Market Street Railway – Holiday decorations for a streetcar built in 1928 and a cable car built in 1887: 24 November 2018

Market Street Railway is a non-profit organization founded in 1976. The mission of Market Street Railway is to help preserve San Francisco's historic streetcars, cable cars, and buses. The leaders of Market Street Railway were a significant influence on government decision-makers in the 1980s and 1990s, by helping to ensure that vintage streetcars became an integral and vital component of Muni Metro.

On Saturday, 24 November, Market Street Railway volunteers placed holiday decorations on streetcar No. 1818 at the Cameron Beach Streetcar Yard in the morning. During the afternoon volunteers decorated cable car No. 25 at the cable car barn & powerhouse.

As a member of the Market Street Railway organization, I was happy to participate in placing the decorations on both vehicles. It was enjoyable to join with other members to festoon and embellish the streetcar and cable car with holiday decorations.

I took the following photos in-between the time I spent decorating the cars.

Click on an image to see the full-size photograph.

Streetcar 1818 was built in Milan Italy in 1928.

Market Street Railway volunteers are decorating the interior of streetcar No. 1818.

NOW  Cameron Beach Yard Is a streetcar depot located in the southern area of San Francisco.

NOW  Cameron Beach Yard was previously known as the Geneva Car Barn & Powerhouse. The name was changed on 25 October 2011, in honor and memory of Cameron Beach. Mr. Beach was the Director of the SFMTA. This streetcar yard became operational in 1901, and the powerhouse, which is no longer functional, became operational in 1902.

THEN This is the Geneva Car Barn and powerhouse, as seen on 13 April 1972. The view is looking southwest. Photo by Ken Snodgrass. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.

THEN Here is the Geneva Car Barn, circa 1921. Photo by Horace Chaffee. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.

THEN The Geneva Car Barn as seen on 2 May 1962. PCC streetcar 1015 is leaving the car barn and is proceeding to travel on the K-Ingleside line. Photo by Marshall Moxom. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.

This is streetcar No.1. It was built in San Francisco in 1912. It is currently operational.

The operator controls in streetcar No.1 

Here is a view of the interior of streetcar No.1.

This is a view of the exterior of streetcar No.1. The picture was taken in April 2018. This is the Fisherman's Wharf turnaround location on the F-Market & Wharves Streetcar line.

The streetcar on the left is streetcar No 1815. It was built in Italy in 1928; it is now only being used for operator training. On the right is streetcar No.1807; it was also built in Italy during 1928. It is currently out of service.

This is streetcar No 228. It was built in England in 1934. Market Street Railway acquired this streetcar in 1984 for use by Muni. It is currently operational.

This is streetcar No 233 It was also built in England during 1934. Market Street Railway acquired this streetcar in 2013 for use by Muni. It is currently operational.

This is streetcar No. 351. The St. Louis Car Company built it in 1926 for use by the Johnstown Traction Company in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. It is awaiting restoration.

This is streetcar No 578j. It was built in Japan for the Kobe City Railway in 1927. It was acquired by Muni in 1986. It is currently in storage.

This is the interior of streetcar No.578j.

This is streetcar No. 952. It came to San Francisco from the New Orleans Transit Authority in 1998. It was built in High Point, North Carolina in 1923. It is currently being serviced.

This is a view of the interior of streetcar No. 952.

This is streetcar No 737. It was built in Belgium in 1952. It started to roll on the streets of San Francisco in June 2005. It is currently operational.

NOW The cable car barn & powerhouse on Mason Street at Washington Street. This view is looking northwest.

THEN The cable car barn & powerhouse as seen on 7 August 1942. Photo by Horace Chaffee. Thanks to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency for the use of this photo.

This is the cable car powerhouse. Cable cars have no engine or motors on the cars themselves. The power sources for the cable car rolling on the streets of San Francisco are visible in this photograph. Each of the four cables seen in this picture travel on a different portion of the three cable car routes. The cables travel through conduits beneath the road. The three routes are the California Street line, the Powell-Mason line, and the Powell-Hyde line. Each interwoven cable is roughly 1.3 inches in diameter, and the cable travels at a constant speed of approximately fifteen miles per hour. The operator of each cable car engages or disengages the underground cable from the cable car which he or she is operating. 

Here is a map of the three cable car routes. The cable car barn & powerhouse is identified on this map as the "Cable Car Museum."

The cable car barn & powerhouse is also the location where cable cars are stored and repaired. This is a photo of cable car No. 25. It was built in San Francisco by the Ferries & Cliff House Railway in 1887. Adolph Sutro began the Ferries & Cliff House Railway as an inexpensive method of transportation for bringing visitors to the Cliff House and later also the Sutro Baths.

This is cable car No. 23, it was built in 1887. The Carter Brothers constructed it in San Francisco for the Ferries & Cliff House Railway. It is now operational on the Powell & Hyde Street line.     

This is cable car No. 59. Muni constructed the car, and it entered service on 31 July 1998. It is currently operational.

Cable car No. 57 was built in 1914. It operates on the California Street cable car line. Muni recently built cable car No. 19.

Cable car No. 18 is being serviced and is currently operational on the Powell Street Line.

This map of San Francisco shows the location of the Cameron Beach Streetcar Yard and the location of the Mason Street cable car barn & powerhouse.

For additional information about San Francisco's streetcars and cable cars, I suggest that you read Rick Laubscher’s excellent book: "On Track, a field guide to San Francisco's historic streetcars and cable cars." 

I have previously posted on this blog "The last remaining cable car barn in San Francisco." 

–

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

   A Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com

San Francisco – California Governor Jerry Brown's childhood home. Plus, views of the Sunset & Richmond Districts: October 2018

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

This house was the childhood home of Jerry Brown, the Governor of the State of California, as of 2018. The house was built in 1920 on Magellan Avenue in the Forest Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. 

Jerry Brown’s father Edmund “Pat” Brown was born in San Francisco in 1905. He attended Lowell High School, as did his wife, Bernice Layne. They had four children, three girls, and a boy; the children were all born in San Francisco. In 1943 Pat Brown was elected District Attorney of the City and County of San Francisco. In 1950 he was elected Attorney General of California. In 1959 Pat Brown was elected governor of California. He served two terms as governor, from 1959 to 1967. Pat Brown died at 90 years of age on 16 February 1996.

Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown Jr., the only son of Bernice and Pat Brown, was born in 1938. He followed in his father’s footsteps and went into politics. Between 1971 and 1975 he served as Secretary of State of California. In 1974 he was elected governor of California at the age of 36. In 1978 Jerry Brown was re-elected, governor. In 1982 he ran for the United States Senate and lost the election.

Jerry Brown re-emerged on the political stage after he moved his residence to Oakland, California. From 1999-2007 Brown served as Mayor of Oakland for two terms. Between 2007-2011 he was elected Attorney General of California. In 2010 Jerry Brown decided to run for another four-year term as governor of California. Brown won that election and was subsequently re-elected governor for the fourth time in 2014.

Cynthia Brown Kelly, Jerry Brown’s older sister, considered this house on Magellan Avenue as her home, for almost her entire life. She was 81 when she died on 29 March 2015.

This is the Forest Hill Association Clubhouse. The clubhouse, which is located on Magellan Avenue, was designed by architect Bernard Maybeck (1862-1957) and constructed in 1919. The Forest Hill Association Clubhouse is an excellent San Francisco example of the Arts and Crafts movement, featuring a large central room with a soaring beamed ceiling, and detailed original woodwork.

Bernard Maybeck lived in Berkeley, across San Francisco Bay. He was an instructor of engineering drawing at the University of California; he was also the architect of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. 

NOW This is the Taraval Police Station. The building, erected in 1924, is one of the ten police patrol stations of the San Francisco Police Department. The Taraval Police District encompasses a large, mainly residential area in the southwestern portion of San Francisco. 

THEN The Taraval Police Station shortly after the building was constructed. It is located at 2345 24th Avenue; the cross street is Taraval Street. 

This fountain, built-in 1926, was created as a tribute to Phoebe Apperson Hearst. The fountain is located in Golden Gate Park on the Music Concourse in front of the California Academy of Sciences. The M.H. deYoung Memorial Museum is visible in the background. The fountain contains the following inscription: "In Memory of Phoebe Apperson Hearst From Her Friends." 

Phoebe Apperson Hearst (December 1842 - April 1919) was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. She married George Hearst (September 1820 - February 1891) in 1862, when she was 19 years old, and he was 41 years old. Hearst was a successful Comstock Lode miner, and he had struck it rich. Phoebe Apperson Hearst gave birth to William Randolph Hearst in 1863. 

Phoebe Apperson Hearst died at her home in Pleasanton, California, aged 76, on 13 April 1919, during the worldwide influenza pandemic of 1918-1919. She was laid to rest at Cypress Lawn Cemetery, Colma, California.

This mausoleum located within Cypress Lawn Cemetery, contains the remains of Senator George Hearst, his wife, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, and their son William Randolph Hearst (April 1863 - August 1951).

George Hearst was elected to the US Senate as one of two Senators from the state of California. He served as Senator from 4 March 1887 to his death on 28 February 1891. 

Phoebe Apperson Hearst donated millions of dollars towards the development of the University of California, Berkeley. 

William Randolph Hearst was their only child; he was an astute businessman who became very wealthy. At the height of his power, he owned eighteen newspapers, nine magazines, several radio stations, and a movie studio. In 1919 he hired Julia Morgan (January 1872-February 1957) to design Hearst Castle. She was the first woman architect licensed to practice in California.

Go Here to view additional photographs of the Cypress Lawn Cemetery as published in the 2 March 2017 edition of this Photo Blog.

A soccer game and a baseball game are simultaneously being played on this large playing field located in Golden Gate Park. The view is looking south, and the Sunset District is visible ahead.

This is the Francis Scott Key Monument located in Golden Gate Park. The statue, designed by William Wetmore Story, and commissioned by James Lick, was the nation's first memorial for Francis Scott Key.

The statue was unveiled in 1888, and at that time the Star-Spangled Banner was not the national anthem of the United States. It did not achieve that distinction until 1931. The statue is San Francisco Landmark #96.

Here is a view of a portion of an Inner Sunset shopping area as seen from 9th Avenue between Lincoln Way and Irving Street. The picture is looking south.

Alice Fong Yu Alternative School is located on Funston Avenue in the Inner Sunset District. Mount Sutro and Sutro Tower are visible. The view is looking east.

A Powell & Hyde Street Cable Car is rolling down Hyde Street, on its way to Fisherman's Wharf.

This is St. Anne of the Sunset Church. Construction began in 1930, and the church was dedicated in 1933. The church has an intricate and beautiful sculpture on the exterior of the building, which was created by Sister Justina Niemierski (1879-1960). This view is looking north.

Sister Justina Niemierski, was born Anna Niemierski in Wietrienen, East Prussia (now Poland). She studied at the Berlin Academy of Fine Arts, and her friends and family assumed she would be an artist. Instead, Anna Niemierski became a Dominican nun. 

In 1931, when Sister Justina Niemierski was living at Mission San Jose in Fremont, California, she created the sculpture on the exterior of San Francisco's new St. Anne of the Sunset Church. Sister Justina created other religious sculptures during her lifetime; she died on 8 September 1960. "She took part in the religion but was alone in her work," said Sister Mary Mark of the convent. "You could see her work was part of her prayer." 

This is a view of a part of the sculpture created by Mission San Jose Sister Justina Niemierski.

Another portion of the sculpture created by Sister Justina Niemierski. A quick quiz. Can you spot the two elephants depicted in the above photograph?

The treed hill ahead is the location of Grandview Park.

We are now cranking up the east side of Grandview Park. Mount Sutro and Sutro Tower are ahead. This view is looking east.

This photo was taken from the summit of Grandview Park; the view is looking northeast. Downtown San Francisco is visible in the distance. The hill on the right is Mount Sutro, and the residential area at the base of Mount Sutro is part of the Inner Sunset District. 

The 22nd Street & Irving Market is located on Irving Street in the Outer Sunset District. Please note the twin sisters in matching purple jackets and white hats as they look at the fruits and vegetables available for purchase.

This is a view of a qigong studio located on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond District.

Here is a view of a Chinese variety store on Clement Street in the Inner Richmond District.

This is a view of the Pacific Ocean as seen from Cabrillo Street near 40th Avenue in the Outer Richmond District.

This is a view looking west at the Sunset District, as seen from 14th Avenue in Golden Gate Heights.

This is a view from Hawk Hill looking southeast. Mount Davidson, Edgehill Mountain, the Forest Hill neighborhood and the St. Francis Wood neighborhood are visible.

This is a view from Hawk Hill looking west at the Sunset District and the Pacific Ocean. For thousands of years, strong winds from the Pacific Ocean blew sand from the ocean onto what is now known as San Francisco. This natural action created sand dunes which multiplied and grew on portions of San Francisco. Hawk Hill is a massive sand dune located about two miles east of the ocean's shoreline. The height of the dune is approximately 650 feet above sea level.

After the earthquake of 1906, the dunes of the Outside Lands, now known as the Sunset District and the Richmond District, were bulldozed, paved over with asphalt and concrete, and covered with buildings, as is evident in the above photograph.

This new reality left no naturally available source of windblown sand to restore the sand erosion occurring on Hawk Hill. Public access to the ecologically fragile Hawk Hill is discouraged by the City of San Francisco.

Hawk Hill sand dune is ahead. This view is looking east from Rivera Street. 

This is a view of San Francisco Bay as seen from Pacific Heights. This vista is looking north.

This is a view from Washington Street in Pacific Heights.

NOW This is the former Nazi German Consulate, also known as the Whittier Mansion. It is located at 2090 Jackson Street in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. 

Edward R. Swain designed this Arizona sandstone building. It was constructed between 1894 and 1896 for William Franklin Whittier, a wealthy entrepreneur. Mr. Whittier lived in the house until his death in 1917 at the age of 85. His daughter Martha Smith Whittier Weir sold the house for $44,000 to the Nazi German government in April 1941. For a short period of time, the mansion became the German consulate in San Francisco.

The United States Federal Government seized the property immediately after Nazi Germany declared war on the United States on 11 December 1941, four days after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The mansion remained bolted shut during the war years. In 1946, the responsibility of government oversight of the property was given to the office of the United States Attorney General. It was then decided to put the property on the market for sale. The California Historical Society purchased the property in 1946. The estate is now a private residence. This building is San Francisco Landmark #75.

THEN This is a picture of the mansion in 1910. At that time William Franklin Whittier was still living in the house. 

THEN The former Nazi German Consulate as seen circa 1950, after the California Historical Society purchased the property. 

A blossoming flower adjacent to Sunset Reservoir.

A few adventurous flowers are peeking through a wooden fence.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs that were posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

   A Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com

San Francisco – Golden Gate Heights, Twin Peaks, and Mount Davidson: October 2018

Click on an image to view the full-size photograph.

Golden Gate Heights. A panoramic scene from 15th Avenue at Grandview Park. The view is looking northwest. The Sunset Reservoir is visible, as is a portion of Golden Gate Park.

Golden Gate Heights. This stairway is the notable 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. I have posted photos of the numerous tiled stairways situated in this area.

Golden Gate Heights. Sweeney Ridge is visible in the far distance. This view is looking south.

Golden Gate Heights. This is a view of Grandview Park as seen from Aloha Avenue. The view is looking southeast.

Golden Gate Heights. Here is a view of Rocky Outcrop Park as seen from 14th Avenue. The view is looking southeast.

This view looking west is of the Noe Valley neighborhood. Twin Peaks and Sutro Tower are seen in the background. This photo was taken on 22 March 2021.

Golden Gate Heights. This is a view looking east from Ortega Street. Twin Peaks are ahead.

The following pictures were taken from Twin Peaks and Mount Davidson. This is a view of Twin Peaks as seen from a trail on the east side of Twin Peaks. The view is looking south. The peak closest to the camera Eureka Peak, and the peak south of Eureka Peak is Noe Peak.

Twin Peaks. A view looking north from the summit of Noe Peak. Ahead is Eureka Peak. You can also see the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge if you look closely at the photo. 

A trail view looking northeast from the east side of Twin Peaks. Corona Heights Park is the treeless hill located near the center of the photo. 

Twin Peaks. A view looking southeast. Bernal Heights Hill is visible ahead on the right side of the photograph. The southern portion of San Francisco Bay is also visible.

Twin Peaks. A view from Noe Peak looking southwest. Ahead is Mount Davidson, the highest natural point in San Francisco. The small treed hill to the right of Mount Davidson is Edgehill Mountain. 

This is a view from near the summit of Mount Davidson. Downtown San Francisco is visible, as are the Berkeley Hills across San Francisco Bay. Twin Peaks can be seen ahead on the left side of the photograph. This scene is looking northeast.

This is a view looking south from Mount Davidson. San Bruno Mountain, located in San Mateo County, is ahead.  

This flowering fuchsia plant is growing on the northern flank of Mount Davidson. Thanks to Margot C. for identifying this plant.

A bowl of pho, as prepared and served by L'Amour de Saigon restaurant, which is located in the West Portal neighborhood.

"A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.” Dorothea Lange 

"Photography has not changed since its origin except in its technical aspects, which for me are not important." Henri Carter-Bresson

"There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer." Ansel Adams

"The important thing is not the camera but the eye." Alfred Eisenstaedt

The first volume of the San Francisco Bay Area Photo Blog contains galleries of photographs posted on the Internet between 2002 and 2011. Click Here to view those photos.

   A Sony camera was used to take these photographs.

Question or comment? I may be reached at neil@mishalov.com