Vintage San Francisco photos (great thread!)

[palermodude]

Originally Posted by BTinSF

Pictures like this are among the best responses to the "good old days" crowd. Just look at the condition of the houses and other buildings pictured in these photos and compare with today (today they've just about all been renovated and are worth plenty). In the photos even the commercial buildings in Chinatown and elsewhere look like wrecks whereas today they are well-maintained.

And the pics take a little of the nostalgia out of ideas about 60's Haight-Ashbury too.

They even suggest reason for hope for cities that are currently in the condition San Francisco was then--you know the ones (they get regularly trashed here).

First of all, excellent thread, one of the best on this website (and I use the search function quite often).
Congratulations on documenting for us an amazing collection.
Many of us appreciate it alot.
Makes me want to watch old Ironside (free on fancast) and SoSF reruns (not yet on fancast).

Now for this poster's comment above:
Honestly, this post above sounds a bit immature and a little on the arrogant side. Either the poster is twentysomething or has a problem with history or things which are not ideally beautiful in his/her view.

First of all, many of us are not old. I, myself, am rather young. But at least I can understand clearly the following points:

- The present (no matter how much you want to ignore it) is LINKED to the past. If you never had the past the way it is, the present wouldn't be as such. Change an urban planning decision in the past, and consequences would be felt today. The urban fabric is today what it is because of the past events - which resulted at the time in the neighborhoods being a "wreck" like you naively put it. Frankly, it's ignorant to criticize nostalgia. Back then SF was NOT a "boutique elitist" city and actually had affordable housing where normal middle class people could live there. Although it was still relatively expensive, LOL. Other cities that tore down historic structures did so, because of their perception at the time. If you were not there, it would be nearly impossible for you to judge.

- Secondly, it is crystal clear that "if this" and "if that" is so ignorant when studying perspectives. We are the result of our past decisions. Therefore, the Haight-Ashbury movement had an influence on culture today. Without it, today would be different. Every decision we make in life affects the future. Even the small supposedly inconsequential ones. Therefore, if you disrespect the past you disrespect the present too, because the past is what got us here. SF urban boutique city renovation "worth plenty" (your words) is the result of those pictures you see. You cannot say that the urban area would be so expensive today if people made different decisions in the past. Plus those pictures of Haight are a sample - not reality. That's like if I looked at a picture of Miami Beach, I would call it paradise, mistakenly.

If your view of SF as it was back then is more realistic than romantically idealized, the reality of today (we have a lot of problems today, just like back then) is descended from un-romantic past when looked at in objective reality. It had influence, but it wasn't necessarily better. But then again, its descendent culture is not necessarily better either. They are one of the same! We have more gadgets, but you cannot prove that IN THE AGGREGATE we humans make better decisions today then we did back in 1955. Hence, criticizing nostalgia is irrelevant.

I'm sure there are others who see my point. Read philosophy if you don't get it.

[1ajs]

Originally Posted by peanut gallery

That's the Palace of Fine Arts. It was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition and was rebuilt in the 60s as the original structure was never intended (thus not built to the standards required) to be a permanent structure. Here's a more recent photo of it:


Source.

was not aware they tore it down and put it back up?

in 2001 they had the area inside it closed for safty reaons is this still the same or have they fixed the falling panels?

also the exploritorium next to it is prity sweet


other thing though is how many of the those old mansion u think woulda survived the 89 quake?

[peanut gallery]

I haven't been over there in awhile, but I recall reading all the renovations were completed last year sometime.

I bet most of those mansions would have been fine, like their surviving neighbors. Most of the seriously damaged buildings from the Loma Prieta quake were in the Marina on landfill, while most of these are in neighborhoods built on bedrock. Soil condition can be a bigger factor in an earthquake than distance from the epicenter.

Yeah, the Exploratorium is cool. It might get a new, larger space on the waterfront if the plans come to fruition.

[volguus zildrohar]

An incredible collection!

[STLgasm]

Yes yes yes!!!!

[Highrise_Mike]

All I have to say is wow, these pics are awesome! I love to see historic pics of cities.

[BTinSF]

Originally Posted by palermodude

Now for this poster's comment above:
Honestly, this post above sounds a bit immature and a little on the arrogant side. Either the poster is twentysomething or has a problem with history or things which are not ideally beautiful in his/her view.

I'm sure there are others who see my point. Read philosophy if you don't get it.

What H*LL are you trying to say? Thanks for the complementary suggestion that I'm a "twentysomething". As it happens, I'm 64 and remember the era of some of those pictures very well.

I'm also pretty well educated which means I've met my share of pompous bloviators. Your prose sounds familiar in that regard.

Obviously you didn't get my point so I'll try to make it clearer: Cities have their ups and downs. When they are in a "down" period, there is reason for hope that an "up" period will be forthcoming. Many of the photos in this thread show San Francisco in a "down" period--when it was not the "boutique darling" either of its own citizens or of America. I consider this an optimistic sentiment--little more and not cause for deep philosophizing.

[destroycreate]

NGL this is still a pretty cool thread

[Murphy de la Sucre]

Who calls and titles his own thread a great thread.

it is good thread though