Mission Mission

Reader Jesse N. points us in the direction of this interesting piece about the 2001 housing boom and fixtures of San Carlos St. at the time.  Definitely worth a listen.

I was listening to an old 2001 episode of This American Life and it devoted a whole third of the show to the Mission. Entertaining even if you didn’t know the neighborhood, but rings truer if you do, it’s a story about Mission life around the time of the end of the tech boom. Specifically, about a person who was a longtime fixture on his block but was getting pushed out of his apartment. The story is as comical as it is mildly depressing considering SF is going through similar economic times. Enjoy!

(link – Click “Full Episode.”  The piece on the Mission starts at 39:30.  Thanks Jesse!)

Brock at SFist yesterday hipped us to this short documentary about a woman who makes little dollhouses for those little Homie characters you see in gumball machines around the neighborhood. Come for the dioramas of your favorite neighborhood points of interest, stay for the artist’s reminiscences of the Mission of her youth:

Homes for the Homies

Curbed SF has linked to an excellent new website of historical photographs of San Francisco, LookBackMaps.  In the event you don’t want to squander a few hours like I did, here are some highlights from the Mission:

Mission Woolen Mill, 1862 (Now Alabama and 16th)

Jewish Cemetery, c. 1860 (Now Dolores Park)

Old Engine #7 Firehouse, 1885 (Now 16th @ Albion)

The Willows, 1885 (Now Mission at 19th).

The Great San Francisco Blizzard of 1887, 16th and Bryant

The 16th St. Bridge, c. 1860 (click the image to see an awesome fullscreen of the painting)

The Original Hipster Hill, c. 1860

Valencia St. Between 21st and 22nd, 1898

Capp St @ 21st, 1906.

3 Engine Freight Train on Harrison St. near 21st. St. 1905

J.H.Kruse Plaining Mill 23rd and Treat

Christmas Shopping, Mission and 22nd, Dec. 1926

Layover Shelter, Capp and 20th

Mass on 17th St. after 1906 Earthquake

1906 Ruins, 17th and Dolores

Temporary Freight Train, 20th and Capp, 1906

(Credit Curbed SF)

For our fellow “map ho’s,” Burrito Justice brings us excellent summary coverage of some recently unearthed S.F. Highway maps that were published by StreetsblogSF.  In fact, if you enjoy doing more than just looking at pictures, I’d highly encourage you to read the great piece on the S.F. Freeway Revolt that these maps were were published with.

An anonymous tipster has informed us that David Ireland, famous for his conceptual art and turning his former residence at 500 Capp St. into a showplace for his work, has passed away: “Yesterday, I was on my way to vote, when I noticed a bouquet of flowers outside the house, with a note that read ‘D.I. 1930-2009.’”

For the record, there are no news sources corroborating the tip; however, his wikipedia entry has been updated with the news.

Photo by jonfranks.

Previously:

Flashback – Mission Hipster 2003

Throwback – Mission 1975

Throwback – Mission 1989

Or is it? Cassidy Friedman of the SF Appeal today takes a look at the myth behind the legend of the golden fire hydrant at 20th and Church, and asks the tough question: Did this little thing really save the whole Mission District?

Uncovering The Truth About The Mission’s Golden Fire Hydrant

Bikes and the City was in attendance. Looks like a pretty good turnout. See how it went here.

Reader Clux just breathed new life into the comments thread on Throwback — Mission 1989:

Man New Dawn is where me and my friends grew up, Everyday after high school we would go kick it there and drink coffee for hours..They would give us any orders they fucked up on.

My friend got and still has in house in portland the old chalkboard…

Anyone have any photos of New Dawn..

Also of note:

When I was 11 I used to try to walk down 24th with my long blond hair and I would always get the shit kicked out me, with out fail.

Link.

Back before the internet, there was this thing called a newspaper. Iron Davy Cole this morning was perusing the archives of one such enterprise, The New York Times, when he came across this stirring account of the life and death of one Jose Alvarado, a piratical mercenary who spent his final hours at Mission Dolores in 1875.

To read the the whole worthy-of-a-Warren-Zevon-song tale, see Cole’s post, “Come for the epic war stories, stay for the last sentence”.

(NOTE: Maybe if its editorial staff had had the presence of mind to refer to the characters in last week’s graffiti spree as “a lawless gang of freebooters,” the San Francisco Chronicle would still be around today.)