Flood Mansion after the 1906 earthquake & fire. The Nob Hill free walking tour shares this history. sfcityguides.org/tour/nob-hill/
SF City Guides
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Since 1978; San Francisco: One story at a time. 501 C 3 💙 70+ free walks through city neighborhoods ❤️ RSVPs Optional Tag your photos w/ #sfcityguides www.sfcityguides.org
Seals on the Rocks at the Farallons, photo taken 1868–69. Photo courtesy of Carlton Watkins www.sfcityguides.org
The Aquatic Park Bathhouse opened to the public in 1939, but was soon leased to private businessmen who opened the Aquatic Park Casino. 1941. Thanks to the SF Chronicle for allowing us to post their photo. The Fishermen’s Wharf: A Hidden History Walking Tour sfcityguides.org/tour/fisherm...
Built in 1898 by Bernard J.S. Cahill and reflecting the Neo-Classical architectural style, the Columbarium survived a 1901 law that banned further burials within the city limits when they relocated many burial sites and tombstones to Colma. www.sfcityguides.org
One of the luxurious ways to get around the 1915 Pan Pacific International Exhibition was by these wicker motor driven vehicles. www.sfcityguides.org
This 75-minute walk explores the California Academy of Sciences and de Young Museum, both rebuilt post-1989 earthquake by renowned architects emphasizing sustainability. Covers Alice Eastwood’s history, site-specific art, & the de Young tower’s city view. www.sfcityguides.org/tour/archite...
Renovating the Ferry Building in October 1906 (6 months after the catastrophe). The Ferry Building free walking tour shares many stories of this iconic building: sfcityguides.org/tour/ferry-b...
San Franciscans lined up by the thousands when the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Building opened — the city’s first true skyscraper. Downtown Deco Free Walking Tour: www.sfcityguides.org/tour/downtow... Thanks to SFMOMA for the Pflueger drawing.
In 1974, 135 Chinatown garment workers—mostly Chinese immigrant women—struck Esprit’s Jung Sai factory for nearly a year, facing 64 arrests. Their fight sparked lasting Asian-American labor activism in SF. Dogpatch West. www.sfcityguides.org/tour/dogpatc...
Perched atop the InterContinental Mark Hopkins, Top of the Mark has been a San Francisco icon since the 1930s. Once a glamorous gathering place for World War II servicemen & women, this legendary penthouse bar still offers sweeping 360-degree views of the Bay. sfcityguides.org/tour/nob-hill/
Powell at Market streets, c.1915. San Francisco, CA. Located right where the cable car turnaround is today. Thanks to John Bosko for allowing us to repost their photo. www.sfcityguides.org
Starting in the mid-1860s, Carlton Watkins photographed the first Cliff House from nearly every angle: perched on its cliff above Seal Rocks. The Lands End: Sutro Heights Walking Tour. sfcityguides.org/tour/lands-e...
The pagoda was built as temporary indoor display in the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition’s Palace of Food Products & relocated to the Japanese Tea Garden in 1916, where it sat outdoors for more than a century. The Japanese Tea Garden free walking tour. sfcityguides.org/tour/japanes...
Passengers bought a ticket on the Apollo from the East Coast and sailed around South America Cape Horn. When they came into Yerba Buena Cove, they abandoned ship and repurposed the ship by beaching it on the waterfront where it was modified for use as a storeship in Jan 1850. www.sfcityguides.org
Most visitors assume the ornate Italian Renaissance bandshell in the Music Concourse. The very first bandstand, built in 1883, was just a small wooden structure on an elevated patch of ground. Special thanks to OpenSFHistory for allowing Us to repost their photo. www.sfcityguides.org
In the 1940s and 50s, a new generation of poets rebelled against the conventions of mainstream American life and writing. They became known as the Beat Poets. BEAT GENERATION IN SF: REBELS, WRITERS, AND VISIONARIES. RSVP ——> sfcityguides.org/tour/beat-ge...
Back in 1914, as San Francisco prepped for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. A sign “California Welcomes the World — Panama-Pacific Exposition,” and a banner across the entrance announced, “The Panama Canal is Open.” Ferry Building Free Walking Tour www.sfcityguides.org/tour/ferry-b...
When cable cars were installed on Nob Hill, it made the hills accessible and they migrated across the city to Nob Hill. Cable cars made Nob Hill accessible. The photo shows a house at 555 Harrison in what was known as Rincon Hill. www.sfcityguides.org
James King of William was a prominent, honest journalist who founded the Evening Bulletin to fight corruption. He was shot by a city official he had exposed. It was a banner displayed on buildings mourning King of William’s death in 1856. www.sfcityguides.org
Did you know a Rube Goldberg machine has a real San Francisco address? Built in 1911, this building at 198 Gough Street was commissioned by native SF Rube Goldberg whose name became shorthand for wildly overcomplicated contraptions built to do the simplest of tasks. www.sfcityguides.org
Emperor Norton’s Humble Palace Emperor Norton I declared himself “Emperor of the United States” in 1859 — but his royal residence was a tiny room at the Eureka Lodging House on Commercial Street. A plaque is steps from where the Financial District now stands. www.sfcityguides.org
What the Ferry Building looked like on the inside in the 1950s. The Ferry Building free walking tour shares this building’s history. RSVP: sfcityguides.org/tour/ferry-b...
The Brooklyn was the ship that carried Sam Brannan & 238 Mormons aboard from NY to Yerba Buena (later renamed to San Francisco). Sam Brannan owned 2 general stores and sold mining supplies / camping gear to miners. He was one of the first Millionaires from the gold rush. www.sfcityguides.org
Blue Heron Lake Boathouse Special thanks to Bancroft library for allowing us to repost their photo. Www.sfcityguides.org
Muni Heritage Weekend is back — Sept 19–20! Rises on streetcars, cable cars, and buses spanning 141 years — including the 1896 “Dinky” and the Blackpool Boat Tram. SF City Guides is hosting a guided cable car walking tour as part of the festivities. www.sfmta.com/calendar/mun...
In 2017, this example shows why SF’s cable car lines change their cable so often. The Powell lines to Fisherman’s Wharf get a new cable roughly every 75 days. Cable Cars, Halfway to the Stars walking tour sfcityguides.org/tour/cable-c...
Built in 1875, this wooden train shed and ferry terminal sat at the foot of Market Street — the true gateway to SF in the days before bridges. It was called the Union Depot & Ferry House. In the 1880s this is what it looked like. The Ferry Building Walking tour sfcityguides.org/tour/ferry-b...
Have you seen the elephant?” It was a popular term used to speak of the difficulties in getting from your starting point A to destination point B. Gold Rush City www.sfcityguides.org/desc.html?to...
In 1916, San Francisco extended its Path of Gold lights to the Market Street triangle at Kearny, Sutter, and Powell. Sculptor Leo Lentelli’s 19 ft iron lamp design, with three glowing globes. Historic Market Street: Path to Gold walking tour. sfcityguides.org/tour/histori...
