Presidio Heights, SF, Architectural Heritage Tour & nearby Presidio Hike
Details
*Don't be a No-Show and have your membership in the Group canceled. See the,*No-Show policies at the bottom.
This tour highlights not only the diversity of the architecture, but also the mix of architects and people who built, occupied and maintained these grand properties. About 50 of which are on our tour today, including Presidio Terrace.
I also have some ephemera we can see to get a feel for what life was like here about ninety years ago.
Here are some links if you would like to help with Meetup expenses.
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The walking tour covers approximately 15 blocks (3.0 - 4.0 miles of walking).
Afterwards there are a couple of interesting dining spots at Divisadero and California Sts., Patisserie & Dynasty Dumpling. Both are good options for lunch. But sometimes it's fun to try something different, Hinodeya Ramen Bar at 1737 Buchanan St. I know where to find parking, no worries. So join me afterwards. They also have a location just off Chestnut St. at 3340 Steiner St. This location looks more luxe with nice outdoor seating and more tables. Same menu. The House Ramen or Spinach soup seems like the go to's! ($17.00.) By the way Chestnut St. seems to have a lot of new and unique restaurants if you have a good suggestion that you've actually tried and recommend, let me know.
Lots of walking today, about three miles, but mostly level.
(On Sundays we'll pass by the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco at the end of our walk. A weekly Sunday tour of this early Arts & Crafts gem is offered at 1:00pm. We'll stop by and take a look. See some of the art there in the photos here.)
We're meeting at the intersection of Baker St & Vallejo. Very ample parking on the nearby streets. We always manage to find a relatively clean porta-pottie nearby. But we do pass restrooms on our side hike through the Presidio.
*(Don't be a no-show.) It's good to give out name tags which I do. I fill out the name tags 24hrs. before for the tour. This also gives me a way to take attendance. Name tags that are not picked up, are recorded as no-shows. If you get too many no-shows recorded in your personal Meet-up profile you'll have to be cancelled from this Meetup.
(To cancel your RSVP beforehand (must be at least 24 hrs. before the Event or a No-show is recorded.), so look for the, "Edit Attendance" tab at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.)
Please ask your guests to join the Meetup, otherwise they can't attend.
Popular architectural genres in the early development of Presidio Hts.- At the time of its development around 1905, the brown shingle, Arts & Crafts style was popular. Known as the First Bay Traditional or Regional style we'll see this genre in evidence at the beginning of the tour. (Be sure to take a look at the four photos here of a great example of this type of architecture.) Presidio Hts. was an early hot bed of this style, led by the
Swedenborgian Church nearby and Its founding pastor, Rev. Joseph Worcester who is credited with building the first Bay Area brown shingle house in Piedmont, in 1876.
1895 the 1910 Edwardian and Colonial Revival: The continued elaboration of ornament and facade shapes reached its height in the early 1890s as the the Victorian era ended. After that there was a gradual move towards simplicity and away from excess and toward, order. Eccentricity gave way to strict conventions, quiet lines and understated quality materials. Money now made understatement its chief method of display. Style was no longer measured in pounds of gingerbread ornament per square foot, but in elegant proportions and an air of conservatism.
(Julia Morgan lived nearby at Washington & Divisadero. There are four JM houses on today's tour.)