The old Chinatown Gate at Grant and Bush in the 1930’s and today’s Chinatown Gate at Grant and Bush. This is not the same gate or location that Madame Chaing Kai-shek is passing under in the October 24, 2015 post.
Grant Avenue at California Street at Old St. Mary’s in the 1950’s.
Author: SF Film Locations
Hello friends! My name is Tim Welsh. I’m the owner and operator of Welsh Income Tax Service in Hayward, California. When I was fifteen, I fell in love with San Francisco. It wasn’t a first in the family; my mother at seventeen had traveled by train from North Dakota, where I was later born, to see the Treasure Island World’s Fair, and fell in love with “The City” long before I did. You can see pictures from her trip in the November 19th, 2014 ‘Summer of 1939’ postings. It’s been a love affair that’s never broken my heart. Here, with pictures from books, movies, the internet, and personal collections, I’ve had a chance to share my affection for San Francisco with comparison and location pictures that I’ve taken. I’ve had help from family and friends, and even my dog ‘Danny’ who sniffed out the trail of Buffalo Bill at Ocean Beach on a November 15, 2014 post. My blog is for non commercial and non profit purposes only, and it’s always a lot of fun to work on. Many of the pictures from November, 2014 to November 2015 are thumbnail images. Pictures from posts after that can be enlarged by viewing the image. I hope you enjoy the posts, and please feel free to follow my blog, or make suggestions, comments or corrections if you like.
San Francisco in the 1980s
There are a LOT of San Francisco landmarks for the sharp eye to spot in this 1982 poster I have. It doesn’t look too different from today’s San Francisco!
Taking the Tim Tour
1942 – The first of Japanese citizens to be relocated from the West Coast after Pearl Harbor gather at the Civil Control Administration Building at 2020 Van Ness. Taking a peek inside this old garage, it’s a remarkable feeling thinking how historic this building once was!
1957 – Kezar Stadium, the 49ers and the Lions, roof top room only: Kezar was demolished in 1989, but the playing field still exists. No roof top spectators though, for that game or mugging or whatever was happening down on the field when I took this photo.
The old entrance to I Magnin & Company at Union Square in the 1950’s, once THE place to shop in San Francisco.
Maiden Lane in the early 1960’s: Hey, it’s Holly Golightly!
1967 – Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead at Haight Ashbury during “The Summer of Love.”: They don’t even bother putting a Haight-Ashbury sign on this corner anymore, it would be gone five minutes after being put in place!
The San Francisco City Hall
(Thumbnail image)
Pier 15
A rainy day on the Embarcadero at Pier 15 in the 1950’s and a rainy day at Pier 15 in November of 2015: (Thumbnail image)
Union Square
They’re starting the Christmas Season earlier this year in Union Square. I haven’t even recovered from Halloween yet! The old photo ran in the San Francisco Chronicle in May of 2015. (Thumbnail image)
A rainy Market Street day
Thomas Kinkade’s painting of Market Street between 4th and 5th on a rainy Nineteenth Century day, and what a rainy day at this location really looks like today. Although Kinkade’s paintings have an artistic nostalgia about them that never really existed, there are a couple of accurate images in his painting; the domed building at right center is the Call Building that survived the 1906 Earthquake, and was remodeled into the brow and white striped building now called Central Tower. The Gothic looking building directly across Market Street from the Call Building survives today, and can just be seen behind the trees on the left side of Market Street. (Thumbnail image)
Powell Street
A photo from the Charles Cushman collection of a festive cable car rattling down Powell Street from Nob Hill in April of 1955, and the same spot today. (Thumbnail image)
California Street at Grant Avenue
Sometimes, you almost nail it perfect! (Thumbnail image)
The Embarcadero (1)
The Embarcadero conjures up images of ships sailing off to far away destinations, dangerous waterfront dives, unfortunate individuals being ‘Shanghaied’, and mysterious characters. It was like that once, in a long ago day, but now it’s just a pretty place to go bike riding. Still, sometimes if you go there at night, listen to the fog horns, and let your imagination run, it can be spooky and exciting. (Thumbnail image)
San Francisco Film Locations Then & Now 