The Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) is thrilled to announce that the Cliff House name has been formally donated to the community history nonprofit by Demosthenis (Dan) and Mary Hountalas.
Comparison photos of the Western End of Taraval Street 102 years apart.
Western Neighborhoods Project Executive Director Nicole Meldahl looks over the glittering scene. Sequined dresses and metallic shirts glimmer like tiny stars under the dim theater lights. Seltzer cans glint as they click open; cake is passed around on paper plates along with a sprinkle of laughter. Smiles sparkle through the room as guests reminisce about the old Playland days.
In last month’s column, I wrote about the power of people in the history and preservation of the Richmond’s beloved eyesore, the Alexandria Theatre. Several of you referenced the piece while either initiating or renewing your memberships with Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP). As it turns out, the power of our local independent press is also very real. I’m not sure how to find the right words to describe how I felt after reading the brief notes you attached to these memberships, but this gets close: It made my heart full.
One tragic shipwreck that Stephen Haller and John Martini discussed during ShipWRECKED! was the City of Rio De Janeiro. For years, the City of Rio De Janeiro had sailed through the Pacific, carrying immigrants from Hong Kong to San Francisco. During her last trip, the ship was carrying 210 passengers.
Hidden under the waves of Ocean Beach and Lands End are the skeletons of hundreds of shipwrecks. On certain days, lucky beach-goers will be able to catch a glimpse of a rusted bow or the ribs of a boiler room jutting out of the water. The mystery and tragedy of the Golden Gate wrecks possesses a special allure for many people, including the Western Neighborhood Project’s (WNP) Executive Director Nicole Meldahl and Director of Programs Chelsea Sellin, who created “shipwreck week.”
On Oct. 7-14, Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP), a cultural nonprofit dedicated to sharing and preserving the history of west San Francisco, is hosting the City’s first Shipwreck Week. The week presents eight days of unique community events, programming, and activities that cut through the fog of history to share fascinating tales that spotlight San Francisco’s storied connection to the unruly Pacific.
Stephen “Woody” LaBounty is used to preserving the history of San Francisco, not being part of it. But he has built a legacy through his work and his own story is also one worth entering into the annals of San Francisco history, perhaps along with the brimmed hat he never seems to be without.
Towering 58 feet above Point Lobos Avenue, just south of the building that housed the former Cliff House restaurant, a weather-beaten totem pole stands sentinel over the waves crashing onto Seal Rocks below.
The Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) along with the Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) announce the launch of the traveling exhibit Chinese in the Richmond.
It’s not well known but during the early 20th century dozens of neighborhoods were planned with picturesque streets, landscaping, detached houses and setbacks to convey the feeling of living in a park – rare in San Francisco.
Western Neighborhoods Project Announces Hiring of Director of Programs, Chelsea Sellin
Comparing photos of the Cliff House from 1900 with 2022.
Naiad Cove, named after the Greek demigoddesses, has been a labor of love and hard work to preserve the treasures, memories and history of Lands End, the Cliff House, Sutro Heights and Ocean Beach.
The view north across Geary Boulevard from Arguello Boulevard, January 1947. The Larkins Building (the former Park and Ocean Railroad Co. Geary Street Carbarn), with signage for T.F. Ormand Dodge and Plymouth dealer at left, Roosevelt Junior High School at right.
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 