#8, Mission District Series-(Tours #1 thru #13)-"Alabama St. Pioneers"-Tour#8

(Photo above: an Omnibus Co. horse drawn streetcar, runs on Howard Street, in front of grand homes, 1886. Horse drawn street cars started running in the Mission in the 1850s.)
On July 12's Mission tour we happened upon a restaurant opening on 24th St. They invited the group to a free buffet to celebrate their opening. Called BIR kITCHEN, serving, Indian/Nepalese, between Shotwell & Folsom. One of these days we'll have to go back. Good Indian food, in my opinion, is hard to find. We always are open to local expertise for food finding. There seems to be something about the Mission that makes for dancing feet. Between now and then we'll be looking for a venue like El Rio to free up any dancing needs. Check around for the afternoon of the 26th for something in the area.

We're embarking on the following series of thirteen heritage, history and architecture tours of the Mission District.

1. Shotwell St., Victoriana
2. South Mission-Avenues & Alleys
3. East Mission-Florida-to-Hampshire Sts.
4. Horner's Addition East
5. Gottlieb Knopf Block
6. Von Schroeder-Welsh Block
7. 23rd St. Shops & Row Houses
8. Alabama St., Pioneers (today's Tour)
9. Hampshire St., False Fronts
10. Juri Street
11. Olsen's Queen Anne Cottages
12. O'Donnell-Fowler Homes
13. Orange Alley Stables & Lofts

Today enjoy a Victorian heritage, architectural walking tour, of the Mission District for the area bounded by Alabama St., 22nd and 23rd St. as well as properties on Florida St.
This area in the eastern-central Mission District contains a grouping of pioneer-era cottages and homes located on a block that appears to have been settled according to an informal "frontier" (Pre-suburban, before establishment of a cable car or electric streetcar line into the neighborhood or even horse-drawn streetcars.) development pattern: a mixture of early rural properties and small dwellings in non-standardized lot layouts. This clustering of extant buildings from the earliest period of U.S. settlement is rare and unusual. And possibly among the oldest in the Mission and remaining in the City overall?

This is a very interesting block in particular among several we will be exploring today. I'm discovering these historic gems along with everyone. So much fun to explore and discover the ins and outs, nooks and crannies and these future Historic District architectural pathways.

All and all by the time the first round is done we'll have done several different tours in the Southeast Mission. Don't miss this one.

To make a comparison between the East Coast's early history and San Francisco's:
Having grown up on the East Coast in Philadelphia, I've lived, worked in and visited some of the well known, large and small, famous historic districts: most well known, Beacon Hill in Boston, Greenwich Village in NYC, Georgetown in D.C., Society Hill in Philadelphia (I lived there for twelve years.).
Unfortunately San Francisco lost its most historic areas (downtown) in the 1906 Earthquake & Fire. But a large portion of this other side of town survived. Thus the Mission, SF's oldest neighborhood becomes San Francisco's most historic neighborhood.

What do the Victorian houses look like out there? In every neighborhood in SF the Victorians differ. In each instance a unique group of people came together to build a single house or a cluster. Something like a unique group coming together to make a Hollywood movie. People relying on each others skills, strengths, experience, knowledge and talent to get something done. What was created is as unique as those who built it. Giving us a part of their past in our present.

The SF Planning Dept., has done extensive studies of the history, buildings and architecture of several City neighborhoods
An excellent Historic Context Statement exists for the Mission District which will add greatly to knowledge of this area.

Lastly a general caution about parking in SF. Parking tickets are $97.00. So you must pay attention to parking signs. There are many streets nearby that have 1 hour parking even on Saturdays. Lookout for the 1 hour parking restriction. I would look for parking that is unrestricted on Saturdays.