Unmasking the Past

First of all, I’m a little bummed the Commonwealth folks decided to get rid of El Herradero’s Aztecky wraparound awning thing.

But if they hadn’t, we wouldn’t be treated to this view of some signage for Hunt’s Quality something or other. So it’s all good.

(Thanks, Banks!)

Previously:

Commonwealth!

19 Responses to “Unmasking the Past”

  1. daveH says:

    Oh nO! change is baaaaaaad. right?

  2. JohnP says:

    I believe that’s Hunts Donuts

  3. Ariel Dovas says:

    Maybe they’ll let me make them a new one in the old Hunt’s Donuts style. The should have a contest to design it.

  4. no. thanks. says:

    whoa. i have a boner.

  5. olu says:

    Open 25 hours. That place was… special.

  6. Public Frenemy says:

    There are some great parts in Eric Lyle’s book “On the Lower Frequencies” about Hunt’s Donuts. If you’re into local history, I highly recommend it. I think the part about Hunt’s was actually featured on This American Life a few years back.

  7. Ariel. says:

    Weird, though, because the Hunt’s that I remember (open 25 hours) was at 20th.

    http://foundsf.org/index.php?title=The_Epicenter_of_Crime:_The_Hunt’s_Donuts_Story

    • olu says:

      yes to everyone above about Eric Lyle’s reporting / writing about Hunt’s and the 1st wave dotcom colonization of the Mission in general.

      @Ariel – that is the Hunt’s I was referring to with that awesome neon sign – at 20th. on further looking at the pick, I don’t that what it is – I was just excited to see some old-school shit on this site.

  8. Uselysses says:

    That’s strange. Hunt’s Donuts (aka The Epicenter of Crime) was at 20th & Mission.

    “By 1970, [Frank] Hunt ran fourteen successful donut shops throughout the Bay Area and had become head of the Mission Merchants Association.”

    Seems there was one only two blocks away?

  9. Cat Powers says:

    OPEN 25 HOURS! MY YOUTH!!!!! where did it go………?
    fuck.

  10. Uselysses says:

    Talked with one of the owners of Commonwealth this afternoon, and he said that they only found out it was a Hunt’s when they pulled off the awning yesterday. He also said it was a Del Taco for a while before it was El Herradero’s.

  11. Uselysses says:

    Took a photo from a different angle, if anyone’s interested.

  12. James says:

    “Hunt’s Quality D” would be a good name for a restaurant, too.

  13. [...] they came for the Aztecky wraparound awning thing, and now for the last vestige of the former taqueria.  And with that, the conquest of Commonwealth [...]

  14. [...] Unmasking the Past Explore posts in the same categories: Food and Drink, Local Businesses [...]