By Elsie Scott

Last month, Green Apple Books on the Park celebrated Maria Lenhart, an acclaimed journalist and writer who has authored more than 100 publications. The event celebrated her latest book, “Lost Treasures of San Francisco.”

Published in April, “Lost Treasures of San Francisco” is a nostalgic time capsule of our City’s history. From the amusement park Playland to iconic characters like the San Francisco Twins, Lenhart invites the reader to reminisce or discover a variety of aspects of old San Francisco.

At Green Apple Books, Lenhart hosted a discussion highlighting the writing process of her book, personal experiences in living in San Francisco and fun facts about San Francisco in the 20th century. The event concluded with an interactive game of trivia drawn from the content of the book and the opportunity for book signing.

Lenhart created a welcoming and interactive atmosphere for attendees to reminisce and share memories from their favorite past places in San Francisco.

“I’ve been here since 1970, and I have a lot of favorite places and memories in San Francisco, such as the Emporium and Market Street, but now both are completely changed,” said event attendee Myra Krieger. “I remember some places that are still here, like Tommy’s Joynt and other places which create so much San Francisco memorabilia.”

Lenhart grew up in Santa Cruz and often came up to San Francisco on weekends with her family. Her parents are of Greek heritage and moved to San Francisco in the beginning of the 20th century. Her father opened a candy shop in 1918 on Polk Street called Red Poppy Candies that was a neighborhood favorite for many decades. Lenhart attended the University of California, Berkeley to study journalism, and then moved into the City after college.

“I moved back here to the Richmond district in the ’80s, and I sort of saw things change over those times,” Lehnart said. “There was a Zins coffee shop when I moved back here, the Alexandria Theater was going strong, the cornet was still open, and then gradually you just saw things change.”

“Lost Treasures of San Francisco” is divided into five sections: food and drink, entertainment, retail, media and community. Each section highlights several places with a plethora of historical photographs, detailing a snapshot to fully immerse the reader.

“The Entertainment section was my favorite section to write,” Lenhart said. “It was really interesting to write about the North Beach area and Broadway, and there were so many nightclubs and places where very famous people got their start – like Barbara Streisand and Robin Williams.”

While Lenhart includes many events and locations before her time, she said she also experienced immense change and closure of numerous places in the 1980s and ’90’s. She felt drawn to writing this book, as it allowed her to reminisce and celebrate places from childhood memories, such as walking through Union Square, going to the Emporium and watching movies at the theater.

“I remember seeing movies all the time at the Coronet Theater, which used to be on Arguello and Geary,” said Lenhart. “That was the movie theater that premiered Star Wars, and I remember lining up outside to see it for the first time.”

Lenhart does not only recall closed store fronts, but also immerses the reader with perspectives on the rich culture of our City. One main theme throughout the book is San Francisco being the place where ‘East meets West,’ referring to the upbringing of Chinese culture to San Francisco and the West Coast.

“I moved to San Francisco about seven years ago, so I’m pretty new to the City,” said event attendee Bonnie Wallsh. “I came here and I noticed that everyone here was so diverse, and that’s what really strikes me about San Francisco. I absolutely love the openness.”

“Lost Treasures of San Francisco” enlivens the history of our City’s past, yet simultaneously creates the perspective to recognize positive change, such as the restorations in the Presidio and the Embarcadero.

“I’m obsessed with old San Francisco and its nostalgia,” said attendee Aaron Castro. “At the same time, I also think it’s so important to value our City’s history in recognizing the parts of San Francisco that are still here.”

“Lost Treasures of San Francisco” can be purchased at reedypress.com/shop/lost-treasures-of-san-francisco.

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