Potrero Hill, San Francisco

"Potrero Hill" redirects here. For Potrero Hills, see Potrero Hills (disambiguation). For other uses, see Potrero (disambiguation).

Potrero Hill
—  Neighborhood of San Francisco  —
Potrero Hill's South Slope - On Missouri St. looking east, Dogpatch and San Francisco bay in the background.
Potrero Hill Location within Central San Francisco
Coordinates: 37.75716°N 122.39986°W / 37.75716; -122.39986
Government
• Board of Supervisors	Malia Cohen
• State Assembly	Tom Ammiano (D)
• State Senate	Mark Leno (D)
• U.S. House	Nancy Pelosi (D)
Area
• Total	4.95 km2 (1.913 sq mi)
• Land	4.95 km2 (1.913 sq mi)
Population (2008)
• Total	10,622
• Density	2,143/km2 (5,551/sq mi)
ZIP Code	94107, 94110, 94124
Area code(s)	415

Potrero Hill is a hilly neighborhood in San Francisco, California.

Location

Potrero Hill with U.S. Route 101 in foreground

Potrero Hill is located on the eastern side of the city, east of the Mission District and south of SOMA (South of Market) and the newly designated district Showplace Square. It is roughly bordered by 16th Street to the north, Potrero Avenue (above 20th Street) and U.S. Route 101 (below 20th Street) to the west and Cesar Chavez Street to the south; although the city of San Francisco considers the area below 20th Street between Potrero Ave and Route 101 to be part of Potrero Hill as well, as outlined in the Eastern Neighborhood Plan.

The area east of Highway 280 is Dogpatch, generally regarded as a subdivision of Potrero Hiill. Dogpatch is mostly flatland and has many docks and most are built atop landfill. Dogpatch is a highly industrialized area with pockets of residences while Potrero Hill is mostly a residential area with some light industrial buildings. Dogpatch is regarded as part of Potrero Hill although it has its own unique characteristic and identity.

Characteristics

Many homes in the North Slope have view of the skyline. Pictured at San Bruno Ave. and 19th St.

Potrero Hill is one of the sunniest neighborhoods in San Francisco, located on the eastern side of the peninsula, flanked by the San Francisco Bay, it is insulated from the fog and chill of the Pacific Ocean that is typical on the western side of the city. It is a residential neighborhood and not considered a tourist designation. Although it is not the most walkable neighborhood in San Francisco due to its hills, it is generally considered a very convenient location due to its proximity to offices, shopping, dining, entertainment, freeways and Caltrain. Despite being surrounded by busy neighborhoods, Potrero Hill is quiet and sleepy.

Potrero Hill's South Slope with waterfront in the distance.

Potrero Hill started as a Caucasian working-class neighborhood in the 1850s. Its central location attracted many working professionals during the dot-com era. Today, it is mostly an upper-middle class family-oriented neighborhood. In addition to Freeway 101 and 280, Caltrain also runs through this area; making it popular with commuters to southbound Silicon Valley. Most homes in Potrero Hill have views of the downtown skyline, the San Francisco Bay or Twin Peaks.

Potrero Hill has a North and a South Slope, with the North Slope generally more coveted due to its proximity to downtown and its distance from the housing projects. There is no clear dividing line between North and South as the hill apexes in various places. The demographics of the two are mostly similar with the exception of two notorious public housing projects (Potrero Terrace and Potrero Annex) situated on the South Slope. The projects occupy over one third of the South Slope and stand in sharp contrast to the more affluent homes in the neighborhood. The poorly designed, curvy and diagonal grids of the housing projects isolate their residents from the greater neighborhood. Plan is in place to tear them down in 2013 and build mixed-income housing. The presence of the housing projects make the South Slope generally less desirable than the North Slope and housing prices and rent tend to be higher the further they are away from the projects.

History

Summary

On Potrero Hill looking west towards the Mission District; with the fog hovering over Twin Peaks, which serves as natural barrier to shield Potrero Hill and Mission District from the chill of the Pacific Ocean.

Industry first arrived at Dogpatch in the mid-1850s. The earliest residents were mostly European immigrants. Over time, Dogpatch became more industrialized and many residents moved up the hill to Potrero Hill, turning it into a residential neighborhood. It remained blue-collared and working-class until the mid 1990's when gentrification turned it into a mostly working professional neighborhood.

Early History

Potrero Hill was uninhabited land for much of its history, used sporadically by Native Americans as hunting ground. In the late 1700s, Spanish missionaries grazed cattle on the hill and named this area Potrero Nuevo, "Potrero" is Spanish for "pasture": "Potrero Nuevo" means "new pasture."

Potrero Neuvo granted to the De Haro Family

After Mexico gained independence from Spain in 1821, the Mexican government granted Potrero Neuvo to Francisco and Ramon de Haro - the 17-year-old twin sons of Don Francisco de Haro, then alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (modern day San Francisco) in 1844.

Just two years later, Francisco and Ramon de Haro were shot dead by Kit Carson along with their uncle, Jose de los Reyes Berreyessa, in San Rafael in Marin County at the order of U.S. Army Major John C. Fremont, who had declared war on Mexico. Fremont's men were called the Osos, the local insurgents of the day, and his men had jailed the Sonoma alcalde and put the town under siege in the Bear Flag Revolt. The de Haro twins and De los Reyes Berreyesa traveled to Sonoma to inquire on the safety of the latter's sons when they were discovered and killed. With the death of his sons, Don Francisco de Haro became owner of Potrero Nuevo.[1]

Construction of Street Grids in the Gold Rush Era

In 1848, Mexico ceded all of California after the conclusion of the The Mexican–American War and California would be admitted into the Union in 1850. Dr. John Townsend became Yerba Buena's, by now called San Francisco after a 1847 name change, second mayor. He succeeded de Haro, who had grown deeply distraught after the death of his sons. Townsend would have a profound impact on the development of Potrero Hill.

With the start of the Gold Rush era in 1848, San Francisco began to experience unprecedented rapid growth. Townsend envisioned developing Potrero Hill as a community for migrants and their new found riches. Townsend, a good friend of de Haro, approached him about dividing his land into individual lots and selling them. De Haro, already having his land rights challenged and fearing that United States government would strip him of Potrero Nuevo after California became part of the union, agreed to Townsend's suggestion. Together with famed surveyor Jasper O'Farrell, recent emigrant Cornelius De Boom, and Captain John Sutter, they hatched out the grid and street names. Even before California became a state, local residents saw Potrero Nuevo as an intersection of California and the United States due to its location (just south of South of Market and next to the water; with the United States just across the bay). Townsend capitalized on this sentiment by naming the north-south streets after American states (Illinois, Utah, Kansas, etc.) and the east-west streets after California counties (Mariposa, Alameda, Butte, Santa Clara, etc.). At this time, Potrero Hill was not part of San Francisco, so the men marketed this area as "South San Francisco."

There is speculation that Townsend named the north-south streets after states in which he had been, with Pennsylvania Street (his home state) being an extra wide street. However, there are no record of Townsend ever having been to Texas or Florida, whose names appear as streets.

By the standard of the time, Potrero Hill was not a convenient location to get to - separated by the Mission Bay (not yet filled in at that time) from the hub of San Francisco. Prospective buyers partly deemed Potrero Hill too far away and mainly wary of De Haro's uncertainty as legal owner of the land, only a few lots were sold. In late 1849, Don Francisco de Haro died, and he was buried in Mission Dolores.

Industry Came to Potrero Neuvo While Squatters Took Over Potrero Point

After the death of de Haro, squatters began to overtake Potrero Hill around Potrero Point. The de Haro family tried to maintain control of the land but the family's ownership became a legal matter. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court when in 1866 it ruled against the De Haro family. Residents of Potrero Hill celebrated with bonfires after learning of the outcome, some of whom gained title to the lot where they squatted through the Squatter's Rights.

Development eventually came in the early 1850s, not in the form of rich gold-miners envisioned by Townsend, but in a more blue-collar variety. PG&E opened a plant in the eastern shores of Potrero Hill (Potrero Point, modern day Dog Patch) in 1852. Not long after, a gun powder factory (gun powder is vital for gold mining) opened nearby; then shipyards, iron factories, and warehouses followed. Potrero Point experienced a minor boom in housing as factory workers preferred to live nearby. The opening of the Long Bridge in 1860's would drastically change the dynamics of Potrero Hill.

The Long Bridge Opened Up Potrero

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Pacific Railway Act that provided Federal government support for the building of the First transcontinental railroad. In anticipation of the railroad, San Francisco began work to build the Long Bridge in 1865 that connected San Francisco proper through Mission Bay to Potrero Hill and Bayview. Potrero Hill, once deemed too far south, was suddenly a stone throw away. The Long Bridge completely transformed Potrero Nuevo from no man's land to a central hub. One of the first of many real estate speculation on Potrero Hill soon followed. The Long Bridge was closed after Mission Bay was filled in the early 1900s.

European Migration

Potrero Hill was spared from the earthquake that struck San Francisco in 1906. Displaced San Franciscans set up tents and shelter on the hill. Many residents moved to the hill after their dwellings were devastated by fire, including a large population of Russian and Slovenian immigrants who previously resided in South of Market. The influx of new residents to Potrero Hill changed the demographic from mostly factory workers who worked nearby to a more diverse neighborhood.

By the early 1900s, a large concentration of non-English European immigrants had settled. The two earliest residential neighborhoods were the Irish Hill and Dutchman's Flat (both located in modern day Dogpatch). The infamous Irish Hill, located east of Illinois St and right next to the factories, housed mainly Irish factory workers in boarding houses. Irish gangs were formed and crimes were rampant. Irish Hill was leveled for use as landfill and the residents displaced in 1918.

Over half of Potrero Hill's population at this time was Irish immigrants; Scots, Swiss, Russians, Slovenians, Serbians and Italians making up most of the remaining population. Native born whites made up less than 20% of the population. Today, some of the remnant of the ethnic groups' heritage is still visible, for example the Slovenian Hall on Mariposa St. and the First Russian Christian Molokan Church on Carolina St.

1918, Looking south, Illinois Street on right, Twentieth Street at large L-shaped Bethlehem office building.

Potrero Hill Settlement and Dogpatch Industrialization

As Dogpatch became more industrialized, with warehouses and factories expanded west of Illinois St, many Dogpatch residents moved west up the hill; turning Potrero Hill into a residential area. The divide between the industrial Dogpatch and the residential Potrero Hill would grow over time and provided each neighborhood with its own distinct vibe.

Freeways and Southern Development

Four public housing projects were built on the South Slope after WWI. Attempts to keep minority from the projects under the guise of "maintaining the neighborhood pattern" was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1948. Two of the four projects had since been removed. Today, the project housings shelter mostly African and Hispanic Americans.

The United States' decision to enter WWII created an industrial boom in Dogpatch, lead by the shipyards that constructed navy ships. Potrero Hill's South Slope experienced a significant increase in housing and population as a result.

In the 1950s the James Lick Freeways (US Route 101) that slices through the neighborhood was constructed amid much controversy. To obtain the necessary land for the freeways, some residents were forced to vacate their homes in exchange for significantly below market price paid by the government. In the 1960s, another freeway (Interstate 280) was constructed under similar controversies.

Hotbed for Artists and LGBT

In the 1960s many artists and members of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender (LGBT) community began to move to Potrero Hill, drawn by its location and affordable rent. Many artist studios, showrooms and art schools were set up nearby in response to Potrero Hill's explosion as a creative hub. The city has since designated the collection of designer warehouses, art schools, and showrooms just north of Potrero Hill as a special light-industrial district and named this area the Showplace Square.

Potrero Hill experienced a brief economic decline in the late 80s/ early 90's due to the recession, which especially hit the working-class and art communities hard. However, things rapidly picked up starting in the mid-90's; lead by the dot-com boom.

Dot-com and Gentrification

The hill's proximity to SOMA, the Financial District and the freeways attracted many working professionals.

With its close proximity to offices in SOMA, Financial District, and Media Gulch (Mission District bordered by 16th St, Potrero Ave, Folsom St, and 20th St.), and the burgeoning night life and dinning in the Mission District, SOMA, and its own 18th St corridor; Potrero Hill, along with its neighboring Mission District, drew many high-tech professionals in the dot-com era, driving up real estate prices and rent. The neighborhood saw a drastic change from mostly working-class to mostly white-collared professionals. Unlike the Mission District, which is populated with renters who had to combat with raising rent and evictions; long-time residents in Potrero Hill largely welcome gentrification, primarily because most are homeowners who benefit from the raise in real estate.

Modern Era

The gentrification of Potrero Hill did not slow down after the dot-com bubble but instead was fueled by the housing boom in the mid-2000s. The neighborhood is still in the mist of change and transformation with the implementation of the city's Eastern Neighborhood Plan [2], the redevelopment of Potrero Annex and Potrero Terrace housing projects, and its neighboring Mission Bay's development into a bio-technology hub.

Demographic

According to the 2005 to 2010 census data gathered by the San Francisco Planning Dept.

Population				Household
Total Population		12,110		Total Household		5,810
Male		52%		Family Households		43%
Female		48%		Households with Children, % of Total		19%
				Non-Family Households		57%
Race/Ethnicity				Single Person Households, Pct of Total		38%
Caucasian		66%		Avg Household Size		2.3
Asian		13%
Latino (of any race)		13%
Other		10%		Educational Attainment (Residents 25 years and older)
African American		9%		High School or Less		17%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander		1%		Some College/Associate Degree		18%
				College Degree		36%
Income				Graduate/Professional Degree		28%
Median Household Income		$98,182
Median Family Income		$110,657
Per Capita Income		$58,650

Attractions

Potrero Hill offers striking views of the San Francisco skyline.

The BYOBW (Bring Your Own Big Wheel) race takes place annually during Easter and Halloween and drew hundreds of participants and many more spectators. Racers go down the crooked Vermont St in three-wheeler dress in costumes.

The hub of Potrero Hill is the 18th Street corridor that features many trendy restaurants, including Papito, Umi, Goat Hill Pizza and Plow; Farley's Cafe is a favorite gathering spot and Bloom's Saloon with one of the most dramatic views of downtown San Francisco. Mission Hill Saloon located on the corner of Potrero Ave and Mariposa St. was selected as one of the best dive bars in the country.

A section of Vermont Street between 20th Street and 22nd Street has many switchbacks, similar to the tourist attraction, Lombard Street. Vermont Street features a series of seven sharp turns, which has led the street to be dubbed the crookedest in the world in competition with the better-known Lombard Street (Vermont, while steeper than Lombard, has fewer turns). Bottom of the Hill on 17th Street, a popular music venue in San Francisco, and the public housing projects on the southeastern side of the hill which are famous for where former football star O.J. Simpson once lived. 18th Street, which runs through the heart of the North side of the hill and is home to three blocks that serve as the primary shopping and dining spot in the neighborhood. The powder blue water tower, located near 22nd Street and Wisconsin Street, was demolished in mid-2006 (as part of a seismic upgrade and due to the fact that it was no longer needed). The main campus of the California Culinary Academy is located at 350 Rhode Island Street. The facilities include professional kitchens, student-staffed restaurants, lecture classrooms, a library, and culinary laboratory.

Potrero Hill is also the home of many famous companies. The Anchor Brewing Company, operates a brewery and distillery. It is one of the last remaining breweries to produce California Common beer, also known as Steam Beer, a trademark owned by the company. Located on Mariposa Street, between Carolina and DeHaro Streets and was previously owned by the washing machine heir Fritz Maytag, Anchor Brewery provides free tours on weekdays with free beer tasting. It is recommended to book the tour months in advance.

The Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, known as "the NABE," is another focal point. It sits at the top of de Haro Street and offers various community services. It was designed by noted architect, Julia Morgan and has an incredible view of San Francisco, the Bay and the East Bay.

The offices of social news site Digg are located above the SF Bay Guardian newspaper on Mississippi St. The headquarters for popular Discovery Channel program Mythbusters is located at the southern edge of the neighborhood.

Two freeways run through Potrero Hill, U.S. Route 101 on the western side, Interstate 280 on the eastern side. Caltrain's 22nd Street station is on the eastern edge of the hill, and the San Francisco Municipal Railway provides bus service in the area (the 19-Polk, 22-Fillmore, 10-Townsend and 48-Quintara - 24th St) and light rail service on 3rd Street (the T-Third Street).

Potrero Hill was the fictional home neighborhood of Inspector Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry movie series. Other famous residents include:

• Wayne Thiebaud — Famous and prolific painter lived on and painted Potrero Hill for years
• Robert Bechtle — Photorealist painter used the hill for both a home and subject matter for his art.
• Peter Orlovsky — Poet Allen Ginsberg's partner. Lived at 5 Turner Terrace, one of several Federal Post WWII War Potrero Hill housing projects, in the 1950s.
• Lawrence Ferlinghetti — Poet and co-founder of City Lights, America's first all-paperback bookstore. Ferlinghetti bought the house at 706 Wisconsin St. in 1957.
• Miguel Migs — Internationally recognized deep house producer and DJ. Founder of Salted Music: a house music record label (originally spun off from another San Francisco-based label; Om Records).
• Sarah Lane — Former host on The Screen Savers, and Revision3 employee now does TWiF with Martin Sargent on the TWiT network, and works for Current Tech News
• Erling Wold — Composer and Associate Music Director of the San Francisco Composers Chamber Orchestra.
• Blanche Thebom (deceased) — American mezzo-soprano who sang with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City for almost twenty years.
• Terry Riley — Composed the piece "In C" "in a tiny house at the top of Potrero Hill" in 1964. This work had a profound effect on music composition.

Public Housing Projects

Potrero Annex Housing Project.

Two public housing projects - the Potrero Terrace and Potrero Annex are located in the South Slope. They occupy roughly one third of the Slope South and are the source of some tension between their low-income occupants and the residents outside of the projects. Much of the crime in Potrero Hill is concentrated inside the housing projects and rightly or wrongly, residents of the projects are often blamed when crimes occurred anywhere in Potrero Hill. The projects' curvy layouts also serve to isolate their residents from the greater neighborhood.

Originally, four public housing projects were constructed after WWII. Attempt to exclude minority from them under the guise of "maintaining the neighborhood pattern" was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1948. Two housing projects have since been removed to make way for the Star King Elementary School and townhouses.

An estimated 1,200 people live in the Terrace and Annex with 555 of the 606 units occupied. The non-profit organization Hope SF, partnering with a private developer, is planning to demolish the projects and build mix-income housing under the plan Rebuild Potrero. The new housing project will consists of 1,400 to 1,700 units. Of those, between 505 to 620 units will be for sale condos, including both market rate and below market rate units. 895 to 1080 will be affordable rentals with 80 to 100 for seniors. In addition, 10,000 to 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) of retail, 30,000 to 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) community center, and 7 acres (28,000 m²) of public open space, with a population range of 3,555 to 4,305. Construction is tentatively set to begin in 2013.

Images

• 

  Looking east from Bernal Heights - Mission District in foreground, Potrero Hill at center, Downtown to the left, San Francisco Bay in background and Bernal Heights to the right.

• 

  Utah St. and 18th St. with Mission District and the Sutro Tower in the background.

• 

  Connecticut St. and 19th St with downtown in the background.

• 

  Looking east towards Carolina St, with view of the bay and the skyline. Bay Bridge and Treasure Island in background.

• 

  18th St. and Texas St.

• 

  De Haro St. and 19th St.

See also

• Potrero Point
• Mission Bay, San Francisco, California
• List of San Francisco, California Hills
• Dogpatch, San Francisco, California
• Irish Hill (San Francisco)

Further reading

• San Francisco's Potrero Hill by Peter Linenthal, Abigail Johnston, and the Potrero Hill Archives Project, was published by Arcadia Publishing Co. in their Images of America series in 2005. Its 128 pages are full of photos and neighborhood history. It includes early Native American Ohlone history, Mission Dolores, early industry, both world wars, the 1960s, and recent developments. Many photos come from family collections.

External links

• SF Planning Commission - Eastern Neighborhoods Community Plans
• San Francisco Neighborhoods: Potrero Hill - Neighborhood guide from the San Francisco Chronicle
• Potrero Hill SF - Neighborhood guide and blog
• Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association
• http://www.sf-planning.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=2545