Walking into Paul’s Hat Works on Geary Boulevard in the Outer Richmond is like walking through a time portal into the past.
Century-Old Paul’s Hat Works Offers a Portal Into the Past
Historian and Author Lorri Ungaretti Sings the Praises of SF’s Westside Neighborhoods
With the exception of Golden Gate Park, San Francisco’s Sunset District is well off the beaten tourist track. The sprawling neighborhood bordering the south side of Golden Gate Park has its attractions – Ocean Beach, Stern Grove, Depression-era murals – but its foggy weather, wide and sometimes treeless streets, and row upon row of lookalike, single-family homes and boxy fourplexes hardly make it a travel destination.
Letter to the Editor: More to the Story – Botanical Garden’s History
The ambience of the redwood grove will be forever impaired by the new fence. Beloved gardens are gone forever. And taxpayers are on the hock for millions to pay bond interest for for these “improvements” as well as for the new $1.1 million fence, advertising and signage. All without a single meeting of local community members taking place!
Local Author and Historian Wrote the Book on SF’s Residence Parks
It’s not well known but during the early 20th century dozens of neighborhoods were planned with picturesque streets, landscaping, detached houses and setbacks to convey the feeling of living in a park – rare in San Francisco.
Local Photographer’s Works Reside in the Smithsonian
Stephen Somerstein has had several lifetimes worth of achievements so far in his 81 years. Almost as amazing as his photos in the Smithsonian, his Emmy Award or his career as an aerospace engineer is how Somerstein can recall and recount his experiences in explicit detail.
Press Release: Western Neighborhoods Project’s New Director of Programs
Western Neighborhoods Project Announces Hiring of Director of Programs, Chelsea Sellin
Press Release: ‘Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ Brings Splendors of Ancient Egypt to SF
“’Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs’ reveals the power and splendor of ancient Egypt, and expands on the history conveyed within our own collection of ancient art.” – Thomas P. Campbell, director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
The Unofficial Historian of SF’s Quirky Side
When she moved to San Francisco in 1982, Lakeside resident Monika Trobits immediately fell in love with all the usual things – the weather, the views, the people, you name it. But in time she developed a deep fascination with the stranger and more unusual aspects of life in the city.
‘Then and Now’: Parnassus and Fifth Avenues
Below: This is the view looking west from Parnassus and Fifth avenues in 1948. Back then, the Muni 6-Line streetcar (#159) was in service. Photo courtesy of a private collector/Western Neighborhoods Project/OpenSFHistory. […]
‘Then and Now’: Cliff House
Comparing photos of the Cliff House from 1900 with 2022.
‘Naiad Cove’ Exhibit Makes History Come Alive
Naiad Cove, named after the Greek demigoddesses, has been a labor of love and hard work to preserve the treasures, memories and history of Lands End, the Cliff House, Sutro Heights and Ocean Beach.
‘The Front Steps’: Naming Richmond Streets
A city like San Francisco needs hundreds of street names, and you run out of obvious ones surprisingly quickly. On top of that, people turn out to have very strong opinions about […]
‘The Front Steps’: How “Little Russia” Came To the Richmond
Weeks after I first moved to San Francisco for college I was standing in a now-forgotten pizza place, angling for a job. The owner, glancing at my resume, asked, “Do you have […]
‘The Front Steps’: Remembering The Richmond’s Weird Drunken Beachside Squatter Carnival
Everyone loves a good neighborhood profile, but what happens if the neighborhood no longer exists? At The Front Steps, we profile it anyway–because you’ve got to know your roots. Case in point, […]
‘Looking Back’: Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk
Thomas (or “Tomáš”) Garrigue Masaryk (March 7, 1850 – Sept. 14, 1937) is honored with a monument in Golden Gate Park. Masaryk was an important leader in the establishment of Czechoslovakia and became its first president in 1918. He was re-elected president of Czechoslovakia three more times consecutively.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 