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Divisadero’s Harding Theatre from the Inside – The Great Graffiti Paint Out Begins

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

So, kids come over from the East Bay just to hang out inside of the moribund, hard-knock Harding Theatre at 616 Divisadero Street in the NoPA? Yes they do. (Didn’t know that.)

And do they have their own bolt cutters and padlocks to try to prevent others, such as the owners, from getting in? Yes, again, they do.

Oh well. I’ll tell you, this place is a mess, and honestly, I’d want to be on bottled air if were to spend any good amount of time inside. Anyway, the graffiti is getting painted over these days and the owners have bolt cutters and padlocks of their own so, and this is NOT a challenge to you or nothing, it won’t be as easy to make the massive theatre your very own kiddie clubhouse going forward.

Kono eigakan wa chotto warui, ne?

Click to expand

Cf. the way it looked back in aught-five.

Here’s the view from the stage:

The most giantest ORFN ever stares at the balcony:

This large cross has taken some abuse, it would seem:

No Livermore Kids Allowed. Oh well.

This is pretty much how the Harding looks from the outside:

A possible future for the Harding, complete with restored theatre blade.

I know that the “Save” Harding Theatre people are out there, but they can’t afford a free website from WordPress.com, apparently (whoops, just found it, can’t help thinking that a WordPress.com blog called Save Harding Theatre would show up high in a Google search, but what do I know…)

On the other side, the owners state that this place started out as a movie theatre in 1926, then it was used for live entertainment (including a show from the Grateful Dead, once), then it was legally converted into a church in 1973, and then the church operated ’til 2004. Ergo, the City’s not really losing a live theatre, en realidad.

Alls I know is that it would be nice if the place got used in some way at some point.

It’s certainly been a hard knock life for the Harding. Signing off with the King James:

“And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.”

Tags: 616 divisadero, apartments, area, church, condominium, condos, crime, divisadero, graffiti, grove, harding place, harding theatre, hayes, Independent, kids, movie film, NOPA, north of panhandle, paint, planning commission, San Francisco, save, save harding theatre, save the harding, street, theater, theatre, western addition
Posted in architecture, buildings | No Comments »

The Reason Why the Save the Stow Lake Boathouse Petition is Somewhat Fraudulent

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

This was the scene on Saturday, February 13th, 2010 in Golden Gate Park, where the Save the Stow Lake Boathouse Coalition traded raffle tickets, cookies and, yes, pink popcorn for signatures to “save” the Boat House at Stow Lake. Get up to speed on this campaign here and here.

It was quite the affair, with hundreds on hand. KCBS All News 740 /106.9 had a vehicle there, but it’s tough to see if they reported on the event, AFAICS. (Oddly, an entry for “Save Stow Lake” is on the KCBS home page under “KCBS NEWS LINKS.”)

From the Yelp:

“FREE Organic Coffee! FREE Popcorn! FREE Raffle with great prizes! Other surprises! Come celebrate the historic Stow Lake Boathouse that has provided affordable recreation for generations. Sat. Feb. 13th, 11am-1pm. Stow Lake Boathouse, GG Park. We’ll have petitions for signing and art work for the kids so they can let the City know they don’t want the Boathouse turned into a restaurant/cafe.

“Save the Stow Lake Boathouse Coalition (STSLBC) organized in response to a proposal by Rec & Parks to take over the entire top floor of the boathouse for an indoor restaurant/cafe. STSLBC wants to see the boathouse restored and improved without losing the quaint, old style snack bar and historic boat repair shop. STSLBC considers the restaurant concept in the building, as inappropriate and economically unfeasible, adding little, if any additional revenue, that would change the historic character and primary usage of the property, which for years has served as a boathouse offering a calm respite from city life for generations of San Franciscans and tourists.”

Now, do I begrudge these people when they collude with the current operator of the boathouse to hold a picnic to further their political cause? No.

And are they allowed to giveaway stuff “FOR FREE!” and then immediately hit you up for your signature on a petition? Yes, this is America.

But the problems include:

1. What park visitors were told just before they signed the petition while munching on their cookies, and;

2. The fact that the Recreation and Park Department’s plans for this area won’t “destroy” the boathouse, or for that matter, Stow Lake.

Will there be “room for kids and old people” at the Stow Lake Boathouse if a sit-down cafe opens up on the upper floor? Yes, of course. Will the old boathouse look substantially the same as before, no matter what happens? Yes.

Now, I’ll give you this, the people behind the STSLBC are doing better than before in articulating a basis for their cause. The problem is that their cause appears to be simply supporting the existing franchise holder at a time when others are bidding on a five or ten year contract to run the boathouse. Here are the bullet points from the online petition:

> The current tenant has never had a boating accident

> The current tenant has a long-standing, excellent relationship with their customers

> The current tenant has employees that have worked there for over ten years

> The current tenant has added healthy food options to the snack bar menu

> The current tenant is interested in adding additional items to sell to increase revenue

> The current tenant is open to improving the facility once a lease is in place

O.K., but the rules say that RPD has the right to open up bidding for a new tenant. Is that so bad?

Am I saying that there’s something wrong with avuncular Bruce McLellan, the current tenant who runs the place? No. But having a new tenant wouldn’t “destroy” Stow Lake neither, nor even the boathouse, right?

Obviously, RPD is looking for new sources of money. Will having a new cafe help to make more money for RPD and the tenant such that the price of paddle boat rentals could be lowered from the current $24? We’ll see.

Is this a message that comes from the grass roots? Really? Or in other words, “Bidder A is great, Bidders B and C are not.”

The site of the coming cafe. That’s the boat hoist that the City is trying to “heist.” “Don’t heist the hoist”is a slogan they’re using. Srsly.

All agree of the desirability of a long term contract, which would allow a new tenant, or the existing one, to upgrade aging equipment.

The oar your $19 rental fee gets you – it does the job, I s’pose:

Leave us now depart the Boathouse at Stow, home to the most ridiculous grass roots effort to come down the pike in a good long time. (And I’ve seen plenty.)

Only In San Francisco.

To Be Continued.

Tags: 106.9, 2010, 740, am, boat, boat house, boathouse, Bruce McLellan, budget, C.W. Nevius, cafe, chuck, coalition, community, department, dept., district, fm, free, golden gate park, historic, hoist, inner sunset, kcbs, lake, meeting, Nevius, Nick Kinsey, park and rec, park and recreation, parks, picnic, pink, popcorn, radio, recreation and parks, restaurant, rfq, row, rowboat, San Francisco, Sandy Weil, save, save stow lake, Save the Stow Lake Boat house, Save the Stow Lake Boathouse, Save the Stow Lake Boathouse Coalition, stow, STSLBC, sunset, Suzanne Dumont, Suzanne R. Dumont, yuppification
Posted in buildings, parks | 6 Comments »

A Sacrilege on McAllister Street – One or the Other

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Prominent San Francisco landmark St. Ignatius Church at the University of San Francisco on Fulton Street has been around almost a hundred years, which is a long time for our town. But the view of these Catholic missile silos from the Leave-It-To Beaver section of McAllister Street is now ruined by this loud Crayola house.

Sic transit gloria San Francisco:

Click to expand

But if that doesn’t boil your blood, how about this sign from a couple houses over for tout le Monde to see?

There’s your sacrilege, one or the other.

Tags: barack, catholic, chapel, church, colorful, crayola, crayons, fulton, mcallister, obama, parish, president, red, San Francisco, scrilege, shrader, sign, St. Ignatius, stanyan, stop, stop obama, street
Posted in buildings, politics | 3 Comments »

The 850 Geary Building – Dennis Herrera vs. Tenderloin Landlords Patricia D. and James P. Quinn

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Our three-term San Francisco City Attorney, Dennis J. Herrera, can’t abide landlords who exhibit “an egregious pattern of housing, building, health and safety code violations.” As proof of that, let’s take a look at today’s news regarding the owners of the building at 850 Geary in the Tenderloin / Trenderloin / TenderNob / Lower Nob Hill / Theatre District:

City Attorney Dennis Herrera has filed suit against the property owners of 850 Geary Street, an apartment building whose tenants have been forced to endure an egregious pattern of housing, building, health and safety code violations for nearly five years. According to the complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court, more than a dozen Notices of Violation and Orders of Abatement have been filed against the building owners by the San Francisco Building Inspection and Health Departments since 2005 — and all have gone virtually unheeded.

Said Herrera: “These landlords have been given every opportunity to address their code violations, but have instead chosen to flout the law, to ignore city enforcement agencies, and to allow substandard housing conditions to persist. Their continued defiance has left the City with no choice but to seek a court order to force the owners to fix the problems, to protect tenants and neighbors.”

The City Attorney’s complaint details numerous housing code violations that establish the property as public nuisance, including:

1) lack of certification for boiler room repairs;

2) unmaintained fire escapes;

3) severe cockroach infestation;

4) lack of hot water;

5) unilluminated exit passage ways;

6) lacking heat;

7) a malfunctioning passenger elevator;

water intrusion damage in several apartments;

9) a broken window frame;

10) a damaged main entry door;

11) leaking radiator

12) a fire damaged electrical outlet in one of the unit’s bedrooms.

Health Department inspectors additionally issued Notice of Violations for bed bugs, cockroaches, and mice.

SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 21, 2010) — City Attorney Dennis Herrera today filed suit against the property owners of 850 Geary Street, an apartment building whose tenants have been forced to endure an egregious pattern of housing, building, health and safety code violations for nearly five years. According to the complaint filed in San Francisco Superior Court this morning, more than a dozen Notices of Violation and Orders of Abatement have been filed against the building owners by the San Francisco Building Inspection and Health Departments since 2005 — and all have gone virtually unheeded.

“The owners of 850 Geary Street are engaged in unlawful business practices that threaten the health and safety of their tenants and their surrounding neighbors,” said Herrera. “These landlords have been given every opportunity to address their code violations, but have instead chosen to flout the law, to ignore city enforcement agencies, and to allow substandard housing conditions to persist. Their continued defiance has left the City with no choice but to seek a court order to force the owners to fix the problems, to protect tenants and neighbors.”

Named as defendant in Herrera’s lawsuit are James P. Quinn and Patricia D. Quinn, who also the own and manage the building. The City Attorney’s complaint details numerous housing code violations that establish the property as public nuisance, including: 1) lack of certification for boiler room repairs; 2) unmaintained fire escapes; 3) severe cockroach infestation; 4) lack of hot water; 5) unilluminated exit passage ways; 6) lacking heat; 7) a malfunctioning passenger elevator; water intrusion damage in several apartments; 9) a broken window frame; 10) a damaged main entry door; 11) leaking radiator 12) a fire damaged electrical outlet in one of the unit’s bedrooms. Health Department inspectors additionally issued Notice of Violations for bed bugs, cockroaches, and mice.
The case is City and County of San Francisco and the People of California v. James P. Quinn, Patricia D. Quinn et al., San Francisco Superior Court, Filed Jan. 20, 2010. A copy of the complaint is available for download as a PDF on the City Attorney’s Web site at http://www.sfcityattorney.org/ .

Tags: 850 Geary, 850 Geary Street, bed bugs, building, city attorney, cockroach, cockroaches, code, code violations, dennis herrera, dennis j herrera, health, housing, James P. Quinn, James Quinn, landlords, Lower Nob Hill, mice, Notices of Violation, Orders of Abatement, Owners, Patricia D. quinn, Patricia quinn, safety, San Francisco City, tenderloin, TenderNob, theatre district, Trenderloin, violations
Posted in Uncategorized, buildings, government | No Comments »

Pink Popcorn Forever at the Stow Lake Boat House – The Lowdown on the Throwdown

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

About 110 souls showed up yesterday for the two meetings our Department of Recreation and Park hosted to air out the whole Stow Lake Boat House issue.

Get up to speed here, and let’s begin.

Here it is, the boathouse at Stow. Click to expand to see the mechanism used to carry paddle and row boats into the boathouse. It’s a bone of contention these days:

Another contentious dealio is the continued availability of Wright’s Pink Popcorn Bars, straight out of 150 Potrero. (The secret to the pinkness? Delicious red dye #40, baby. Natch.) See it?

Well hold on to your hats – Rec and Park property manager Nick Kinsey promised all that pink popcorn would forever be on the menu at the boat house. This requirement will be burned into future consignment contracts. See? It was on the PowerPoint:

Anyway, here’s what the first session looked like:

If you want ever to feel young, just show up to a San Francisco NIMBY meeting at 2:00 in the afternoon.

The aforementioned Nick Kinsey (doesn’t he look like an actor or something?) represented the RPD:

Can you read these slides?

Fundamentally, the building will stay the same.

Will there be a change as to how the boats get into the boat house for repair? Yes. Is that anything for San Francisco’s seniors to worry about?* No, not actually.

Will the proposed covered lunching area be as upscale as those at the nearby de Young Museum or the California Academy of Sciences? No.

So, preservationists, college-boy Nick Kinsey just dealt you three aces yesterday. We’re not playing poker here so that means You Got Served and your score stands at love-40. You all need to articulate yourselves better. In reaction to yesterday’s PowerPoint, what is your beef? (Don’t tell us where you born and how long you lived here - it doesn’t matter. And don’t tell us how you don’t trust The City in light of X, Y, or Z. Just respond to the presentation, if you would.)

There will be a bunch more meetings before any changes get made – Archangel Gabriel hasn’t even begun to warm up his trumpet, so I’m not too worried about the old-school boat house right now.

Wake me up on judgment day in about a half a year or so.

*You want something to get upset about? How about this fake, Yoko-approved John Lennon voiceover for One Laptop Per Child? I’m still gobsmacked.

Tags: boat, boat house, boathouse, budget, C.W. Nevius, chuck, coalition, community, department, dept., district, golden gate park, hall lf flowers, inner sunset, lake, meeting, Nevius, Nick Kinsey, park and rec, park and recreation, parks, pink, popcorn, recreation and parks, restaurant, row, rowboat, San Francisco, save, stow, sunset, yuppification
Posted in architecture, buildings, government | 2 Comments »

Austin, Texas or Austin Alley? You Make The Call

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Is this a scene from Austin Texas or Austin Alley in San Francisco?

Of course the parking spaces out in front of this banal building have the requisite brace of yuppy imports (Subaru, BMW, Mercedes, Acura), but there’s also a couple of pick-em-ups in there too, and Texans love their pickups. Let’s look for more clues.

Mmmm, there’s a Victorian in the background next door, and all the license plates say “California” and there’s that San Francisco-looking AUSTIN sign too – that all adds up to the 415.

But whoever thought it was a good idea to build suburban-style housing/parking like this in San Francisco has clearly made a huge mistake.

Click to expand

Oh well.

Tags: alley, arrested development, austin, banal, bush, california, capitol, cars, frank norris, franklin, gob, gough, i've made a huge mistake, lots, parking, pine, place, San Francisco, street, texas, way
Posted in architecture, buildings | No Comments »

Boston Properties Wishes You a Merry Christmas from Embarcadero Center

Thursday, December 24th, 2009

See?

These buildings look like boxed-up presents under the tree the way they’re lighted during the holidays.

Presenting Embarcadero Center 1, 2, 3, and 4:

Click to expand

Tags: +3, 1, 2, 2009, 4, 5, boston properties, buildings, christmas, district, Embarcadero Center, financial, holiday, lights, sacramento, San Francisco, street
Posted in buildings | No Comments »

San Francisco’s St. Ignatius Church Looks Gorgeous at Nighttime

Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

As seen from Cole Valley, with a #37 bus rolling by.

St. Ignatius Church looks really close but the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park is in between, so this building (or at least the dome at the back of it, anyway) is fully three-quarters-of-a-mile away:

It almost looks Disneyesque when Sausalito sets off fireworks, like on the Fourth of July:

Click to expand

Tags: 650 parker, building, catholic, chapel, church, cole, cole valley, Disney, fireworks, fulton, ignatious, Ignatius, jesuit, loyola, night, photos, pics, saint, san francsico, st ignatious, st., street, twin peaks, university of san francisco, USF, view
Posted in architecture, buildings | 2 Comments »

Mirant’s Potrero Generating Plant is Always With Us – When Will It Go Away?

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

See the tower of the Potrero Generating Plant down Seventh Street on a recent rainy day?

Will it be here a year from now?

Who knows. But, on it goes, day in and day out:

Click to expand

Tags: 2009, 27, against, april, Atlanta, building code, california, citizenship, city attorney, corporate, Corporation, denni, dennis herrera, deplorable, earthquake, electricity, energy, filed, health, herrera, human, MIR, Mirant, NYSE, potrero, power plant, safety, San Francisco, suit, violations
Posted in buildings, environment | Comments Off

Build It and They Will Come – San Francisco CityPlace Holds an Open House at Mid-Market

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

This was the scene last night at 901 Market on the wrong side of Fifth Street, where Urban Realty Co, Inc. held a meet-and-greet to show off the CityPlace project planned at 935-965 Market Street. The event attracted plenty of media attention but turnout wasn’t all that heavy, at least at first: