on Galentine’s Day. We’ll have soup shooters and sandwich bites available for attendees while supplies last, and the restaurant will be decked out with festive decorations. Additional food and drink can be purchased at the counter.

    Special thanks to proprietor John Lindsey, who also designed and fabricated the banners, for letting us take over his restaurant! This event is free but registration is required. Rusty Ladle is a small Outer Sunset soup spot and space is limited.


    map to: Rusty Ladle 3645 Lawton Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1225260269449?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    "Vandover and the Brute" Book Discussion(WNP Event)

    Feb 8, 2025 6:00pm-8:00pm (Saturday) at Problem Library
    Please join us for the first salon-style Book Discussion of WNP Book Club on February 8th from 6:00-8:00pm!

    We’ll gather at Problem Library’s beautiful Inner Sunset District space to discuss "Vandover and the Brute" by Frank Norris, WNP Book Club’s featured title for January-February 2025 that can be purchased at a 10% discount in-person at Green Apple Books on Clement Street or Books on the Park on 9th Avenue.

    Published posthumously in 1914, "Vandover and the Brute" has been described as an “unflinching” portrait of 19th-century San Francisco and its publication initially scandalized polite society, although it will read as somewhat demure to modern audiences. It follows a privileged spendthrift named Vandover, the son of a wealthy owner of slum properties in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. He dreams of being an artist but, lacking self-discipline, succumbs to the many…ahem…distractions the city had to offer in the 1890s. Although it’s often overshadowed by Frank Norris’s more notable (more controversial) works like "McTeague: A Story of San Francisco," the descriptions of life in the city presented in Vandover will be of interest to any aficionado of San Francisco history. And the main character’s trip to the Cliff House, which was still trying to shake off its less-than-savory reputation, is what caught our attention as west side historians.

    Together, we’ll enjoy complimentary light refreshments and chat about the San Francisco we discovered in the novel. The discussion will be led by Sean Connelly, Humanities lecturer emeritus at San Francisco State University, and WNP’s Executive Director Nicole Meldahl, supported by photographs from the OpenSFHistory archive, related activities and listening experiences, and more. Even if you didn’t read the book (although we strongly encourage that you do), we bet you’ll enjoy an evening communing with neighborhood bibliophiles.

    This event is free but donations are always helpful and RSVPs are appreciated so we know how many people to expect.

    WNP Book Club is the perfect excuse to read books and commune around a shared sense of place. Launched in January 2025, this club is a partnership between Western Neighborhoods Project, your friend community history nonprofit; Sean Connelly, Humanities lecturer emeritus at San Francisco State University; Problem Library, an arts and education space for people of all-ages; Bazaar Cafe and Green Apple Books. All of our featured books can be purchased at a 10% discount from Green Apple on Clement Street and Books on the Park on 9th Avenue. We read one book that has a (sometimes abstract) connection to local history every two months. And, on the second Saturday of the month, WNP hosts either a Silent Reading Party or a salon-style Book Discussion in connection with every book. And yes, there is a limited-edition bookmark for everyone who participates!


    map to: Problem Library 1288 15th Avenue
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1146289726429?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Sense / Memory: Films of Paul Schrader - "Patty Hearst" with Introduction by WNP

    Jan 15, 2025 7:30pm-9:30pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    Grab your friends and join us for a screening of Paul Schrader's film "Patty Hearst" at the 4 Star Theater on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.

    Based on a renowned true story, this drama follows college student and newspaper heiress Patty Hearst (Natasha Richardson) as she is abducted at the hands of left-wing extremists. Held captive by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army, Hearst is exposed to their beliefs and eventually cooperates with the group, even taking part in a number of bank robberies. Later, Hearst is apprehended, and authorities must determine how to deal with her highly unusual case.

    The year this took place (1974) was a wild one for San Francisco, and WNP will set the scene with some historic context in a special introduction to maximize your viewing experience. Plus, you'll learn more about the Sunset District bank job that is featured in the film. Get there early to get the best popcorn in town and snag the best seats.

    Tickets can be purchased at the window or in advance on the 4 Star website by using the link in the "more info" field below.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Adam Bergeron adam@cinemasf.com
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/paul-schrader-fest-patty-hearst-1988-730pm

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    WNP Book Club Silent Reading Party(WNP Event)

    Jan 11, 2025 11:00am-1:00pm (Saturday) at Bazaar Cafe

    Please join us for the first-ever WNP Book Club Silent Reading Party at Bazaar Cafe on Saturday, January 11th!

    What is a Silent Reading Party, you ask? It’s exactly what it sounds like: from 11:00am to 1:00pm, we’ll hang out with fellow bibliophiles at one of our favorite cafes and read to ourselves. There will be a specially curated soundtrack playing for you, and you’ll have food and beverages available for purchase. We encourage you to bring your copy of "Vandover and the Brute" by Frank Norris, WNP Book Club’s featured title for January-February 2025, but you’re welcome to join no matter what you’re reading right now!

    WNP Book Club is the perfect excuse to read books and gather around a shared sense of place. Launched in January 2025, this Club is a partnership between Western Neighborhoods Project; Sean Connelly, Humanities lecturer emeritus at San Francisco State University; Problem Library, an arts and education space for people of all-ages; and Green Apple Books. All of our recommendations can be purchased at a 10% discount from the WNP Book Club display at Green Apple. We read one book that has a (sometimes abstract) connection to local history every two months. And, on the second Saturday of the month, WNP hosts either a Silent Reading Party or a salon-style Book Discussion in connection with every book. Read more about the Club on our website: https://outsidelands.org/wnp-book-club/.

    This event is free but donations are always helpful and RSVPs are appreciated so the cafe knows what kind of crowd to expect. See link below to let us know you're coming via Eventbrite.

    We look forward to spending a very chill late morning with you soon! Questions, requests, or recommendations? Email Nicole Meldahl: nicole@outsidelands.org.


    map to: Bazaar Cafe 5927 California Street
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-book-club-silent-reading-party-registration-1128165295769?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    The Historian is HER(E) at Java Beach Cafe(WNP Event)

    Nov 23, 2024 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday) at Java Beach Cafe

    Executive Director Nicole Meldahl will be hanging out as a Historian in Residence at Java Beach Cafe on Saturday, November 23rd from 10:00am-Noon in support of HER(E), our current exhibition installed on streetlamps along Great Highway.

    Presented in partnership with The Great Highway gallery and Friends of Great Highway Park, HER(E) reflects a deeply personal journey by Nicole, whose curation focused on eight vibrant women who felt like family. Her emotional connection to these women, “met” while working with the OpenSFHistory archive, has rooted her within a feminine legacy in San Francisco and helped her feel at home here. Yet this connection also made Nicole sad that more women who have lived largely private lives–like her mother and grandmother–have been lost to Time.

    By making these eight women visible on large banners installed on street lamps along Great Highway, we hope someone recognizes them and gives them back their names. The exhibition also helps to correct a city-acknowledged gender imbalance in San Francisco’s public art. Most significantly, it provides WNP an opportunity to talk about gender bias in archival practices and address gaps within our own collection.

    Nicole will be enjoying her favorite Vanilla Oat Milk Latte at one of our favorite west side cafes, presenting info on the exhibition and other good old-fashioned west side history. Stop by for a visit on your way to the highway.


    map to: Java Beach Cafe 1396 La Playa Street
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org

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    WNP Film Club: Experiment in Terror(WNP Event)

    Nov 19, 2024 7:00pm-9:30pm (Tuesday) at 4 Star Theater

    WNP Film Club is a film series at the 4 Star Theater brought to you by Western Neighborhoods Project, your friendly community history nonprofit. Join us in celebrating movies filmed on location in San Francisco, with an emphasis on the west side. Each screening will feature an introduction by WNP’s resident film buffs, John Martini and Chelsea Sellin, who will share some background about the film and its featured locations, including historical images from the OpenSFHistory photo archive. Optional Extra Credit: stick around after the movie to chat with John and Chelsea and indulge your inner film nerd.

    We’re watching 1962’s Experiment in Terror on Tuesday, November 19. Director Blake Edwards decided to follow-up his hit, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, with something completely different: a black and white noir thriller. Sisters Lee Remick and Stefanie Powers are terrorized by a stranger, with FBI Agent Glenn Ford racing to keep them safe, all culminating during a real baseball game at Candlestick Park. The random nature of the crime and invasion of privacy feels strikingly modern. Plus! Some great west side locations not commonly featured in movies, a Henry Mancini score, and a strong cameo performance by Karl the Fog.

    The program begins at 7:00pm. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater! Please purchase tickets from the 4 Star Theater website. $15 General Admission; $12.50 for seniors and children.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/western-neighborhoods-project-presents-experiment-in-terror-7pm

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    Family Dinner with Paul Madonna(WNP Event)

    Nov 14, 2024 5:30pm-8:30pm (Thursday) at Gaspare’s Pizza House & Italian Restaurant

    To kick off the holiday season, Western Neighborhoods Project is hosting a Family Dinner at Gaspare’s Pizza House & Italian Restaurant on Thursday, November 14 at 5:30pm with special guest, artist Paul Madonna!

    Join us for a taste of mid-century San Francisco at Gaspare’s, where Richmond District residents have been sliding into red booths with gingham tablecloths and tableside jukeboxes to enjoy Neapolitan delights since 1955. We’ll be breaking bread with Paul Madonna, the award-winning artist and best-selling author of the San Francisco Chronicle’s "All Over Coffee" series and the illustrator of "Spirits of San Francisco." Few people have captured our city with more heart than Paul and his unique blend of drawing and storytelling. Recently, his work has been focused on Sutro Tower and we’ll be chatting with him about all this and so much more.

    This is your chance to enjoy pizza with neighbors and new friends, support Western Neighborhoods Project, and give thanks for the history that brings us all together. Tickets are $75 each for a seat at the communal center table with Paul Madonna. Booth seats include complimentary bottles of wine and other special goodies; an individual seat in a booth is $90 (booths seat 4 people total). All guests of this relaxed gathering will enjoy a three-course Neapolitan meal served buffet-style, a small silent auction, and “20 Questions with Paul Madonna” to round out the evening. Please purchase tickets through Eventbrite. Submit your question for Paul when purchasing your ticket!

    Proceeds from the evening support our nonprofit mission to preserve and share the history of San Francisco’s west side, as well as a family owned and operated neighborhood pizzeria!


    map to: Gaspare’s Pizza House & Italian Restaurant 5546 Geary Blvd.
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1051190147027?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Lost Cemetery of Lincoln Park History Walk(WNP Event)

    Nov 2, 2024 5:00pm-6:30pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini on this twilight exploration of Lincoln Park and discover forgotten funerary monuments along the golf course fairways. Few people realize that today's Lincoln Park Golf Course was once "City Cemetery," the final resting place for tens of thousands of San Franciscans, including a Chinese burial ground and the municipal paupers' graveyard called Potter's Field. The walk ends at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.

    Our journey begins on Saturday, November 2, 2024 at 5:00pm and takes about 1.5 hours. Grade: moderate with some uphill sections and lawn.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lost-cemetery-of-lincoln-park-history-walk-tickets-1035235044887?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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    Shipwreck Week Lands End History Walk(WNP Event)

    Oct 26, 2024 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a scenic tour of the wild northwest corner of San Francisco known as Lands End. We’ll follow the right of way for the famous Ferries & Cliff House steam train, see the remains of two shipwrecks (if the tides are right), visit the site of the vanished community of Ocean Terrace, and explore the once-lavish grounds of Adolph Sutro’s estate at Sutro Heights.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderately strenuous.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipwreck-week-lands-end-history-walk-tickets-1035227391997?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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    "Photography as Ritual" Talk at TMI #003

    Oct 19, 2024 4:00pm-5:00pm (Saturday) at Problem Library

    Join Executive Director Nicole Meldahl as she explores "Photography as Ritual" in a conversation with photographers Rob Brodman, Jeff Masamori, and Danica Taylor at Problem Library on October 19, 2024 at 4:00pm as part of TMI #003.

    TMI, now in its third iteration, is an all day event with programming presented by students, mentors, collaborators and other friends from across the Problem Library community. The symposium format invites presenters to share things they love, present new work, or try something unexpected all relating to a central theme. For this TMI the theme is Ritual, and the magic that arises when we put our trust in simple things. Participants will approach ritual from various directions—tea, drawing, weaving, movement, scent, soup—as they explore what can happen when simple ideas, simple ingredients, and simple motions repeat, layer, and combine.

    What does photography have in common with ritual? Nicole's hypothesis is: Time. All three facets of photography–from creating a photograph, experiencing an image, and preserving it in an archive–include an accounting for time and an incredible amount of reverence: a devotion to taking, seeing, and keeping. The essential elements in Ritual are also reverence and marking of time. We'll see how all these elements interact through the lenses of our featured photographers in a conversation guided by the Patron Saint of Photography: Susan Sontag.

    The day will be split into two sessions, morning and afternoon, and WNP will participate in the afternoon session at 4:00pm. Soup will also be provided in the evening by our pal, John Lindsey of The Great Highway gallery and forthcoming Rusty Ladle restaurant.

    Tickets support the nonprofit work of this Sunset District 501(c)(3) and are $20 for the morning session, $30 for the afternoon session (includes soup), and $40 for the entire day. You can purchase tickets through the TMI website using the link below.


    map to: Problem Library 1288 15th Avenue
    Contact: Daniel Lucas tmi@problemlibrary.org
    more info: https://problemlibrary.org/event/tmi-003/

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    SOLD OUT Shipwreck Week Behind the Scenes Tour at SF Maritime SOLD OUT(WNP Event)

    Oct 17, 2024 4:30pm-6:30pm (Thursday) at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Visitor Center

    Thank you, everyone, this event is SOLD OUT.

    Join us on Thursday, October 17, 2024 for a very special behind-the-scenes tour of San Francisco Maritime’s Visitor Center and Collections Storage as part of Shipwreck Week 2024.

    Our voyage begins at 4:30pm at San Francisco Maritime’s Visitor Center where Park Ranger Sabrina Oliveros will take us on a shipwreck-focused tour. Housed in the Park’s 1909 historic brick cannery warehouse, the Visitor Center tells the stories of voyage, discovery, and cultural diversity of the Bay Area’s maritime history. As cohost of the Park's award-winning “Better Lives, Bitter Lies” podcast that examines untold stories of the city’s waterfront, Oliveros is uniquely suited to share stories about the famed City of Rio De Janeiro shipwreck and so much more. There may even be a museum ghost story in the mix…

    We’ll next take a short 20-minute walk from the Visitor Center to a super secret location at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture where Park Registrar Kirsten Kvam will lead a tour of the Park’s 3-D object collection storage. San Francisco Maritime stewards and maintains an extensive collection of library and archival materials, as well as small crafts seen at Hyde Street Pier. The object collection includes over 48,000 artifacts that represent the lives of the men and women who built and sailed vessels along the Pacific Coast of North America, and either worked in or relied on maritime-related industries. Kvam will share highlights that speak to shipwreck history and more.

    You don't want to miss your chance to be part of this intimate experience. Please register through Eventbrite. The tour is limited to 10 people. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $40 for Western Neighborhoods Project to cover the cost of organizing this special Shipwreck Week program.


    map to: San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park Visitor Center 499 Jefferson Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipwreck-week-behind-the-scenes-tour-at-sf-maritime-tickets-1036209439327?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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    ShipWRECKED Trivia Night at The Riptide(WNP Event)

    Oct 16, 2024 6:00pm-9:00pm (Wednesday) at The Riptide

    Ahoy, mateys! Shipwreck Week returns to The Riptide bar for a special maritime-themed trivia night on Wednesday, October 16th.

    Our first in-person event for our second-ever Shipwreck Week will begin at 6:00pm. Happy hour pricing will be in effect and your friendly neighborhood bartenders will be serving a spicy rum drink special until 7:00pm, when we’ll have a few rounds of trivia that will test your seafaring muscles. There will be giveaways, prizes, special performances by the Aloha Uke Squad, and more. It’ll be a whale of a good time.

    Please register through Eventbrite. 21+ only with valid ID. This event is free but we do request you RSVP in advance so bar staff know how many to expect for the night and, as always, donations are appreciated to keep our nonprofit afloat!


    map to: The Riptide 3639 Taraval Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shipwrecked-trivia-night-at-the-riptide-registration-1038447092207?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

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    WNP Film Club: The Presidio(WNP Event)

    Sep 25, 2024 7:00pm-9:00pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    WNP Film Club is a monthly film series at the 4 Star Theater brought to you by Western Neighborhoods Project, your friendly community history nonprofit. Join us in celebrating movies filmed on location in San Francisco, with an emphasis on the west side. Each screening will feature an introduction by WNP’s resident film buffs, John Martini and Chelsea Sellin, who will share some background about the film and its featured locations, including historical images from the OpenSFHistory photo archive. Optional Extra Credit: stick around after the movie to chat with John and Chelsea and indulge your inner film nerd.

    For our inaugural screening on Wednesday, September 25, we’re watching The Presidio, the 1988 crime thriller starring Sean Connery, Mark Harmon, and Meg Ryan. A murder at the Presidio Army base serves as the tip of a much more sinister iceberg, bringing Harmon’s SFPD detective together with the Presidio’s provost marshal, Connery, and his daughter, Ryan. Is this film basically Harmon’s audition for his future role on NCIS? Come and see for yourself!

    The program begins at 7:00pm. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater! Please purchase tickets from the 4 Star Theater website. $15 General Admission; $12.50 for seniors and children.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.4-star-movies.com/calendar-of-events/wnp-film-club-presents-the-presidio-730pm

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    Sutro Heights History Walk(WNP Event)

    Sep 21, 2024 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project for a scenic and historic walk led by historian and retired National Park Service ranger John Martini. The tour brings San Francisco mayor and Comstock millionaire Adolph Sutro’s “Pleasure Grounds” alive and recreates the area San Franciscans long considered their very own seaside wonderland. The walk includes an overview of the Cliff House and ruins of Sutro Baths, Sutro’s midway of Merrie Way, and a loop walk through Sutro Heights, Sutro's faded formal estate.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: easy with one uphill section and one area of unpaved paths. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please purchase tickets through Eventbrite. Tickets are $10 for WNP members and $20 for non-members. Become a member and save! The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/991420053067?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    SF Survey Richmond Neighborhood Workshop(WNP Event)

    Sep 19, 2024 5:00pm-7:00pm (Thursday) at The Internet Archive

    We invite you to join the SF Survey Richmond Neighborhood Workshop!

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project, the SF Planning Department, and Richmond District residents for an evening at the Internet Archive sharing community and personal histories. Learn about ongoing efforts by the SF Planning Department to advance the Chinese American and Russian American Historic Context Statements and review in-progress historic and cultural resource findings for the Richmond Neighborhood Commercial Districts.

    We encourage you to bring photos, newspaper clips, prompts, and memories to share with your neighbors the hidden, lost, or forgotten stories of important Richmond neighborhood businesses.

    Refreshments and a tour of the Internet Archive will be provided!

    This event is FREE! Please click on the link to go to the Eventbrite listing to RSVP, and to review both Historic Context Statements.

    SF Survey is a multi-year program to identify and document places and resources of cultural, historical, and architectural importance to San Francisco’s diverse communities.


    map to: The Internet Archive 300 Funston Avenue
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1002581246497?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Her(e)- Look at Her, She is Here

    Aug 24, 2024 11:00am-2:00pm (Saturday) at Great Highway Park

    Western Neighborhoods Project is proud to debut HER(E), a new exhibition that carves out public space along Great Highway for eight vibrant women found in the OpenSFHistory photo archive.

    Presented in partnership with The Great Highway gallery and Friends of Great Highway Park, HER(E) reflects a deeply personal journey by Executive Director Nicole Meldahl, whose curation focused on women who felt like family. Her emotional connection to these women, “met” while working with the OpenSFHistory archive, has rooted her within a feminine legacy in San Francisco and helped her feel at home here. Yet this connection also made Meldahl sad that more women who have lived largely private lives–like her mother and grandmother–have been lost to Time.

    By making these eight women visible on large banners installed on street lamps along Great Highway, we hope someone recognizes them and gives them back their names. The exhibition also helps to correct a city-acknowledged gender imbalance in San Francisco’s public art. Most significantly, it provides WNP an opportunity to talk about gender bias in archival practices and address gaps within our own collection.

    Join us on Saturday, August 24th from 11-2pm on Judah and Great Highway to celebrate these women as well as the women in your lives! WNP will be hosting a Memory Station where we can scan photos and capture stories about women you think deserve to hold a more prominent place in the historical record. We’ll also have new postcards available so you can send loved ones a note from HER(E), music, light snacks from Butter Love, and a refreshments table featuring all-ages mocktails crafted by The Royal Cuckoo.

    RSVP not required but appreciated. See link below.


    map to: Great Highway Park Great Highway at Judah
    Contact: info@greathighwaypark.com
    more info: https://www.greathighwaypark.com/events/summer-art-series-here-look-at-her-she-is-here

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    Trivia Night with Fort Point Beer Co.(WNP Event)

    Aug 20, 2024 7:00pm-10:00pm (Tuesday) at Fort Point Valencia

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project and Fort Point Beer Co. for San Francisco Trivia Night! There will be 6 rounds of questions, prizes, and plenty of room for competitive spirit. Hosted at The Little Shamrock, one of SF's most historic bars, our first theme is all about the history of The Sunset District.

    Bring the history buff in your friend group and come ready for plenty of cold, fizzy beer.

    See Eventbrite for full details. Trivia will start promptly at 7pm, we suggest arriving by 6:45pm. Team size: 2-6 people. FREE to attend & play but RSVP encouraged on Eventbrite.

    Questions? Contact info@fortpointbeer.com


    map to: Fort Point Valencia 742 Valencia Street
    Contact: info@fortpointbeer.com
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-ultimate-sf-trivia-night-w-western-neighborhoods-project-tickets-972956568287?aff=oddtdtcreator&_kx=s4oGnHQMq2DE-6_WI7r-nGEAMgUQwwMsmofpCC_z8savtnJVEo-Dc0C6fsjm3HYk.VFJX52&utm_campaign=fpvaltrivia&utm_medium=email&utm_sour

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    SF Survey Community Forum

    Jun 5, 2024 5:00pm-7:00pm (Wednesday) at The Internet Archive

    We invite you to join the SF Survey Community Forum!

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project and the SF Planning Department to learn more about SF Survey efforts in your neighborhood and ensure knowledge of what is meaningful to your community guides the work of the Planning Department. SF Survey is a multi-year program to identify and document places and resources of cultural, historical, and architectural importance to San Francisco’s diverse communities.

    Refreshments, prizes, and a tour of the Internet Archive will be provided!

    This event is FREE but please RSVP using Eventbrite so that we can plan accordingly!


    map to: The Internet Archive 300 Funston Avenue
    Contact: Nicole Meldahl nicole@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/807265712477?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    WNP 25th Birthday Bash(WNP Event)

    May 15, 2024 7:30pm-9:00pm (Wednesday) at 4 Star Theater

    Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) is celebrating its 25th birthday with a prom-themed event, featuring a must-see live recording of the “Outside Lands San Francisco” podcast with drag legend Peaches Christ and award-winning SFGATE reporter Amanda Bartlett! We hope you’ll party with us like it’s 1999 at the Richmond District’s beloved 4 Star Theatre on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

    Peaches Christ (the alter-ego of Joshua Grannell) first presented the infamous Midnight Mass programs – a late-night movie series and drag spectacle – while working at the Bridge Theatre on Geary Boulevard in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Peaches has since appeared in many films and television shows over the course of her career, and currently co-hosts the cult movie podcast “Midnight Mass.” Amanda Bartlett, a senior reporter for SFGATE who recently published an article on the history of Midnight Mass, will co-host alongside Executive Director Nicole Meldahl; together they’ll chat with Peaches about her time in the Richmond District, the history of the Bridge Theatre, and the enduring legacy of Midnight Mass.

    The doors of the 4 Star will open at 6:30pm. Once inside, you’ll get to mingle, browse an incredible selection of goods at Tunnel Records, and enjoy savory small bites or sweet treats available for purchase from the concession stand. The main program starts at 7:30pm and includes time for Q&A. All guests are encouraged (but not required) to wear prom attire for the evening, which will also feature a WNP birthday cake, decorations, fun prizes, and prom photos, so you can remember this night forever!

    Please purchase tickets using the Eventbrite link. General Admission tickets are $75. VIP tickets are $125 and include the above plus:

    -Early access to the theater at 6:00pm to secure your favorite seats

    -A meet-and-greet with Peaches Christ and Amanda Bartlett

    -Complimentary beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages

    Don’t miss this chance to celebrate WNP with a Peaches Christ-homage to prom! And, thank you in advance for supporting our nonprofit history work. All proceeds from the event enable us to keep our lights on and our history fresh with fun community programming like this.

    Additional sponsorship opportunities are available; email Executive Director Nicole Meldahl (nicole@outsidelands.org) for details. Still have questions? Email WNP’s Director of Programs, Chelsea Sellin, at chelsea@outsidelands.org.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/873508827417?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Cliff House & Sutro Baths History Walk(WNP Event)

    Apr 6, 2024 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Western Neighborhoods Project presents a history walk of the fabled Cliff House and Sutro Baths ruins, led by historian and retired National Park Service ranger John Martini. The tour will venture around the Cliff House to learn about the history of San Francisco's most incendiary landmark. Then, we’ll walk steeply downhill into the ruins of Sutro Baths and visit the mysterious tunnels through Point Lobos. Finally, we’ll climb back uphill to the old Sky Tram overlook, where we'll see the wave catch basin constructed by Adolph Sutro which trapped Pacific waves and sent roiling seawater to the Baths.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: strenuous with steep downhill sections, unpaved trails, stairs, and walking across sandy areas. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. Tickets are $15 for WNP members and $25 for non-members. Become a member and save! The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cliff-house-sutro-baths-history-walk-tickets-847258983427?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    OpenSFHistory Photography Forum(WNP Event)

    Mar 28, 2024 6:30pm-7:30pm (Thursday)

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) for a special conversation via Zoom between two Richmond District photographers, Dave Glass and Yameen, on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 6:30pm.

    As WNP’s OpenSFHistory program celebrates 10 years in 2024, we’re hosting informal conversations about photography. The program was launched in November 2014 to make an anonymous private collection accessible to the public, and has since grown to host images from other private collectors and organizations without the means to digitize and make their collections available online. As our database grew with uploads of amateur snapshots and professional photography, an intimate portrait of what it means to live in San Francisco has emerged.

    How does our historical archive connect to photography happening now? How and why do we take photographs? Why do they matter? We’ll dive into these questions and more with rotating guests.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. This event is free but donations are appreciated. Please RSVP to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/opensfhistory-photography-forum-registration-857088925047?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Remembering Arnold Woods(WNP Event)

    Feb 21, 2024 6:00pm-7:30pm (Wednesday)

    Western Neighborhoods Project invites you to join a live recording of the Outside Lands San Francisco podcast, in memory of our dear friend and founding board member, Arnold Woods.

    Arnold passed away unexpectedly on Dec 1, 2023, leaving behind an incredible legacy as a community historian. A Richmond District resident since 1996, Arnold was a founding member of WNP’s Board of Directors in 1999 and served the organization in many, many ways right up until his untimely death. Many know his voice from our Outside Lands podcast, or his friendly face from our public programs. Arnold was also a longtime lawyer in the Bay Area and a graduate of UC Berkeley and the University of Colorado Boulder.

    Please join us via Zoom on Wednesday, February 21st at 6:00pm. We'll share a brief biography of Arnold and then give attendees the chance to share their memories of this special member of the WNP family. The entire program will be recorded and air as an episode of the Outside Lands San Francisco podcast on Saturday, February 24th.

    This event is free but donations to cover recording costs are appreciated. This program is online only; please register through Eventbrite to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/824295117887?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    TEST EVENT(WNP Event)

    Dec 31, 2023 10:00am-11:00am (Sunday) at WNP Office + Gallery

    TEST. Do not RSVP.


    map to: WNP Office + Gallery 1617 Balboa Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org

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    The Alexandria at 100(WNP Event)

    Nov 26, 2023 6:00pm-8:00pm (Sunday) at The Balboa Theater

    The Richmond District’s iconic Alexandria Theatre on Geary Boulevard and 18th Avenue turns 100 years old this year. Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) and friends plan to celebrate this legendary movie palace with a night at the theater! Join us at the Balboa Theater on Sunday, November 26th at 6:00pm to commemorate the Alexandria on its actual 100th birthday with some of our favorite community historians.

    This night of remembrance hosted by WNP will include historic footage of the neighborhood from the Prelinger Archives; short history talks by Woody LaBounty of San Francisco Heritage and theater historian Gary Parks, who will share how this Egyptian theater came to be in the Richmond; everything you need to know about neighborhood neon from Randall Ann Homan and Al Barna of San Francisco Neon; and an update about the current state of the Alexandria’s preservation by Katherine Petrin of the San Francisco Neighborhood Theatre Foundation. Plus, delightful musical entertainment from the Aloha Uke Squad!

    Tickets are $20 each and proceeds from the evening will support all involved, including the Balboa Theater! Doors open at 5:30pm, so you have plenty of time to get refreshments from the Balboa concession stand and start your holiday shopping by purchasing merchandise at the WNP table in the lobby, including a brand-new enamel pin depicting the Alexandria!


    map to: The Balboa Theater 3630 Balboa Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/750213517827?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Balboa Open House(WNP Event)

    Nov 18, 2023 11:00am-3:00pm (Saturday) at WNP Office + Gallery

    Join us (about) once a month for a casual Open House at the Western Neighborhoods Project Office and Gallery!

    Stop by from 11am-3pm to chat with WNPers, discover artifacts from the Cliff House Collection, and see our concurrent exhibitions: “Time Frame” in the OpenSFHistory gallery, and our window display that commemorates the 100th anniversary of The Alexandria Theatre.

    This happening is family friendly, free, and no RSVP is required but donations are always appreciated!


    map to: WNP Office + Gallery 1617 Balboa Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org

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    Stokefest

    Nov 11, 2023 12:00pm-7:00pm (Saturday)

    Stokefest is happening and Western Neighborhoods Project is here for it!

    Join us on Upper Great Highway (southbound) near Judah Street on Saturday, November 11th from 12-7pm for an epic festival celebrating Ocean Beach’s water and surf scene. Daylight hours will be filled with live music, raffles, prizes, a community art exhibition, free board swap, and tables from your favorite community organizations – like WNP! After dark, a Stokefest film will be projected on the dunes and you might just recognize some footage from Ben Wood’s installation at The Museum at The Cliff many moons ago.

    This event is free, family friendly, and outdoors; learn more here: https://sfstokefest.org/index.html Come say hi to neighbors and make new friends.


    map to: Southbound Upper Great Highway at Judah
    more info: https://sfstokefest.org/index.html

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    Lost Cemetery of Lincoln Park History Walk(WNP Event)

    Oct 28, 2023 5:00pm-7:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini on this twilight exploration of Lincoln Park and discover forgotten funerary monuments along the golf course fairways. Few people realize that today's Lincoln Park Golf Course was once "City Cemetery," the final resting place for tens of thousands of San Franciscans, including a Chinese burial ground and the municipal paupers' graveyard called Potter's Field. The walk ends at the Palace of the Legion of Honor.

    Our journey begins at 5:00pm and takes about 1.5 hours. Grade: moderate with some uphill sections and lawn.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/728927270087?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Balboa Open House(WNP Event)

    Oct 27, 2023 4:00pm-7:00pm (Friday) at WNP Office + Gallery

    By popular demand, we’re opening the Western Neighborhoods Project Office and Gallery (about) once a month starting Friday, October 27th.

    Join us for the very first and very casual Balboa Open House from 4:00-7:00pm. Stop by to chat with WNPers, discover artifacts from the Cliff House Collection, and see our concurrent exhibitions: “Time Frame” in the OpenSFHistory gallery, and our new window display that commemorates the 100th anniversary of The Alexandria Theatre.

    This happening is free and no RSVP is required but donations are always appreciated! Light refreshments will be provided.


    map to: WNP Office + Gallery 1617 Balboa Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org

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    Lands End History Walk(WNP Event)

    Oct 14, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a scenic tour of the wild northwest corner of San Francisco known as Lands End. We’ll follow the right of way for the famous Ferries & Cliff House steam train, see the remains of two shipwrecks (if the tides are right), visit the site of the vanished community of Ocean Terrace, and explore the once-lavish grounds of Adolph Sutro’s estate at Sutro Heights.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderately strenuous

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/716362468427?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    ShipWRECKED!(WNP Event)

    Oct 12, 2023 6:30pm-9:00pm (Thursday) at Balboa Theater

    Get ready to set sail for an epic evening of tales from the deep. Join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) at the Richmond District’s beloved Balboa Theater on Thursday, October 12 for an illustrated, lively conversation between two former National Park Service historians and longtime friends: Stephen Haller and John Martini, moderated by Executive Director Nicole Meldahl. Steve and John got their start locally at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and have since gone on to esteemed careers; Steve is the co-author of the seminal book “Shipwrecks at the Golden Gate.”

    The main program will run from 7:00-9:00pm and will include time for Q&A. Steve and John will share stories and photos of Ocean Beach and Lands End shipwrecks. Then we’ll screen a grab bag of actual shipwreck footage from our friends at the Prelinger Archives.

    General Admission tickets are $40 and include access to the theater when the doors open at 6:30pm. VIP tickets are $70 and include:

    Early access to the theater at 5:45pm to secure your favorite seats.

    An exclusive meet-and-greet with our speakers until 6:30pm. This is a great opportunity to have your old (or new!) copy of “Shipwrecks at the Golden Gate” signed.

    A complimentary beverage of your choice served in authentic Cliff House glassware, which VIP guests can take home with them.

    Food and drink are available for purchase at the Balboa’s concession stand. WNP will also be selling merchandise in the lobby, including $35 hardcover copies of “Shipwrecks at the Golden Gate,” which is currently out of print. Quantities are limited!

    Come on out to support WNP and this historic local theater for what promises to be a memorable evening. Please purchase tickets through Eventbrite.

    Speaker Bios

    Stephen A. Haller’s 42-year career with the National Park Service included tours as Park Historian and Chief of Cultural Resources at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Curator of Historic Documents for the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. He has also been an interpreter at a number of historic sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Alcatraz, Fort Point, and the Maritime Museum. His academic background is in 19th century American history and he has specialized in the study of shipwrecks, naval and military history. He is the author and co-author of several books and was editor of the Sea Letter, the journal of the National Maritime Museum Association. He has been the principal investigator for World War II oral history projects at the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial National Historic Site in Hawaii and at the War in the Pacific National Historic Site on Guam.

    John A. Martini is a life-long researcher and storyteller of the history of California and the American West. He worked as a National Park Ranger for more than 25 years at parks around the country including the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, U.S.S. Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor, and Teddy Roosevelt’s country estate at Sagamore Hill in New York. John retired to pursue a career as a writer, historian, researcher, and lecturer. He is a renowned expert in San Francisco’s many military posts and the Lands End-Sutro Baths area. In addition to authoring several books, John offers historical research and technical writing services. He appears regularly on local television and radio broadcasts, as well as The History Channel, A&E Network, The Discovery Channel and PBS specials.


    map to: Balboa Theater 3630 Balboa Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/717342339247?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Shipwreck Week Hangout at The Riptide(WNP Event)

    Oct 10, 2023 6:00pm-9:00pm (Tuesday) at The Riptide

    Ahoy, mateys! You are cordially invited to join WNP for a hangout at The Riptide bar from 6:00-9:00pm on Tuesday, October 10th, the first in-person event for our first-ever Shipwreck Week! We’re gathering at The Riptide for a casual evening of salty fun - feel free to drop by anytime. Happy hour pricing will be in place until 7:00pm and the bar will be serving a spicy rum drink special for the evening. Plus, we’ll have a robust Chantey Sing at 7pm thanks to Peter Kasin and the chantey singing community. Festive nautical attire is encouraged but not required.

    This event is free but we do request you RSVP in advance through Eventbrite, so bar staff know how many to expect for the night and, as always, donations are appreciated to keep our nonprofit afloat!


    map to: The Riptide 3639 Taraval Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/716373441247?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Emiliano Echeverria: Trains into the Outside Lands

    Sep 27, 2023 7:00pm-8:30pm (Wednesday) at The Internet Archive

    WNP is partnering with our longtime friends and collaborators, Shaping San Francisco, as part of their ongoing 25th anniversary celebration. Join both organizations in this exploration of the deep transit history of the west side of San Francisco. Expect a lively evening featuring the inestimable Emiliano Echeverria, whose knowledge of San Francisco's transportation history is unmatched. Emiliano draws from his remarkable DVD publications on the Steam Railroads of San Francisco and the history of United Railroads to reveal the transit-driven process of "conquering" the outside lands.

    The program will be at 7pm at The Internet Archive, 300 Funston Ave. This event is free but donations are appreciated and RSVP is required through Shaping SF; please email shaping[at]foundsf[dot]org


    map to: The Internet Archive 300 Funston Avenue
    Contact: Shaping San Francisco shaping@foundsf.org
    more info: https://www.shapingsf.org/public-talks/index.html#WNP

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    Fort Miley History Walk(WNP Event)

    Sep 23, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a history walk of little-visited East and West Fort Miley, and the abandoned El Camino Del Mar highway. Highlights include 1890s fortifications at Fort Miley, a quick walk-through of the Veterans Administration hospital campus, and the Octagon House (outside only, sorry).

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate; steep sections of paved roadway. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/701047872057?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Who Built Your House?(WNP Event)

    Sep 13, 2023 6:00pm-8:30pm (Wednesday) at The Internet Archive

    Curious about your San Francisco house? Its age, who built it, and whether anyone famous lived there? Former WNP Board member and historic preservation consultant Richard Brandi will present a how-to tutorial for searching records that may shed light on the history of your house. This is a technical presentation covering various databases and public archival resources. Searching the history of your house is a lot like being a detective: you follow leads and never know exactly what you’ll find!

    This event will be held at The Internet Archive, 300 Funston Avenue. Doors open at 6pm; please arrive promptly at 6 if you are interested in taking a short tour of the Internet Archive’s Great Room. The main program will take place downstairs at 6:30pm and run for approximately 1.5 hours, including Q&A. After the main program, a second tour of the Great Room will be offered for those who can’t make the first tour.

    Please register through Eventbrite. This program is $20 for WNP Members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $30 for non-members.


    map to: The Internet Archive 300 Funston Avenue
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/who-built-your-house-tickets-698676920477?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Point Lobos to Sea Cliff History Walk(WNP Event)

    Sep 9, 2023 10:00am-1:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a semi-strenuous walk along the edge of San Francisco. Our journey will follow the fabled Ferries & Cliff House steam train route along the rugged cliffs of Lands End all the way to Sea Cliff. We’ll return through Lincoln Park and the abandoned roadway El Camino Del Mar. Highlights include an overview of the Cliff House and Sutro Baths area, stories of steam trains and streetcars, incredible vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands, the remains of two shipwrecks (if the tides are right), and the histories of Sea Cliff, Lincoln Park, the Palace of the Legion of Honor and the forgotten graveyards of City Cemetery.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 3 hours. Grade: semi-strenuous; nearly 3 miles of walking that includes several stretches of unpaved trails and stairs. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/701040780847?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Fort Mason History Walk(WNP Event)

    Aug 26, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for an exploration of Fort Mason’s shady walkways and discover the complex history of this tiny military post. Along the way we’ll see San Francisco’s earliest “subdivision” - a group of snug Gold Rush cottages - plus 1860s army barracks and residences, a Civil War cannon battery, World War II troop embarkation piers, and the site of the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition’s “Joy Zone.”

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate, includes several flights of stairs. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/689428498197?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Ashbury Terrace and Ashbury Park (not Ashbury Heights!) History Walk(WNP Event)

    Aug 12, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join former Western Neighborhoods Project board member and historic preservation consultant Richard Brandi for a history walk of two similar-sounding residence parks with very different histories. Ashbury Terrace contains a collection of stately homes. Ashbury Park was launched by a brick manufacturer on Twin Peaks and failed to make it, but some early houses and the Pemberton steps remain. This walking tour is based on Brandi’s book, "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco, the Development of Residence Parks 1905-1924," by McFarland Publishing.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate, includes concrete steps with handrails. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/688213353667?aff=oddtdtcreator

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    Fort Point: From Army Post to Historic Site(WNP Event)

    Aug 3, 2023 6:00pm-7:30pm (Thursday)

    Called “the fort that never fired a shot in anger,” Fort Point is one of San Francisco’s magnificent but near-hidden treasures. In this online illustrated talk hosted by Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP), author and historian John Martini reveals the stories of the fort’s construction, soldiers’ lives during the Civil War, the fort’s stunning architecture, its rescue when the Golden Gate Bridge threatened its demolition, and its restoration as a National Historic Site.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. The program is free with a suggested donation of $10; donations are split evenly between WNP and John Martini. Please RSVP to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/664251021687

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    Ingleside Terraces, Westwood Park, and Westwood Highlands History Walk(WNP Event)

    Jul 29, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join former Western Neighborhoods Project board member and historic preservation consultant Richard Brandi for a history walk through three residence parks along Ocean Avenue with different histories and distinctive architecture. The tour will cover the eclectic styles of Joseph Leonard’s Ingleside Terraces (1911), the Craftsman bungalows of Westwood Park (1916), and the Spanish Colonials of Westwood Highlands (1924). This walking tour is based on Brandi’s book "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco, the Development of Residence Parks 1905-1924," by McFarland Publishing.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate. Please note that while we at WNP love animals, we can no longer allow dogs on our walking tours, in order to accommodate the needs of all our guests. Thank you for understanding.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/665644319077

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    Virtual Paddle Out for Pat Cunneen(WNP Event)

    Jul 25, 2023 6:00pm-7:00pm (Tuesday)

    Western Neighborhoods Project is staging a Virtual Paddle Out in honor of a local legend who recently passed away: Pat Cunneen

    Pat was born in San Francisco and raised in the Sunset District, before leaving to serve in the U.S. Coast Guard and later the Daly City Fire Department. He was passionate about sports and outdoor activities, was a regular at Kelly’s Cove, and was a member of local institutions such as the South End Rowing Club and the Pamakid Running Club (founded by his late wife, Betty). Pat was also an artist, and co-authored the book "South End: Sport and Community at the Dock of the Bay" with Robert Barde.

    Please join us on Tuesday, July 25th at 6:00pm; we'll share a brief biography of Pat and then give attendees the mic at the Zoom meeting to share their memories of this special member of our community. The entire program will be recorded and serve as an episode of the WNP podcast, "Outside Lands San Francisco," which will air on Saturday, July 29th.

    This event is free but donations to cover recording costs are appreciated. This program is online only; please register through Eventbrite to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/676339147597

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    San Francisco: Then and Now(WNP Event)

    Jul 6, 2023 6:00pm-7:30pm (Thursday)

    In this virtual presentation hosted by Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP), author and historian John Martini demonstrates how he uses re-photography of historic images to research such iconic Bay Area sites as Alcatraz Island, Fort Point and Sutro Baths. The show includes dozens of comparison photographs of San Francisco during the 19th century and the same views today, illustrating the dramatic evolution of the city from a wind-blown frontier village to today’s metropolis.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. The program is free with a suggested donation of $10; donations are split evenly between WNP and John Martini. Please RSVP to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/662721707467

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    Lincoln Manor History Walk(WNP Event)

    Jun 24, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join former Western Neighborhoods Project board member and historic preservation consultant Richard Brandi for a history walk exploring the Lincoln Manor residence park. Plus! Three other residence parks that never fully made it, but remnants remain: Hillside, Junipero Place, and Sutro Heights. Highlights include a ship captain’s mansion and two 1904 houses with dramatic architecture. This walking tour is based on Brandi’s book "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco, the Development of Residence Parks 1905-1924," by McFarland Publishing.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/641549771637

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    A Natural History of San Francisco(WNP Event)

    Jun 22, 2023 6:00pm-7:30pm (Thursday)

    Please join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) on Thursday June 22 at 6:00pm to experience San Francisco’s amazing natural resources, all from the comfort of your home. Environmentalist, historian, and photographer Greg Gaar will give a virtual presentation covering the history of San Francisco's natural features including sand dunes, grasslands, trees, lakes, creeks, tidal marshes, and rock formations. Greg will also discuss the efforts by government agencies and volunteers to preserve what still remains of the city's natural heritage.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. The program is free with a suggested donation of $10. Please RSVP to receive the super-secret Zoom link.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/641529250257

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    Restoring the Windmills(WNP Event)

    Jun 15, 2023 6:30pm-8:30pm (Thursday) at 4 Star Theater

    Over the decades, the windmills in Golden Gate Park have seen periods of action, neglect, and renewed life as city landmarks. Join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) on Thursday, June 15 for a panel discussion and film screening at the 4 Star Theater to celebrate the windmills and learn more about the people that brought them back to life.

    Doors open at 6:30pm with plenty of time to purchase WNP merchandise and goodies from the 4 Star concession stand! The program will begin at 7pm with a panel discussion featuring historian and writer Rose Marie Cleese; historian, writer, and restoration activist Don Propstra; and WNP board member and curator Lindsey Hanson - all moderated by WNP Executive Director Nicole Meldahl. Following the panel and Q&A, we’ll screen “A Jitney Elopement” (1915), a Charlie Chaplin short comedy which was filmed on location in San Francisco and features a guest appearance from Murphy windmill.

    Please register using Eventbrite. This program is $15 for WNP Members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $25 for non-members. Tickets sales support both WNP and the 4 Star Theater!

    Panelist Bios

    Rose Marie Cleese is the granddaughter of former San Francisco mayor Angelo Rossi, and the niece of Eleanor Rossi Crabtree. Eleanor was known as “The Windmill Lady” because of her tireless efforts to restore Old Dutch windmill.

    Don Propstra’s Dutch heritage compelled him to assemble a team of passionate volunteers to restore the Murphy windmill.

    Lindsey Hanson is a graduate of SF State’s Museum Studies M.A. program. Her exhibit, “The Windmill Sentries,” is currently on display in the front windows of WNP’s office at 1617 Balboa Street.


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/641453603997

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    Batteries to Bluffs History Walk(WNP Event)

    May 27, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for an exploration of the Bay Trail and Coastal Trails skirting the bluff tops of Fort Winfield Scott. We’ll enjoy gorgeous views, walk beneath the girders of the Golden Gate Bridge, see fortifications that guarded the bay from the 1860s through World War II, and peek at the expansive, waiting-to-be-renovated parade ground and barracks at Fort Winfield Scott.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: moderate with some uphill areas.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/626545312897

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    "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco" Book Party(WNP Event)

    May 25, 2023 6:00pm-8:00pm (Thursday) at The Internet Archive

    Come celebrate the latest book from author, historian, and former WNP Board member Richard Brandi: "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco, the Development of Residence Parks 1905-1924," by McFarland Publishing. Richard will give an illustrated talk on residence park history. What is a residence park, you ask? You may be living in one and not even know it! Between 1905 and 1924, thirty-six such neighborhoods - called residence parks - were proposed or built in San Francisco, mostly on the west side but also reaching the Marina and Visitacion Valley. They featured picturesque streets, landscaping, detached houses, and setbacks to convey the feeling of living in a park. About half of these projects were built. Some of the better-known ones are St Francis Wood, Forest Hill, and Sea Cliff, but there were many others.

    Please register through Eventbrite. This program is $10 for WNP Members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event, for $35 plus tax.

    Doors open at 6pm for check-in and the main program will begin at 6:30pm, running for approximately one hour. Both before and after the main program, there will be time to mingle, chat, enjoy light refreshments, and have Richard sign your new book!

    This event will be held at The Internet Archive, 300 Funston Avenue.


    map to: The Internet Archive 300 Funston Avenue
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/garden-neighborhoods-of-san-francisco-book-party-tickets-588605493877

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    WNP 24th Birthday Bash(WNP Event)

    May 16, 2023 6:00pm-8:30pm (Tuesday) at 4 Star Theater

    Put your party hats on because Western Neighborhoods Project is celebrating its 24th Birthday! Naturally, we’re having a very San Francisco evening at the 4 Star Theater on May 16th. Join us at the Richmond District’s beloved neighborhood theater for a live “Outside Lands San Francisco” podcast recording featuring host Nicole Meldahl and special guest Michael Jang.

    You won’t want to miss your chance to hear this 2021 Guggenheim fellow talk about his work in the neighborhood. Graduating from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1977, Jang worked on commission as a successful photographer and also captured the vibrant Bay Area punk scene. To us, however, his most compelling body of work is The Jangs (1973) – a series of intimately dynamic family photographs currently on display at SFMOMA in the “Bay Area Walls” exhibition. But you might know these photos better from Jang’s wheat-pastes around the Richmond District, which Eungie Joo, Curator of Contemporary Art at SFMOMA, observed as “impudently inserted into the visual landscape of this once bustling neighborhood, now silenced by COVID-19 and anti-Asian hate, Jang’s gesture was one of solidarity, belonging, and ownership.”

    If you haven’t seen the beautifully restored 4 Star and its rotating art gallery, The Hot House, this is the best reason to visit. The evening begins with Happy Hour at 6:00pm, and the seated program starts at 7:00pm. Tickets are $75 each. Each ticket will include beer or bubbles, birthday snacks and treats, and special giveaways! Additional food and beverages will also be available for purchase at the 4 Star concession stand. And we’re not done yet: you will also be able to purchase authentic Cliff House glassware, our brand new souvenir beer koozie, an exclusive commemorative poster, and maybe more (depending on what we can fit in our cars!).

    Support your favorite neighborhood history nonprofit and this historic gem with the funnest fundraiser ever! Please purchase tickets through the Eventbrite link, where you’ll find all the details. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available if you’re able to show WNP some extra love!

    We can’t wait to party with you in our favorite local theater! Questions? You can email WNP’s Director of Programs, Chelsea Sellin: chelsea@outsidelands.org


    map to: 4 Star Theater 2200 Clement Street
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-24th-birthday-bash-tickets-607843154237

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    History Walk: Is it Forest Hill Extension?(WNP Event)

    May 13, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday)

    Join former Western Neighborhoods Project board member and historic preservation consultant Richard Brandi for a history walk through Forest Hill Extension. Part of this area on realtor’s maps contains what was, in 1914, going to be a residence park called El Por-tal Park. Ten years later it was relaunched as Laguna Honda Park but it lost its identity and was lumped with Forest Hill Extension. The adjacent residence parks of Claremont Court, Merritt Terrace, and West Portal Park were subsumed into the Greater West Portal neighborhood. This walking tour is based on Brandi’s book, "Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco, the Development of Residence Parks 1905-1924," by McFarland Publishing.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: mostly easy; generally level ground except for Edgehill Way

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for WNP members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-history-walk-is-it-forest-hill-extension-tickets-593284398607

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    Buffalo Soldiers in California(WNP Event)

    May 4, 2023 6:00pm-7:00pm (Thursday) at Virtual Event

    The Presidio of San Francisco has many stories to uncover from its nearly 250 years of history, but perhaps none have been more mythologized than those of the Buffalo Soldiers. These men - members of all-Black U.S. Army regiments who passed through the city’s ports, were garrisoned on post, and even buried at the Presidio’s National Cemetery - have left an enduring impact on California.

    Please join Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) on Thursday May 4, 2023 at 6:00pm to learn more about the surprising history of these segregated regiments during a virtual presentation by Susan D. Anderson, History Curator and Program Manager of the California African American Museum (CAAM). She curated an exhibition at CAAM in 2022 called "For Race and Country: Buffalo Soldiers in California," which confronted the role of Black soldiers in the Army’s history of violence against Native American peoples, explored historical debates in the Black community over participation in American wars, and exposed cracks in a society permeated by racism.

    Anderson will highlight the Black soldiers and their families who made California home during an era of government-sanctioned racial segregation in the U.S. military. There is no better way to commemorate the start of National Military Appreciation Month than by pushing beyond enduring myths with Anderson and finding critical statewide context to an essential San Francisco story - all from the comfort of your own home.

    Please register through Eventbrite. This one-hour Zoom program is online only and will include time for Q&A. The program is free with a suggested donation of $10; donations are split evenly between WNP and Susan Anderson.


    map to: Virtual Event
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buffalo-soldiers-in-california-registration-601637673477

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    Clement Street Pub Crawl(WNP Event)

    Apr 29, 2023 2:30pm-5:30pm (Saturday) at Clement Street

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini and Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) Executive Director Nicole Meldahl for history and drinks in the Inner Richmond! We’ll visit three Clement Street watering holes, where you’ll hear interesting tidbits about our scheduled stops, as well as neighborhood history along the route. Plus, each attendee will receive a WNP history-themed beer can koozie!

    Our journey begins at 2:30pm and takes about 3 hours (depending on how much time everyone spends in each bar!). Grade: easy.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $20 for members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $30 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    map to: Clement Street San Francisco
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-clement-street-pub-crawl-tickets-607625523297

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    Fort Point Trivia Night(WNP Event)

    Apr 10, 2023 7:00pm-10:00pm (Monday) at The Little Shamrock

    Join Western Neighborhoods Project and Fort Point Beer Co. for the launch of Trivia Night! There will be 6 rounds of questions, prizes, and plenty of room for competitive spirit. Hosted at The Little Shamrock, one of SF's most historic bars, our first theme is all about the history of The Sunset District.

    Bring the history buff in your friend group and come ready for plenty of cold, fizzy beer.

    See Eventbrite for full details. Trivia will start promptly at 7pm, we suggest arriving by 6:45pm. Team size: 2-6 people. F?REE to attend & play but RSVP encouraged on Eventbrite.

    Questions? Contact info@fortpointbeer.com


    map to: The Little Shamrock 807 Lincoln Way
    Contact: info@fortpointbeer.com
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fort-point-trivia-night-w-wnp-tickets-602815937697?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=escb

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    Mountain Lake History Walk(WNP Event)

    Apr 8, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday) at Mountain Lake

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a history walk along the edge of the Richmond District. We’ll learn about lake and creek natural history, a Spanish colonialist campground, the Public Health Service hospital and its little-known cemetery, a restored valley, and a former military balloon launch-site.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 1.5 hours. Grade: easy paved walking route but with one long flight of steps.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    map to: Mountain Lake San Francisco
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-mountain-lake-history-walk-tickets-525339072307

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    Golden Gate Park Music Concourse History Walk(WNP Event)

    Mar 25, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday) at Golden Gate Park

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini and Western Neighborhoods Project Executive Director Nicole Meldahl for a guided tour of the Music Concourse in Golden Gate Park. Few people know that the park once hosted a World's Fair: the nearly forgotten 1894 California Midwinter Exposition. On this walk around the park’s Music Concourse, we’ll visit many locations from the exotic but short-lived Fair, including scattered surviving remnants from 125 years ago.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 1.5 hours. Grade: easy.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    map to: Golden Gate Park San Francisco
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-golden-gate-park-music-concourse-history-walk-tickets-525325882857

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    Presidio Main Post History Walk (WNP Event)

    Mar 18, 2023 10:00am-12:00pm (Saturday) at Presidio of San Francisco

    Join historian and retired park ranger John Martini for a walk through the Main Post of the Presidio of San Francisco, which encompasses more history than any other site within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Learn about the Ohlone people, Spanish colonists, 1906 Earthquake and Fire refugees, Buffalo Soldiers, Japanese Internment, and a dizzying variety of military architecture. Highlights of this mile-long walk include the Presidio Officers Club and Heritage Center, the Inn at the Presidio, the San Francisco Film Institute, and the new Presidio Tunnel Tops project.

    Our journey begins at 10:00am and takes about 2 hours. Grade: easy.

    Please register through Eventbrite. $10 for members (and we absorb your Eventbrite fees) and $20 for non-members. The super secret meeting location will be emailed to you when tickets are purchased. The walk is limited to 30 people.


    map to: Presidio of San Francisco San Francisco
    Contact: Chelsea Sellin chelsea@outsidelands.org
    more info: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wnp-presidio-main-post-history-walk-tickets-525245502437

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