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Tag: Zim’s

Streetwise: Nighttime San Francisco

by Frank Dunnigan
December 2023

Frank Dunnigan, WNP member and columnist. –
Several places in the western neighborhoods used to come alive after dark, offering residents many nostalgic experiences. Sadly, many of these scenes are no longer present today, so here are just a few of them, with an emphasis on some year-end memories.

View northeast across Great Highway to Playland at the Beach, circa 1948 – photo by Eugene E. Gallagher; courtesy of David Gallagher.
PLAYLAND — San Francisco’s seaside amusement park was home to appreciative crowds of both adults and youngsters until its abrupt closure on Labor Day weekend of 1972. Especially at night, there was a heightened level of excitement, with music, laughter, and happy sounds in the air. Hear Nicole and Arnold reminisce with local residents about Playland on the 50th anniversary of its closure, in Outside Lands Podcast #472 and Podcast #473.

Sutro Depot, circa 1947 – Courtesy of Jack Tillmany.
MUNI’S SUTRO DEPOT — Built in 1896 to provide a sheltered streetcar stop to patrons of Sutro Baths and the Cliff House, the old Sutro Terminal on Point Lobos Avenue took on a special aura after dark; think of Forest Hill Station as if it had lighted advertisements and hot/cold food service. Note the signs at right promoting Soda Fountain, Beer, Wines, Milk Shakes, and Coca-Cola, while the signs at the far left near the pedestrian entrance are advertising Texas Chili, Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Enchiladas, Tamales, and Meadow Gold Ice Cream — the aromas must have been irresistible! The terminal was never rebuilt after a fire destroyed it in February 1949, coincidentally just prior to the conversion of Muni streetcar operations in the area to diesel bus service.

Twin Peaks Tunnel, 1965 – photo by John Harder; courtesy of a Private Collector.
TWIN PEAKS TUNNEL — From its completion in 1917 until demolition in 1977 for a new Muni Metro station, the classic façade of the west portal of the Twin Peaks Tunnel was at the head of the West Portal Avenue shopping district. Shown here in 1965, hundreds of local residents used to disembark from a K, L, or M-line streetcar and use one of the public telephones at far right to call home with the plaintive request, “Can somebody pick me up at the Tunnel?”, as the driver of the car at far left, with parking lights on, is surely doing. See more about the Twin Peaks Tunnel in this 2009 SF West History Minute.

Cliff House, circa 1946 – Courtesy of Emiliano Echeverria.
CLIFF HOUSE — Drinks or dinner at the Cliff House on a moonlit night was a magical experience, whether in the original structure from the 1860s, the gingerbread Victorian that was lost to a fire in 1907, or any of the many remodels of the 1909 structure. How many Cliff Houses have there been? Read John Martini’s thoroughly researched answer.

Zim’s Broiled Hamburgers on the southwest corner of 19th Avenue and Taraval Street, September 1957 – San Francisco Examiner.
ZIM’S — From the time of its opening in the fall of 1957, Zim’s was a brightly lit and iconic outpost on the southwest corner of 19th Avenue and Taraval Street. Advertising “BREAKFAST SERVED 24 HOURS” likely encouraged a great deal of the nighttime business as locals made their way home from the nearby Parkside Theater or any of the numerous watering holes stretching along Taraval to the ocean. With 12 locations in San Francisco and an additional 25 in other nearby cities, the chain was a welcoming spot to all. Sadly, the last Zim’s closed in 1995.

Empire Theatre, February 1970 – photo by Steve Levin; courtesy of Jack Tillmany.
MOVIES — The bright lights of movie house marquees lit up many San Francisco neighborhood shopping streets for decades. West Portal Avenue’s Empire Theater, shown here in 1970, opened as the Portal Theater in 1925. Renamed the Empire in 1936, it was converted to a triplex in 1974 and renamed CineArts at the Empire in 2003. Temporarily closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was shuttered permanently in January 2021. It was sold to a new owner later that year, but like many other neighborhood theaters, it has not reopened. Read more about local movie houses in Woody LaBounty’s March 2000 article, Palaces of the Past.

Holiday lights on the 2600 block of 18th Avenue, circa 1949 – Courtesy of Frank Dunnigan.
HOLIDAY LIGHTS — Displays of Christmas trees and outdoor holiday lighting were annual events in many areas of San Francisco, including the 2600 block of 18th Avenue, shown here in the late 1940s. From mid-December until just after New Year’s Day, throngs of visitors walked or drove nightly to enjoy the holiday décor. Read more about west side holiday traditions in the Streetwise December 2015 column and December 2022 column.

West Portal near Vicente, December 1947 – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPPING — Prior to this millennium, many neighborhood merchants remained open for one or more evenings per week. The shopping experience was enhanced after dark when the merchant-sponsored holiday lights came on. Read more about historic West Portal Avenue businesses in Richard Brandi’s virtual West Portal History Walk, and see more of West Portal in the February 2009 Streetwise.

Interior of Rickey’s Red Chimney at Stonestown, 1960 – Courtesy of Rob Green.
DINING OUT — Many neighborhood restaurants still see a significant portion of their daily business during evening hours. Stonestown’s Red Chimney Restaurant exudes a warm and clubby atmosphere, complete with tablecloths, candles, and a blazing fireplace in this 1960 image. The restaurant closed prior to the 1987 demolition of the original outdoor mall for construction of the enclosed Stonestown Galleria. Read more about the Red Chimney.

Examiner Christmas Tree on Twin Peaks, December 21, 1928 – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
EXAMINER CHRISTMAS TREE — Nearly 100 years ago, the Examiner newspaper (one of five daily newspapers in San Francisco at the time: Examiner, Chronicle, News, Call, and Bulletin) began a holiday tradition of installing a massive lighted Christmas tree atop Twin Peaks, as shown here in 1928. Read more about this tradition and how it evolved over the years in Woody LaBounty’s 2017 article.

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Streetwise: Changing Westside Businesses

by Frank Dunnigan
October 2022

Frank Dunnigan, WNP member and columnist. –
Neighborhood shopping has surely changed over the years—particularly in the present millennium. An errand that might once have required a short walk or bus ride can now be accomplished via one’s laptop computer or smart phone. More convenient? Yes, but such changes have limited our exposure to the varied sights and smells of a stroll through San Francisco’s various neighborhood shopping districts. We have explored this topic via STREETWISE in a couple of past columns several years ago–in a July 2013 Streetwise and in an October 2016 Streetwise–but it’s time to look at even more changes in the neighborhood shopping landscape, including some that have taken place fairly recently.

Coliseum Furs, Ed’s Togs, and Lick Market on Clement near 6th Avenue, 1949 – Jack Tillmany Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector.
The corner of 6th & Clement Streets was a literal crossroads for the #2 streetcar and the #21 streetcar lines in the past. The Coliseum Theatre (out of sight behind the photographer) operated from 1918 to 1989 (becoming a “talkie house” in 1929) until it was damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake. It sat vacant for more than a full decade until it reopened after an extensive refurbishment in 2002 as a multi-unit residential building with ground-floor retail. A variety of retailers also operated nearby in 1949, including a sandwich shop, a bakery, and a market (at left) and a barber shop, clothing store, and fur salon (at right). The long-gone Coliseum Furs represented a business model that was once common in many neighborhood shopping areas as well as downtown, but was outlawed by a unanimous vote of the Board of Supervisors in 2018, and that decision was upheld in a court ruling announced in early 2021. Hear more about Clement Street Businesses in Outside Lands Podcast Episode #418.

Miz Brown’s Feed Bay at 3401 California, 1951 – SF Assessors Office Negatives / WNP Collection.
The Feed Bag Restaurant, Hanken’s Delicatessen, Joe Klein’s Choice Meats, and the Winfield Sage Laundromat represented a modern mix of Laurel Village businesses in this 1951 image. Other adjacent storefronts extending west along California Street included a Danish pastry shop, dry cleaner, hardware store, furniture showroom, beauty salon, supermarket, produce store, Standard 5 & 10, liquor store, florist, television store, and real estate/insurance office. Today, only the grocery store, CalMart, and Standard 5 & 10 (now partnered with Ace Hardware) remain.

Roth’s Rexall Drugs at 2001 Irving, 1951 – SF Assessors Office Negatives / WNP Collection.
Just like the neighborhood market or movie theatre, the local pharmacy was also at the crossroads of the community. It was usually open longer hours than many other businesses, fulfilling many needs—medicines, toiletries, tobacco, alcohol, gift items, greeting cards, magazines, plus friendly, knowledgeable advice about how to quiet a cranky baby, deal with minor cuts and bruises, and settle an upset stomach. In earlier times, these locations were also reliable sources of frozen desserts and private telephone booths for everyone in the neighborhood. Also shown in this 1951 image are the long-gone Edward’s Beauty Manor, Margaret Wren Gift & Card Shop, and a See’s Candy store that remained in place until the 1980s. Read more about other local pharmacies in the November 2014 Streetwise.

Mike’s Delicatessen at 4307 Irving, 1951 – SF Assessors Office Negatives / WNP Collection.
More than 70 years ago, some residential garages in the Sunset were being used as ground-floor retail—an era when there were far fewer cars per resident! This space near 44th Avenue and Irving Street was converted into residential use many years ago.

Columbo’s Liquor Store on Broad near Plymouth, 1952 – Ralph W. Demoro / Courtesy of a Private Collector.
In 1952, this small cluster of shops along Broad Street near Plymouth in OMI included Colombo Liquor Store and (hidden behind the streetcar) Morgan’s Barber Shop, Ocean View Cleaners, and Victoria Meat Market. Out of sight to the right were the Ocean View Branch of San Francisco Public Library, Ocean View Variety Store, and Engine Company 33 of the San Francisco Fire Department. Since 1977, the old fire house has been restored as a private residence. Read more about Engine Company 33.

Stonestown Shopping Center, 1950s – Morton-Waters Co. image – SCRAP Negative Collection / Courtesy of SCRAP.
Stonestown, first opened in July of 1952 and shown here a few years later, underwent a significant expansion/remodel into an enclosed two-story “Galleria” in the late 1980s, with further significant changes in recent years. The elimination of both of its anchor stores in pre-Covid times—Macy’s, which closed in March of 2018 (having taken over the Emporium’s spot nearly 22 years earlier) and Nordstrom, which closed in September of 2019 (after 30 years in business at the south end of the mall where Bullock’s, City of Paris, and Butler Brothers once operated) changed the center’s mix of stores considerably. New movie theatres, an upscale grocery store, and other options are now present, with the 1970 UA Twin Cinemas at the west side of the property headed for demolition. Even bigger changes are set to come, as planners envision residential towers and underground parking to replace many of the asphalt surface lots. Here’s moe about Stonestown’s future plans.

Zim’s at southwest corner of 19th Avenue and Taraval, September 1957 – Courtesy of San Francisco Examiner.
The iconic Zim’s anchored the SW corner of 19th & Taraval from 1957 until the chain’s demise in 1995. With 24-hour operations, it drew people from all walks of life while providing tasty food at reasonable prices. Adjacent Taraval merchants and throngs of patrons from the nearby Parkside Theatre (closed in October of 1990) contributed significantly to Zim’s business here. The location was different from most others in the chain because there was no table/booth seating—only fixed stools around the horseshoe-shaped counter. A number of different enterprises have occupied the space over the last quarter-century. Read more about Zim’s, its locations, see many of the chain’s artifacts, and learn more about the Zimmerman family and how it all began.


Carlotta’s Toys, Adeline Bakery, and Empire Theatre on West Portal Avenue, July 1957 – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
Carlotta’s Toys (later renamed Toy Village), West Portal Floral Shop, Adeline Bake Shop, and Shirley’s Children’s Shop dominate this 1957 scene on the first block of West Portal Avenue. Toy stores, in particular, are far fewer in number today, given San Francisco’s dwindling child population since the turn of the millennium. Barbagelata Realty occupies the toy store space today. Extending to the next corner at Vicente Street were: Allstate Insurance, Electrolux Vacuum Cleaners, West Portal Beauty Shop, Band Box Knit Shop, Family Liquor Store, 2nd Church of Religious Science, Empire Theatre, Fellhauer Realty, Sue Sherwood Insurance, Minudri Furs, and Portal Wood Pharmacy. All these small businesses have since left the area, including the theatre. Originally opened as the Portal, a silent film house in 1925, it was later wired for sound, then renamed the Empire in 1936, and split into 3 screens during the 1970s. (This author once saw LOVE STORY there while PATTON played in the adjacent space, with the sounds of the North African campaign clearly coming through the too-thin walls.) The theatre closed at the start of Covid in March of 2020, and Cinemark, which had been operating it as CineArts at the Empire since 2003, announced in February of 2021 that the closure was permanent.

View west on Geary toward Cala Foods and Coronet Theatre, May 10, 1960 – Courtesy of George Fanning/SFMTA.
This 1960 image was taken a few years after the removal of the B-line streetcar tracks along Geary. Since then, the Dever Realty Company office at left has been replaced with a 4-story residential building, while the McKale’s 76 gas station is now a 4-story condo building known as ONE STANYAN STREET. The building that once housed Cala Foods is now vacant after serving as home to Pier One Imports for many years. The adjacent night club has been home to a variety of dining spots over the years, and the Coronet—one of San Francisco’s newer movie theatres (1949-2005)—was demolished in 2007 and replaced with a large, multi-story senior-housing complex.

Sugar Bowl Bakery and Balboa Theatre on Balboa Street, July 1968 – Jack Tillmany Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector.
Long an anchor in this Outer Richmond shopping area, the Balboa opened in 1926, underwent a remodel after a fire in the 1940s, was twinned in 1978, and suffered from a year-long Covid-related closure in 2020-21. It reopened in May of 2021 and continues to define the area, alongside variety of adjacent dining and personal care businesses. The Sugar Bowl Bakery closed its storefront in the 1990s and soon became the largest food-service bakery in the Bay Area. Expanding to new commercial facilities, the firm now supplies its delectable Brownie Bites, Madeleines, and Palmiers through large retailers across the US. Read more about the bakery’s history with the Ly Family.

Safeway on Ocean Avenue near Brighton, August 1970 – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
Ocean Avenue (from its very beginning at Mission Street) meandered west to 19th Avenue where it suddenly switched from business to residential before ending at Sunset Boulevard. This particular section, photographed in 1970, was anchored by a 1950s-era Safeway store and also included a variety of dining places, clothing stores, a Richfield gas station and the El Rey Theatre in the distance at right, plus the Hanson-Theroff Pontiac dealership at left. Today, this neighborhood is becoming more heavily residential with multi-story apartments and condos that feature a variety of ground-floor businesses. The old Safeway site is now home to a large 4-story apartment complex with new ground-floor grocery store. Read more about the many changes to this area.

View east on Irving Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, 1970s – Bill Whyte, photographer / Courtesy of a Private Collector.
Photo processing stores and typewriter repair shops (both at left) have definitely declined in popularity since this image was recorded in the 1970s. Delicatessens and liquor stores also seem to be fewer in number today, perhaps due to healthier lifestyle choices. Many independent neighborhood drug stores such as West Coast Pharmacy, near the front of the streetcar, began to vanish as the large chains expanded. The Embers, a well-known self-described “dive bar” with many mournful clown portraits on the walls operated from 1969-96, and the nearby Wishing Well maintained its own “dive bar” status until the turn of the millennium when it was purchased by new owner Lisa Merrall who converted the place into the clubby Fireside Bar. Finally, Compton’s Shoe Repair, with the classic sign, stands out as a “splendid survivor” at 621 Irving. Now known as Sunset Shoe Repair, it prides itself on being the oldest of that business model still operating in San Francisco—since 1900.

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Streetwise: Old-Time Food & Drink

by Frank Dunnigan
March 2022


Frank Dunnigan, WNP member and columnist. –
Many fine dining establishments that used to dot the streets of the Western Neighborhoods have disappeared over the years—the Cliff House being one of the most prominent. Other favorite restaurants—including The Hot House, LeCyrano, Café Riggio, and Louis’ in the Richmond District and Luzern, Marcello, and West Portal Joe’s in the West of Twin Peaks area—have also closed. Still others, with more casual food and drink selections, also did a steady business over the years, offering a wide variety of dining experiences to appreciative customers. Here are a few of those places.

Peter Finelli giving away ice cream on Halloween at his show across from the Francis Scott Key School annex on 42nd Avenue – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
Finelli’s—Finelli’s was a popular small soda fountain operation at 1356-42nd Avenue, opposite Francis Scott Key School Annex. It has long-since been replaced by a modern set of residential flats.

Sutro Terminal on Point Lobos Avenue for Market Street Railway with lunch counter inside – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
SUTRO TERMINAL LUNCH COUNTER—Sutro Terminal was located on Point Lobos Avenue, just up the hill from Sutro Baths and the Cliff House. Streetcar passengers could get a quick bite to eat (hot dogs, hamburgers, coffee, candies, beer, wine) at the counter along the back of the terminal before or after a streetcar ride. The lunch counter was run for many years by Dan Hountalas’ father. Dan worked outside selling peanuts and later operated Danny’s Cliff Chalet and then the Cliff House with his wife Mary. The 1896 wooden structure was destroyed in a February, 1949 fire, one of many fires along Point Lobos Avenue, that occurred just prior to the conversion of streetcar service to motor buses, and it was never replaced.

Alice’s Fountain Lunch at Balboa and 18th Avenue – SF Assessors Office Negatives / WNP Collection.
ALICE’S FOUNTAIN LUNCH—“Fountain Lunch” was a popular business model that existed in many residential neighborhoods. Alice’s, shown here in in 1951, shared the ground-floor space of a large home at 18th Avenue & Balboa Street with a barber shop and a real estate office. Alice’s old location is now a dumpling restaurant.

Keiser’s Colonial Creamery on Irving near 20th Avenue – Courtesy of Ellen Kieser.
KEISER’S COLONIAL CREMERY—Owned and operated by local resident Ellen Kieser, the Irving Street business prospered from 1946 until just after the turn of the millennium. Ellen retired well into her 80s, and the building now houses a long-time noodle house restaurant. Read more about Kieser’s Colonial Creamery.

The Feed Bag Restaurant at 3401 California Street in Laurel Village – WNP Collection.
THE FEEDBAG RESTAURANT—An early Laurel Village business, the Feed Bag (later Miz Brown’s Feed Bag) operated from the post-World War II era into the 1980s, and was famous for its hamburgers, fries, and milkshakes. It eventually closed and the building was then occupied by other businesses. As of 2021, the site is vacant and for lease.

Zim’s Broiled Hamburgers at corner of Taraval and 19th Avenue in September 1957 – San Francisco Examiner photo.
ZIM’S—Founded in 1947 by a returning GI, Art Zimmerman, the Zim’s chain once numbered 25 locations throughout the Bay Area. This one, opened in 1957 at the SW corner of 19th & Taraval, captured the essence of the American diner with large plate glass windows and glowing red neon signage that was enhanced by foggy weather. Facing competition from fast-food establishments and changing tastes, Zim’s closed in 1995. Many customers still fondly remember the warm apple pie following a Zimburger meal. The corner now houses a noodle house restaurant.

Scotty’s Drive In at corner of Geary and 31st Avenue in 1951 – San Francisco Public Library photo – Assessors Office Collection.
SCOTTY’S DRIVE IN—Located at the NE corner of 31st Avenue & Geary Blvd., Scotty’s did a thriving after-school business with students from nearby George Washington High School. For many years, that corner has housed a modern multi-story apartment building.

Mr. Hot Dog Rancho on Geary – Courtesy of Stephanie Holzeisen Douvris.
MR. HOG DOG RANCHO—Before there was a Doggie Diner, there was Mr. Hot Dog Rancho Burgers on Geary Boulevard. The business began in 1946, run by LaVerne Holzeisen and her husband Steve. They retired in 1978, selling Mr. Hot Dog to a new owner who ran the place for another 15 years before it closed for good in the 1990s. Today the location is home to a Japanese restaurant. Read more about this business and see more photos in Woody LaBounty’s 2014 article.

Herb’s Delicatessen on Taraval near 32nd Avenue in 1972 – Courtesy of Frank Dunnigan.
HERB’S DELICATESSEN—Herb’s Delicatessen had been owned and operated by local residents Herb & Jennie Thompson since 1950, offering deli sandwiches, salads, and the incomparable Hot Meatball Subs on Thursdays. The shop enjoyed a tremendous increase in business beginning in the Fall of 1969, when St. Ignatius High School relocated from Stanyan Street to nearby 37th Avenue. After Herb’s passing in 1987, Jennie sold the business (along with the famous meatball recipe that came from her Sicilian mother) to new owner, Issa Cuadra, who continued to draw appreciative customers to the shop for another decade. Sadly, the building owner would not renew Issa’s lease, nor offer her the opportunity to buy the building, and Herb’s closed in the summer of 1998. Since then the building has appeared to be storage for building supplies. Read 17 years of posts on the WNP message boards about the meatball sandwich.

Hal’s Hamburgers at Geary and Collins Street – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
HAL’S HAMBURGERS—Hal’s Hamburgers was an early San Francisco drive-in on Geary Boulevard at Collins Avenue, just west of Masonic Avenue. It underwent multiple name changes over the years (the business even engaged in a low-price war with competitors in the early 1970s), but the site later became a small apartment building with ground-floor retail tenants.

The Hot House at Playland on Great Highway between Balboa and Cabrillo – Courtesy of a Private Collector.
PLAYLAND DINING—Playland was the ultimate in casual dining. With offerings from popcorn, ice cream, and candy to chicken, Mexican food, pies and more, Playland was THE place to grab a quick bite when out and about in the Western Neighborhoods from the 1920s to 1972. Condominiums now occupy the space. Read more about the most memorable Playland food outlet, The Hot House.

Former Baskin-Robbins store on Clement near 7th Avenue in 1990s – Richmond Review Newspaper Collection / Courtesy of Paul Kozakiewicz, Richmond Review.
BASKIN-ROBBINS—Beginning in the 1960s, San Francisco had many Baskin-Robbins ice cream shops located along multiple neighborhood shopping corridors, including Clement Street, Irving Street, and West Portal Avenue. Slowly, though, the locations began closing, replaced by a variety of other businesses, and by 2018, the firm had no stores remaining in San Francisco.

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