Excelsior District, San Francisco
| Excelsior District | |
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| — Neighborhood of San Francisco — | |
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 Excelsior District
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| Coordinates: 37°43′14″N 122°25′58″W / 37.72058°N 122.43276°W | |
| Government | |
| • Board of Supervisors | John Avalos |
| • State Assembly | Fiona Ma (D) |
| • State Senate | Leland Yee (D) |
| • U.S. House | Jackie Speier (D) |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 3.50 km2 (1.350 sq mi) |
| • Land | 3.50 km2 (1.350 sq mi) |
| Population (2008) | |
| • Total | 23,823 |
| • Density | 6,810/km2 (17,640/sq mi) |
| [1] | |
| ZIP Code | 94112, 94134 |
| Area code(s) | 415 |
The Excelsior District is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California.
Contents |
[edit] Location
The Excelsior District is located along Mission Street, east of San Jose Ave, south of Interstate 280 Southern Fwy, west of John McLaren Park, and north of Geneva Avenue, This link includes a map including all areas considered part of the Excelsior. Provided by Excelsior District Improvement Association
http://excelsiorsf.org/About_the_Excelsior/Historical/Maps/currentEmap.html
[edit] History
On April 15, 1869, the Excelsior Homestead was filed at city hall. The record is in books “C” and “D” and in the book of city maps on page 129. This map section showing the area called the Excelsior can be found in Bancroft's Official Guide Map Of City And County Of San Francisco.[2] This map indicates that the area was previously part of the Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo. Many of the area's streets were named for cities and its avenues named for countries by Emanuel Lewis and his daughter Jeannette. Emanuel built 200 houses which sold as a result of the 1906 Earthquake. Although many names retain from its inception some were changed to accommodate changes in political climate over the years. Excelsior Avenue itself was originally named "China". It was renamed during the Second World War, as were "Japan" and "India" Streets. In its earlier days the Excelsior was predominantly Italian, Irish, and Swiss.
[edit] Attractions and characteristics
Today it is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, with many Hispanic Latino, Asians (including a large Filipino community), and other groups having also settled in recent decades.[3]
[edit] Noteworthy residents
- Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia
- Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin
- Frontman for the industrial-rock band Orgy, Jay Gordon
- turntablist and composer DJ Qbert
- former heavyweight contender Pat Valentino
- San Francisco supervisor and political assassin Dan White
- Surrealist Poet Phillip Lamantia
There are several events associated with the Excelsior District.
The biggest one is Jerry Day, which celebrates Jerry Garcia (founder of the Grateful Dead) and typically draws thousands of residents, former residents, deadheads, and other revelers to John McLaren Park and the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, which is bordered by the Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, and Portola districts. Unlike the Excelsior Festival, funding for this event is minimal, with the majority consisting of individual donations, and none of it from the government. The committee is hoping that's going to change in the near future. This annual event typically occurs in August.
The Excelsior Festival draws hundreds to Mission Street to celebrate the neighborhood's assets such as its cultural diversity, food and to draw people together in a family-friendly environment for music, shopping and fun. The Excelsior Festival is typically held on the first Sunday in October.
Central to the neighborhood for quite some time was the landmark Granada Theater, at the intersection of Mission and Ocean. In 1922 it opened with the name "Excelsior" but, was replaced with the name "Granada" in 1931 after the downtown Granada Theater changed its name to the Paramount, freeing up the name. Both the name and a vertical "Granada" sign were deployed in the Excelsior. However, the theater closed in 1982.
Among the various schools in the district is the "San Francisco Community Alternative School", a public grade school with a unique 'project-based' curriculum.[4] and the School of the Epiphany.
[edit] References
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ Bancroft, A.L. from 1881
- ^ Nakao, Annie (October 1, 2002). "Excelsior district takes care of its own". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2002/10/01/DD182831.DTL. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
- ^ San Francisco Community School - Welcome
[edit] External links
- http://www.jerryday.org
- Excelsior District Improvement Association
- Excelsior Action Group
- http://www.excelsiorfestival.org
- Excelsior District Improvement Association (EDIA) website
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Coordinates: 37°43′14″N 122°25′58″W / 37.72058°N 122.43276°W
