Browse Category: California

The Early History of Golden Gate Park

After writing my last post on the history of Golden Gate Park’s Conservatory of Flowers, I wanted to learn more about the park as a whole. Also, I’m in love with OpenSF History, a website with an extensive archive of historic photos, and have been diving deep into the site to find historic park photos, so I want to share them. My favorite pictures are those showing everyday people enjoying the park.

I decided to focus more on images than on written history, but I have provided a bit. Much of the information I include comes from FoundSF (a digital archive) and from good old Wikipedia. You can also watch an interesting video about Golden Gate Park by Glenn Lym.

The 1800s

By the mid-1800s, San Francisco was evolving from a minor port town into a metropolis due to the Gold Rush and the discovery of the Comstock Lode, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869. City officials wanted San Francisco to have the attractions and amenities of East Coast and European cities, such as museums and parks. At that time in the United States, a large park within a city was a new idea but was gaining popularity as a social health movement, given the dirt and noise of late-19th Century cities. New York’s Central Park (1858), Philadelphia’s Fairmont Park (1865), and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (1866) were Golden Gate’s predecessors and the only similar projects in the United States.

The two men who share the credit for the creation of Golden Gate Park, engineer William Hammond Hall and horticulturist John McLaren, envisioned a bucolic, wooded landscape in which San Franciscans could escape the hustle and bustle of daily life. In 1870, Hall won the bid to do a topographical survey of the land on which the park would be created and to create a plan for the park; work began in 1871.

The land on which the 1017-acre park now sits was previously an ocean of windblown sand dunes with little vegetation. Stage one was growing grass seeds obtained from France. Next came trees in order to stabilize the dunes that covered three-quarters of the park’s area. By 1875, about 60,000 trees, mostly eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and Monterey cypress had been planted. By 1879, that figure had more than doubled to 155,000 trees over 1000 acres. The lush meadows, forests, and gardens, as well as lakes, that eventually were created were made possible by irrigation and water pumped in via two windmills at the western end of Golden Gate, built in 1903.

Newly constructed Conservatory of Flowers, with Oddfellows Cemetery and Lone Mountain in background, 1879. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.03211.jpg.

Although Hall and McLaren wanted the park to remain mostly “natural,” they were forced to compromise, with multiple buildings, formal gardens, raceways, and other attractions being added. The Conservatory of Flowers opened in 1879 and is the oldest building in Golden Gate Park. The Music Concourse, with its grand bandshell, was originally a part of a Worlds Fair, the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894 (which encompassed 200 acres and included 120 structures; more than 2 million people visited). The Japanese Tea Garden is another remnant of the Midwinter Exposition. By the turn of the century, Golden Gate Park was “the free Disneyland of its time” and was a huge success, despite its relatively remote location. Children’s Playground, originally called the Sharon Quarters for Children, opened in 1888, and is thought to have been the nation’s first public playground. At various times, the playground included bears, elephants, a merry-go-round, goat-drawn carts, swings, and other pleasures for children and families.

Performing elephants in Childrens’ Playground, 1890.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.00037.jpg.
Two formally dressed boys riding donkeys at Children’s Playground, 1890.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.03768.jpg.
A child in a goat cart at Children’s Playground, 1890. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.03767.
Illustration of a bird’s-eye view of Golden Gate Park, 1892. View from east end of park looking toward Pacific Ocean. Seven images at top depict sites of interest. Legend includes cable lines and railroads. Photo from FoundSF.
View of Midwinter Exposition of 1894 from Strawberry Hill. Stow Lake, Stow Lake Drive, Lone Mountain, Masonic Cemetery, Oddfellows Cemetery, electric tower, and fairgrounds can be seen. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.02229.jpg.
Children’s Playground on Kezar Drive, with carousel, Sharon Building, and gondola swings, 1894. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.01580.jpg.
People at outdoor concert at the Music Concourse, 1895. I love all the hats and parasols.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.3678.
Crowds and carriages at the Music Concourse, 1895. Quite a crowd! Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.3679.
Arizona Garden, which used to be next to the Conservatory of Flowers, 1895. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp70.0227.
Bicyclists, probably on Main Drive (now JFK Drive) near present Rainbow Falls, 1989. Bicycles became extremely popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s after the “safety bicycle” (replacing the high-wheel bike) was invented in 1895. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp71.1429.jpg.
Child on pony (or donkey?) and child in goat cart, Children’s Playground, 1899.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.6521.

The the Early 1900s: Refugees, Races, and Museums

In the early 1900s, the park was busy with locals and visitors, who came to enjoy the outdoors and to visit the museums and other sights. Bicycling, baseball, boating, and picnics were all popular activities.

Dore Vase, sphinx, and bicycles in front of Memorial (de Young) Museum, 1900. Originally built as Fine Arts Building for 1893 Midwinter Fair. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp70.0247.jpg.
Women on a rustic bridge by Chain of Lakes, 1900.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.2851.jpg.
Families in the park, 1904. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp71.1439.
Recreation Grounds near 7th Avenue. Child posing, with baseball game in background, 1905. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp15.659.jpg.
Family feeding ducks, coots, and geese at Stow Lake, 1905.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp15.169.jpg.

After the tragic earthquake and fires of 1906, Golden Gate Park became a site of refuge for many who found themselves homeless and did not have relatives to take them in. Twenty-six official homeless encampments were constructed in Golden Gate Park and nearby. The refugee camps in the park were primarily used as an interim location while the Ingleside horse stables were renovated to house refugees. Over the months following the quake and fires, “earthquake shacks” to house people who had lost their homes popped up all throughout the undeveloped “Outside Lands” (as the sand dunes of western San Francisco were known at that time).

Earthquake refugees in Golden Gate Park mimicking a formal photographic pose.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp15.163.jpg.
Earthquake refugees getting food, 1906. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp14.1149.
 Interior of supply depot shed in Golden Gate Park for refugees after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Kettles, pots and pans, buckets, and blankets can be seen on the shelves. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp102.0010.jpg. 

San Francisco bounced back from tragedy. As the refugees found more permanent homes, Golden Gate Park soon went back to its original purposes–recreation and culture.

Harness race in Golden Gate Park Stadium, 1910 (now known as the Polo Fields). Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp33.03913.jpg.
It doesn’t seem that the picnickers of 1910 were very concerned with litter. Sharon Meadow (now called Robin Williams Meadow). Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.03863.
People and puppy, 1914. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.4845.
A family and friends on a motorbike in the park, about 1915. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.6027.jpg.
A family picnic, 1915. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.6026.
Children in a car at the May Day festival in Sharon Meadow (now called Robin Williams Meadow), 1918. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp36.01854.

The De Young Museum’s original building was the Fine Arts Building from the Midwinter Exposition, of which de Young was the director. A new museum for de Young’s vast collections was completed in 1921. (The current extensive reconstruction of the museum began in 2001, and it reopened in 2005.)

The original museum of the California Academy of Sciences consisted of eleven buildings built between 1916 and 1976 in Golden Gate Park. The original structures were largely destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, with three of the original buildings conserved for the new construction, which opened in 2008.

Cameraman filming Bathing Beauties posing on a Franklin car (air cooled, so no radiator on the front) at Chain of Lakes, 1920. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp26.842.jpg.
Girls’ picnic at Sharon Meadow (now called Robin Williams Meadow), 1920.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp30.0254.
Man and children on a circle swing, Children’s Playground, 1920.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp37.03672.
Woman and four girls enjoying the park at Sharon Meadow (now called Robin Williams Meadow), 1921. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.2825.
Man with zebra-drawn cart in the park, 1925. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp14.4531.jpg.
Family by the Children’s Playground bear pit, 1925. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp26.1346.
After visiting the bear pit, this family enjoyed a picnic, 1925. Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp26.1351.

Tough Times

During the Great Depression, the San Francisco Parks and Recreation Department ran out of public funds, so maintenance of Golden Gate Park was taken over by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a government program providing employment and community improvements during the economic woes of the 1930s. The WPA built roads in the park, as well as other park fixtures, including an archery field, parts of the arboretum, Anglers Lodge, and the adjoining fly casting pools.

May Day festival at Sharon Meadow (now called Robin Williams Meadow), 1933.
Photo from OpenSFHistory / wnp27.3147.

Today

A lot has changed in Golden Gate Park since the early days. However, a lot is still pretty much the same: The western end of the park remains mostly natural, with trails, lakes, and woods. The windmills, Conservatory of Flowers, and Music Concourse are still there. People still row boats and fish on Stow Lake. Some roads and meadows have been renamed, and museums have been expanded and modernized, but the beauty and charm of Golden Gate Park lives on.

With 24 million visitors annually, Golden Gate is the third-most-visited city park in the United States after Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial. Golden Gate is 20 percent larger than Central Park, at more than 3 miles long and half a mile wide. I’m lucky to live within walking distance of this beautiful treasure.

Traveling Back in Time at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers

I’m on a roll, making up for lost time with blog posts after not having written for several months! Today, I visited the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, a beautiful building full of tropical plants in Golden Gate Park. This Victorian-era attraction is the oldest public wood-and-glass conservatory in North America. After my visit, I did some deep digging online and found some interesting history, as well as a ton of photos. Note that most of the history provided here comes from the Conservatory’s website.

The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, probably in 1878 or 1879. Lone Mountain is in the background at right. Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers website.

Early History
A San Jose landowner, James Lick, had ordered conservatory materials to be shipped from New York in the 1870s to construct two private conservatories; however, Lick died before his projects could be built, and as his estate was being divided, 33 tons of the glass were donated to the Society of California Pioneers. In 1877, the Society of California Pioneers sold the conservatory pieces to 27 prominent San Franciscans and local philanthropists, including former Mayor William Alvord, Charles Crocker, Leland Stanford, and Claus Spreckels. It was the intention of these men to donate the conservatory materials to the City of San Francisco for public use in Golden Gate Park, which was being created.

A stipulation of the donation was that the conservatory be erected within 18 months, so it had to be built quickly. This happened, even though the steamer Georgia, which was carrying some of the construction materials, sunk. This may explain why the San Francisco Conservatory does not seem to have had a formal opening date, but rather a “soft opening” sometime in the middle of April 1879. In addition to the glass from Lick, the building materials included local old-growth redwood and other native trees.

The Conservatory in 1879. This may be during construction, as the building
appears to be unpainted.

Conservatories were very popular in the Victorian era, and the San Francisco Conservatory was no exception, fast becoming the most visited location in Golden Gate Park. It was beloved by both locals and visitors. The original layout included a fountain in the entryway and another in the Palm Room, under the dome. The west wing displayed flowering and ornamental foliage in one gallery and hard-wooded plants, like azaleas, in the other. The east wing featured the Orchid House and an aquatic plant gallery with a large pond, which contained the Conservatory’s first blockbuster exhibit: the Victoria regia, a giant water lily, with leaves that grow several feet in diameter. This plant was the first of its kind to be grown in California and brought both recognition and crowds to Golden Gate Park. The Conservatory still boasts these gorgeous giant water lilies today.

The Pond Room in the late 1800s. Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers website.
The Pond Room today: in December 2019.
The Conservatory in 1882. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp26.1934.

The Conservatory survived a fire originating in the furnace room in 1883 that destroyed the central dome and many plants. With no public funds available for repairs, private donor Charles Crocker provided $10,000. During the restoration, the dome was raised by 6 feet, and the eagle finial on top of the dome was replaced with the planet Saturn, probably a reference to the ancient Roman god of agriculture. In 1895, the Conservatory was wired for electricity for the first time.

The remnants of the dome following the 1883 fire.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp26.1318.
Reconstruction of the dome underway, mid-1880s. Photo from
Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp25.4131.
View from Arizona Garden down to the Conservatory of Flowers in the mid-1880s. Dome appears to be under reconstruction following the 1883 fire.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp37.02290-L.
Ceremony for laying the cornerstone of the Garfield Monument, August 24, 1883. View northwest across Main Drive (John F. Kennedy Drive today) toward the dais and crowd. Conservatory dome under reconstruction after the 1883 fire. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp37.03265.
The Conservatory with the new dome, with visitors coming by horse and buggy. Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers website. (Date not provided, but likely at the end of the 1880s.)
Interior shot, 1886. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp37.03465.
Crowds of visitors in 1887. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp71.1427.
The Conservatory’s flowerbeds decorated with “parterre” designs, 1890.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp70.0232.
The Conservatory in 1900. Photo from OpenSFHistory.org.
Interior shot, 1900s. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp37.04228.

The devastating San Francisco 1906 earthquake and subsequent fires did little damage to the Conservatory. The area leading up to the building, known as Conservatory Valley, became a temporary refugee camp for people who had been left homeless by the disasters.

Refugee camp outside the Conservatory after the 1906 earthquake and fire.
Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers website.
Refugee camp in Conservatory Valley, looking south to Mt. Sutro, Clary Collection.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp33.00936.
Three men with basic necessities (including whiskey) in front of a tent in a refugee camp, probably in Conservatory Valley. Note Iron Bridge in background. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp15.162.
Men view the earthquake refugee camp near the Conservatory. View from steps of Arizona Garden. Affiliated Colleges in distance on Mt. Sutro.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp26.501.
Water fountain in front of the Conservatory, designed by Melvin Earl Cummings and formally accepted by the Park Commission in June 1904. Photo taken in 1909. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp33.03902.
1910. Photo from OpenSFHistory.org.
Interior shot, 1910s. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp37.03870.
1915. Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp14.4628.

Another fire originating in the furnace room damaged the Conservatory in 1918, resulting in the partial collapse of the glass roof and damage to the Potting Room. The Conservatory was again able to bounce back from adversity. However, by the 1930s, budget cuts, a result of the Great Depression, meant that park services and staff were reduced, and the Conservatory suffered from neglect. Necessary repairs were not made, and on several occasions the Conservatory was threatened with closure. Accounts vary, but some say that the building was closed for part of the ’30s and ’40s for structural repairs, reopening in the mid-’40s.

The Conservatory lawn in the 1920s. Photo from OpenSFHistory.org.
Snazzy visitors in their car. Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of
Flowers website. (Date not provided, but probably the 1920s.)
Visitors. Photo from San Francisco Conservatory of
Flowers website. (Date not provided, but appears to be the 1920s.)
1920s. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp15.675.
The Conservatory faced tough times in the 1930s.
Photo from OpenSFHistory.org.
Interior shot, 1930s. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp27.6220.
Parterre in front of the Conservatory in honor of San Francisco welcoming the United Nations, 1945. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp25.5246.
Visitors in 1945 with United Nations parterre. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp28.1489.
Aerial view, April 10, 1947. Photo: Barney Peterson / The Chronicle 1947.
Woman in 1950 posing next to floral tapestry reading “Public Parks Junior Tennis Championship”
in front of the Conservatory. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp28.3063.
Interior shot, 1957. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp25.1373.
1963. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp25.5886.
Renovation underway at the Conservatory entrance, 1966.
Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp25.5712.
1973. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp12.00721.
The interior of the Conservatory of Flowers, shown on its 100th anniversary on May 19, 1978, looks much the same as it did in 1878. Photo: Clem Albers / The Chronicle 1978.
Parterre of 49er helmet reading “Super,” to commemorate the 49ers’ first Superbowl victory, over the Bengals in 1982. Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp119.00084.

More Recent History
The most devastating damage in the Conservatory’s history was caused by a violent wind storm in 1995 that shattered 40 percent of the building’s glass and destroyed many rare plants. With millions needed for repairs, the building was closed, with many fearing it would never reopen.

With fundraising efforts, including those by First Lady Hillary Clinton, the Conservatory was able to be repaired. Restoration began in 2000 and took 8 years. One major challenge of the repairs was that the Conservatory was built according to a detailed blueprint, which apparently was destroyed in the great fire that occurred after the 1906 quake. This required the architects involved with the project to take the building apart so they could see how it was built in order to restore it. The work also included lead abatement and seismic strengthening. The total cost of the redo: $25 million. A grand public reopening was held in 2003.

Damaged facade in 1995. Photo from https://www.wmf.org/project/golden-gate-park-conservatory-flowers.
Man seated in front of Conservatory of Flowers in the 1990s, with sign that reads “Danger Keep Out.” Photo from Western Neighborhoods Project – wnp07.00151.
Grand reopening gala, 2003. Photo by Katy Raddatz/Chronicle.

Since 2003, millions of visitors have come to the Conservatory of Flowers, and it has been the site of weddings and special events. The Conservatory holds talks by horticultural authors and hosts horticultural societies and botany students. The Conservatory of Flowers has garnered numerous local, state, and national awards, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is a City and County of San Francisco Landmark and a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Personal History
I’ve only been to the Conservatory a few times but definitely plan to return again now that I am living in San Francisco. On today’s visit, I saw many lovely orchids, a 100-year-old giant Imperial Philodendron named Phil, beautiful stained glass, koi, and those giant lily pads. During what I believe was my first visit, in 2006, when I was in graduate school and my parents were in town to see me, the Conservatory had a wonderful exhibit on butterflies and bats. (However, I may have visited during my first trip to San Francisco, which was in 1991. It’s hard to remember now!) What a lovely and special place, with so much history!

Butterfly exhibit at the Conservatory, 2006.
My dad impersonating a bat at the Bats and Butterflies exhibit
at the Conservatory, 2006.
My dad admiring the lily pad sculpture in the Pond Room at the Conservatory, 2006.
The Conservatory today: December 2019. The sky briefly clears after rainstorms.
Koi pond and statue today: December 2019.
The Conservatory today: December 2019.
Winter “Night Bloom” light show. From FogCitySecrets.com.

History and Psychology of Architecture in San Francisco’s Outer Sunset

Well, dear reader(s), it’s been another minute since I posted. I’ve thought about writing many times, but life has gotten in the way. OK, sometimes laziness has gotten in the way, but life, too!

Moving to the Outer Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco a few months ago made me curious about the area’s history and also got me to thinking about how the characteristics of different neighborhoods can impact our thoughts and emotions. I’ve written before about the psychology of color. Like color, scale and design can shape the way people interact with neighborhoods. As I’ve walked around my new environs, I’ve thought about how the building scale, uniformity, design, and colors make me feel.

Aerial shot of the Outer Sunset, looking north.

History
To call the Outer Sunset a “working-class” neighborhood today is a bit of a misnomer: The average house here now goes for about a million dollars. But when they were built, they were meant to allow families with modest means a way to have their own homes. Formerly called “Outside Lands,” comprising acres of sand dunes and scrub, the area started to be developed in the late 1800s when tourist attractions were added to Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park was created. Initially, it was mostly settled by white Americans, primarily Irish and Italian. Mass home building didn’t take off until after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Large tracts of nearly identical houses were built from the 1920s to the 1960s. There are several commercial strips scattered throughout the Sunset.

Starting in the ’60s, the neighborhood saw a steady influx of Asian (mostly Chinese) immigrants following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which lifted racial quotas and allowed more non-Europeans to immigrate to the United States. Today, the Outer Sunset is primarily Asian and Asian-American, with Chinese being the dominant culture; the second-largest ethnic group here is European-American.

One of the commercial streets of the Sunset is Irving Street. This shot is on Irving near 24th Avenue, technically in Central (not Outer) Sunset. Photo from sanfranciscodays.com.

Design and Scale
The Outer Sunset has a very distinct look and a fairly uniform design. Friends who are not that familiar with the area but have been to San Francisco often look blank when I try to explain where I live, but when I describe the way Outer Sunset looks, their eyes light up with recognition: “Oh, I drove through that neighborhood on my way up the coast!” “Oh, yeah, all those pastel houses!” “I think I was there on my way to Golden Gate Park!”

In some ways, Outer Sunset reminds me of working class neighborhoods in cities back East, where I’m from. Philadelphia, where I spent almost 20 years, has many districts that were built for working people throughout the centuries, and all share a certain style and economy of materials: small homes, often connected in rows; modest design; similarity to the neighbors’ homes (as many were built en masse); generally small (or absent) front yards; human scale.

Unlike the working-class neighborhoods of other cities, Outer Sunset is made up of blocks and blocks of (mostly) pastel stucco houses. The majority of the homes are two-story row houses with a garage on the ground floor and living quarters above. Because property is so ungodly expensive in San Francisco, many homeowners have added an in-law apartment on the ground floor, behind the garage. There are a few three-story homes here and there, and there are some blocks on which the houses have a touch more individual design than on others. Contemporary homeowners seem to be choosing richer paint colors and grays over pastels.

A typical block of homes in Outer Sunset, probably built in the 1940s or ’50s.

Psychology of Design
In some ways, the neighborhood’s sameness provides comfort and familiarity. You instantly know it’s a quiet, residential neighborhood when you see all those little pink houses, one-car garages, and quaint touches that help each often-bland facade stand out just a little. There is a sense of peace and orderliness.

Houses along Great Highway, the western-most street in the Outer Sunset.

While you might think that the human-scale architecture, soothing color palate, and walkable streets would promote a sense of community, other design elements fight against it. One is that garages take up most of the first floor, and entrances are hidden by locked metal gates; these features take away from homes having a warm or accessible feel. Also, it’s rare for anyone to be sitting or hanging out in front of their house—most homes lack porches, stoops, and front patios that would allow residents to spend time out front where they could chat with neighbors and passers-by. Houses feel private and hidden rather than open and inviting.

Sunset over the Outer Sunset, with the Pacific in the distance.

One Canadian researcher, Colin Ellard, has found that people are strongly affected by building facades (Bond, 2017). Complex and interesting facades affect people positively, whereas boring and impersonal building fronts can have a negative impact. The Sunset contains a mix of “interesting” versus bland facades, leading pedestrians to feel varying degrees of discomfort versus engagement. Some Outer Sunset streets are much more uniform and uninteresting than others.

According to Danish urbanist Jan Gehl, a well-designed city street should allow the average pedestrian to see an interesting new sight about once every five seconds (Ellard, 2015; Weintraub, 2015). In some ways, the Sunset’s lack of dramatic architectural variety may be offset by the small and interesting details that are visible to those on foot: plantings, murals, interesting paint colors, attractive metalwork, sculptures, benches, and decorative stones. Still, many have criticized the Outer Sunset as being boring and monotonous.

Interesting murals on a house and garage door.

Another much-studied element of the psychology of urban neighborhoods is green space: Access to greenery amidst city buildings is linked to better psychological health. The Sunset lacks a lot of green spaces—some blocks are virtually all concrete—although some streets do boast small trees and strips of yard containing anything from rocks to artificial turf to flowers to succulents. As with other psychological elements of design, the Sunset provides some positives and negatives here.

Pretty planters.
Funky yard.

Final Thoughts
I’m slowly feeling more at home in my new neighborhood. I can’t say that I have strong positive or negative feelings about the area—for me, it’s a mix. I can say that I wish there were more people out and about when I am walking around, and I also would be happier if the houses had more inviting fronts, with porches and yards. But that said, I am enjoying the Outer Sunset and continue to discover the small details that break up the overarching uniformity. I love seeing the ocean when I’m waiting at the bus stop. I love being able to walk to Golden Gate Park. I love the beachy feel on some of the streets and the interesting mix of cultures. On the surface, it may all look the same, but if you take a closer look, there is a lot to see.

Additional Reading
Michael Bond (2017). The hidden ways that architecture affects how you feel. BBC.com/future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20170605-the-psychology-behind-your-citys-design

Colin Ellard (2015). The generic city. Slate.com. https://slate.com/technology/2015/11/psychology-of-boring-architecture-the-damaging-impact-of-big-ugly-buildings-on-mental-health.html

Colin Ellard (2015). Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life. New York: Bellevue Literary Press.

OutsideLands.org: Western Neighborhoods Project. https://www.outsidelands.org/

Pam Weintraub, editor. (2015). Streets with no game. Aeon.co/essays. https://aeon.co/essays/why-boring-streets-make-pedestrians-stressed-and-unhappy

Street Art and Gentrification in Oakland, California

When I lived in Oakland, from 2005 to 2010, there was a decent amount of street art, but nowhere near as much as there is now. When I visited West Oakland and downtown this past weekend, I was blown away by the explosion of murals and graffiti. I used to frequent these areas when I lived in Oakland, but in the past few years when visiting, I haven’t spent much time in these neighborhoods.

  • Downtown Oakland street art.
  • Downtown Oakland street art.

Changes

I used to hang in West Oakland a lot because my partner was a metal artist who worked out of a large co-op in that neighborhood. Back then, the neighborhood was a mix of industrial and low-income housing, as well as blocks of dilapidated houses, abandoned buildings, and trash. It was an interesting place and not a very safe one: There were many break-ins and robberies, and there were bullet holes in the walls of buildings. On the plus side, people without a lot of money could still afford to live there–both long-time neighborhood residents and many struggling artists and “makers.” The influx of money was creeping along slowly then, with a couple condo buildings going up here and there but very few new businesses in the area.

When I drove through West Oakland yesterday, and I could hardly believe the changes since 2010. There were street art murals everywhere–too many to count. The sidewalk along Mandela Parkway was all fixed up with nice landscaping and fancy streetlamps. What used to be deserted streets were full of joggers and walkers (mostly white). There were new condo and apartment buildings as far as the eye could see, as well as coffee shops boasting organic coffee and WiFi.

  • Downtown Oakland street art.
  • Downtown Oakland street art.

Feelings About Gentrification

I have mixed feelings about the changes to West Oakland (and the whole Bay Area). On the one hand, I love public art and organic coffee. I’d rather live in a clean and safe apartment than a dilapidated hovel or an illegal warehouse. I like being places with vibrant business and people out and about. I have had a lot of privilege that has allowed me to live in places like these through most of my life.

But, that said, I wish that a neighborhood could grow and evolve without getting so expensive that the former residents (particularly low-income residents and people of color) can’t afford to stay. I’m not an expert on economics, but I imagine that federal, state, and local governments have to put specific programs in place to make this happen–leaving it up to the free market typically results in the wealthy winning out.

I did a little research on gentrification in Oakland and West Oakland in particular. After World War II, West Oakland became a thriving arts district and cultural haven for African-Americans, boasting many blues and jazz venues, as well as other businesses. However, economic changes starting in the 1950s and intensifying in subsequent decades led to the gradual deterioration of the neighborhood. Public projects damaging to the area’s fabric (such as the razing of homes to build the train station) also contributed to the area’s decline.

Regarding more recent changes to West Oakland, according to one article, “[Long-time residents] say newcomers are “Columbusing” Oakland—appropriating the city without any regard for the people who were here building community long before Oakland was the “it” place to move to. Others are happy to see changes, such as bike lanes, street repairs, and new businesses, come in. However, one thing that I can’t imagine anyone is happy about (except landlords) is the price of rent. A search of Craiglist revealed that rents in West Oakland are generally $2000 to $4000 for a one bedroom. Rents in the Oakland neighborhood where I lived, near Lake Merritt are similar, having doubled and tripled in the past 10 years. I would not be able to afford a one-bedroom apartment there now.

… Back to the Art

I could go on about gentrification. But to go back to the art: I was thrilled to see so much public art in West Oakland and downtown, and that inspired me to read more about that, too.

The Community Rejuvenation Project (CRP) has been around since 2005 and has been a major force in the creation of murals around Oakland. The nonprofit aims to beautify and cultivate healthy communities through public art.

The History of Mural Arts

An article on CRP’s website gives a fascinating history of mural art. The article chronicles the art from the earliest-known murals in France (created in 30,000 B.C.) to the early 20th-century Mexican mural arts movement associated with Diego Rivera to the Chicano art movement and African-American community mural movement of the 1960s to the 1970s and 1980s graffiti culture of Philadelphia and New York to contemporary aerosol and mural art.

Commodification of Street Art

One thing I hadn’t thought of (brought to my attention by another article on the CRP website) is the commodification of street art by private sponsors. Some developers see graffiti and other street art murals as “must-have amenities” for their properties. On the one hand, I think it’s great that these artists get paid for their work. But, I can also see the problem pointed out by CRP: Private mural sponsors may promote a gentrification agenda that displaces low-income residents, including artists, and fail to engage the community in creating the art.

More Mural Projects in Oakland

I saw several articles about the Oakland Mural Festival in 2018, which resulted in several new public works in the Jack London Square area. The Festival’s website says the event was planned to “use mural arts to engage East Bay youth, local Bay Area artists, and the Oakland community through beautification and placemaking activities … and to call attention to social issues, honor the legacy of Oakland’s historically industrial waterfront, and celebrate Oakland’s cultural identity.”

  • West Oakland street art.
  • West Oakland street art.
  • West Oakland street art.

Future Goals

I’ve always been drawn to public art, particularly graffiti art. I’ll have to make some more trips to Oakland to take more photos of these beautiful creations.

What I Learned from ATS® Bellydance

I have been studying bellydance since 2013 and performing since 2015. My primary style of dance is American Tribal Style® (ATS®) Bellydance,* a modern fusion format that was created by Carolena Nericcio in San Francisco in the 1980s.

A Little ATS History

This style borrows from and was heavily influenced by the tribal bellydance language of Jamila Salimpour, published in her manual, The Danse Orientale (1978). Salimpour was a dancer who studied Egyptian dance and set out to combine different Middle Eastern and Arabic dance forms. She created a new vocabulary for bellydance, based on frequently repeated movements that she saw in what were normally considered improvised dances. She moved to San Francisco in 1958 and began teaching and eventually performing with her company Bal Anat. (Read more about the Salimpour School here.)

My dance troupe, Shekinah Tribal Bellydance, founded in Santa Cruz, California, in 2014 by Inna Dagman and currently directed by Maya Goytia, with some performance planning assistance by me.

ATS also descended from the artistic and freeform style of Jamila Salimpour’s student Masha Archer, who then taught Nericcio. In addition to Middle Eastern and Arabic influences, ATS also incorporates elements of flamenco, Eastern European folk dance, and Indian Odissi dance. The original ATS dance troupe and school founded by Nericcio is FatChance BellyDance, based in San Francisco.

The original FatChance BellyDance performance costume included jewelry from Afghanistan, India, North Africa, and the Middle East; a decorated turban; an Indian-style choli top; a coin bra; a full skirt; a hip scarf; pantaloons; and an elaborate belt. Some dancers perform barefoot, and others wear ballet flats or other dance shoes. Most of these elements are still a part of the contemporary ATS costume, although many troupes substitute a “hair garden” of silk flowers and sometimes a headband for the turban.

A clip from The Art of Belly Dance, a DVD and book by Carolena Nericcio. This clip is likely from the late 1990s or early 2000s and shows Nericcio and two other FatChance dancers, Kathy and Rena.
A FatChance performance from 1997, along with an interview with Carolena Nericcio, who talks about the history of ATS and bellydance in general. Although Carolena uses the term Gypsy, I prefer to use Romani, as some people of Romani descent and others may find the term Gypsy to be offensive.

What Makes ATS Different

One of the things about ATS that is unique compared with most other contemporary bellydance styles is that it is meant to be danced in groups improvisationally. Dancers learn a language of moves, cues, and formations, which they can then use in the moment with others dancers schooled in this format. The typical formations include two, three, or four “featured” dancers; if there are more than this number of dancers on stage, the others form a “chorus,” or semicircle in the back of the stage to provide a dancing backdrop and cheering section to the featured performers.

Although I also enjoy Egyptian, cabaret, Suhaila-style, and Jamila-style forms of bellydance, among others, ATS really captured my heart. One reason is that as a performer who is a little shy, I like the group format–many other bellydancers perform solo, which is not my preferred way of performing. Also, I love the beauty and history of the ATS costuming. Although the dance style is modern, many of the fabrics and jewelry pieces we use are vintage, and I really enjoy learning about the history of these costume elements.

Lessons Learned

I also love ATS because of some of the life lessons being immersed in this world has taught me. Some of the most important things I have learned are

  1. It’s “We,” Not “Me.” I like the emphasis on “dance sisterhood” (and “brotherhood”–there is a small but growing number of male-identified ATS dancers) and making the group look good. One of the main lessons of ATS is to think about how what you are doing reflects on the others in your formation and troupe. For example, when you are leading the group, you are conscious of giving clear signals, using moves and cues that are familiar to the other dancers. Also, when you are following a leader, you attempt to match the leader’s style and speed, even if you would prefer to do something slower or faster–it’s about the coordination and “flock of birds” look of your group rather than making yourself stand out.
  2. Support Your Fellow Dancers. Building off of the first lesson, I feel that ATS has helped me to be more conscious of working together with my group and everyone supporting each other, both as dancers and as people. One way that this manifests is regarding body image. ATS welcomes people of all sizes and shapes, as well as ages and ethnicities. I love how ATS honors all sorts of bodies and doesn’t prioritize a certain body type or look. I perceive many other forms of dance to favor younger, thinner dancers, although of course this is not always the case. Although more men are participating in ATS than in the past, it’s still primarily a culture of female-identified people, and it’s refreshing to be involved in a culture that celebrates women as they are rather than creating shame and competition around fitting a cultural beauty ideal. One thing I will say is that in my experience, there are few African Americans in the ATS world; I’d like to see this change. It was exciting and inspiring to see the troupe Tribal Unicorn Collective, a trio of African American dancers, perform at ATS Reunion 2019 (see video below), not just because they were awesome, but also because it was nice to see some black women performing.
  3. Do Your Best, but Perfection Is Not Always Possible. Of course, as performers, we do our best to condition and strengthen our bodies so we can do the moves, practice so we know what we are doing, and strive to look polished during a show. However, we also know that in dance (especially improvisation), mistakes happen. We learn to keep smiling and keep on dancing when something doesn’t go as planned. In fact, sometimes the audience wouldn’t even realize that we’ve screwed up–unless we make a face, laugh, look embarrassed, etc.
  4. Practice, Practice, Practice. You can’t improve if you don’t work at it! Putting the time and effort in will result in growth. This also goes along with supporting your dance sisters and brothers–in order to make the group look good, each dancer must do their part to be prepared and give it their all. I also find that lots of practice and focusing on my own learning and improvement is a good way to overcome the inevitable insecurities and jealousies that may pop up.
  5. It’s Never Too Late to Try Something New. I didn’t start taking regular bellydance classes until I was in my mid-40s in 2013, and I didn’t start learning ATS until 2014. Before I decided to take ATS classes, I had seen some ATS performances and was mesmerized. However, my initial reaction was, “Wow, they are so impressive and beautiful–I wish I had studied this form of dance when I was young.” Then, I realized I could still do it (and did)!

Valuable lessons in dance but also in other aspects of life!

The amazing Tribal Unicorn Collective perform at ATS Reunion 2019 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDp7CRtJ618
A more recent FatChance BellyDance performance from the Rakkasah West festival in Concord, California, in 2018.
ATS is popular all over the world. Here is Sirin Tribe of Saint Petersburg, Russia, performing in 2016.
Dayanisima troupe of North Carolina performs at ATS Reunion in Scottsdale, Arizona, January 2019.
Although ATS is typically performed in groups, it can be danced as a solo. One of the best performers is Kae Montgomery, shown here at Show de Gala Be Tribal Bellydance Tagest 2017 in Ciudad de México.

* Since this post was written, FatChance decided to rename the style of dance from American Tribal Style Bellydance to FatChance Style Bellydance. The primary reason for this change is to get away from the use of the word tribal, which has negative connotations in some contexts.

Street Art, Part 2: My Photos

After posting earlier today about street art and graffiti, I went down a rabbit hole of looking through some of my photographs. I have always loved documenting murals, street art, and graffiti. Living in Philadelphia from 1986 to 2005 (and visiting frequently since I moved away), I got a lot of chances to photograph public art. Philly has a wonderful organization called Mural Arts Philadelphia, which was founded in 1984 as part of the Philadelphia Anti-Graffiti Network. Artist Jane Golden set out to find local graffiti artists and redirect their talents from underground, illegal graffiti to sanctioned public murals. Philadelphia Mural Arts Advocates became a private nonprofit organization in 1997. The program is currently one of the largest employers of artists in Philadelphia, hiring more than 300 artists each year, including more than 100 people prosecuted for illegal graffiti. The program has created close to 4000 murals since 1984.

Here are some of my photos of murals and street art in Philly, in my current hometown of Santa Cruz, CA, and elsewhere, from 2002 to 2017.

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