I’m old enough to remember what the area around what is now known as Levis Plaza was like before the plaza opened in 1981, and I first visited it in 1982; old warehouses, bordered on one side by the rusty Belt Line Railroad tracks. It had a special atmosphere though, just as the Embarcadero did, of a bypassing period. We’d walk around the area picking up discarded railroad spikes along the tracks, and on a foggy day there was a feeling that I’ll never get again. Today, there’s clean office buildings, a very comfortable park to relax and have a bag lunch in, (although the park is not as crowded on a sunny day as it used to be) and the best views of Coit Tower anywhere in town, so it’s not a disappointing change, it’s just not the same. Well, what in San Francisco is as it was when I was a teenager? These are some vintage pictures of how the area where Levi Plaza is used to look. (Thumbnail images)
A 1978 drawing of what Levi Plaza would look like when completed: They got it pretty close. (Wikipedia)
Filbert Street looking toward Telegraph Hill, circa 1950: The vintage picture is right where Levi Plaza is today. (opensfhistory.org)
Where Filbert Street used to merge with the Embarcadero in 1949: This might be one of the best vintage pictures around San Francisco I’ve seen. The photographer was Minor White.
My update on a 1982 picture of the western side of Levi Plaza sort of juxtaposes, (Am I using that word right?) the previous vintage picture. (San Francisco Library Digital Archives)
Looking southwest across Battery Street in 1958: The lower wooden portion of the Filbert Steps, visible in the 1958 picture, have been used in at least three film noir movies shot in San Francisco; ‘Dark Passage’ from 1947, ‘Raging Tide’ from 1951, and ‘The Sniper’ from 1952, all covered on my blog. This part of the wooden Filbert Steps was replaced in the 1980s. (opensfhistory.org)
Another great picture right where Levi Plaza is today, taken during the early 1950s. (Cushman Collection)
Looking west along Filbert Street from Battery, circa 1940: It’s kind of interesting trying to find buildings from the old picture today on Telegraph Hill. (opensfhistory.org)
Looking across the Embarcadero from Greenwich Street toward Pier 23 during the 1950s: This is where the northern side of Levi Plaza is now. The TIN ANGEL, I think I’d like to have gone in there. (San Francisco Library Digital Archives)
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 