Apartment Hunting

Here's a named apartment building that's been hiding in plain sight. The Sunrise Apartments on 35th and Taraval, built in 1956.



Did you know how big the Kirkham Heights compound up at the top of 5th Ave is? I had no idea until I drove up there the other day. Several buildings totaling 86 units.

Hello from the Fog

Well, last week was a bit too warm, no? Not to worry, I had to bundle up with mittens and scarf for my walk this morning. In case all four of you are wondering, I'm still around, and still want to blog about the Sunset. In fact, I see that I have five draft posts just awaiting a couple more photos or a little research.

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Have you seen the new Ocean Beach Bulletin? "News and opinion from San Francisco's western edge". Check it out to keep up with events and learn some history.

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Speaking of history, Frank Dunnigan's Streetwise column in August featured Irving Street memories. The nagging question of what type of gas station was at 16th and Irving was answered, it was a Mohawk.

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I have a couple named apartments to add to the list:


The Georgia Lee Apartments on Taraval (the building to the right is identical, but that name has been removed from the plaque.)


and the La Playa Apartments:


That reminds me, a reader remembered delivering newspapers on Cutler and thought the building on the northwest corner had a name. I went and checked, but couldn't find one.

Name That Apartment

Just when I thought I would never find another named apartment building in the Sunset, I came across three today. I also had some waiting to make a big enough post. Now I'm afraid it is too long.

Can you name this apartment building?:


It may be 1970's style, but the entry is pretty at night:


Answer: the A Francis Apts. on the 1400 block of 20th Ave:


Here's another lovely:


The Swinging (I like to imagine) Swinford Apt. on the 1300 block of 10th Ave:


Just a block away is this beauty:


If this looks familiar, that's because a reader shared his photos on Flickr. It took a year and a half but I finally stumbled upon it on my own. Pretty funny since I pass 10th & Judah several times a week:



Can you handle the suspense? It's Sunset Village:


Next up:


These apartments are actually run by the 7th Avenue Church two doors down:


Park Sunset:


I was thrilled to find that one of my favorites is a named building (hey, at least I'm easy to thrill):


The 200 Irving Apartments:


Finally, I leave you with the obvious:


The difficult to photograph Sunset Towers Apartments aka Avalon Sunset Towers :

Here are the other posts with named apartments:

June 22, 2008
June 30, 2008
September 20th 2008
October 11, 2008

Saturday Stroll

I walked down Lincoln today and found that some of my favorite misspellings have, indeed, been eradicated. Here's a photo I took a couple weeks ago at 32nd Ave.


Did I ever post LIN"G"OLN?


Well, it's gone now, with this in it's place.


At my destination, 22nd and Irving, I spotted this addition to the named apartments:


Not sure where the "plaza" is, but here's the building, circa 1965.

Guess Where - Reader Tip

Can you guess where this building is?

And what it is?


Inside the lobby there are more painted arches like this and at least one mural:


It's an apartment building on 8th and Irving, right between Pasquale's pizza and the "Sunset Apartments".


It's been on my list to photograph. I don't know what kind of arches these are but there aren't seen too much in the Sunset. (edited to add: I've been calling this the "Moorish" building, and the horse shoe arches are also called Moorish)

A reader recommended checking it out.


I found much more of interest than just the arches. The entry is full of wonderful details.

According to the City, it was built in 1927.

Green and Brown

First for the "Green" - Dig It!, a greening event in our very own Sunset District is coming up on Saturday, October 18th. This an opportunity to volunteer in our neighborhood, planting trees or helping clean up dismal playgrounds. Here are the details:

The Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC) is collaborating with Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), Timberland, and SF Rec and Park on Dig It!, an Outer Sunset greening event on Saturday morning, October 18, 2008. Approximately 400 volunteers will work on various greening projects throughout the Outer Sunset, including tree plantings, and playground, park and schoolyard cleanups.

Two of the playgrounds that volunteers will be working on, Sunset and West Sunset Playground, received a failing grade in NPC’s 2008 Playground Report Card, meaning that these sites have safety and health concerns for the children of the Outer Sunset who play there.

Therefore, Dig It! is an exciting opportunity for San Franciscans to improve the condition of the recreational spaces in the Outer Sunset that need the most attention. Moreover, Dig It! addresses the fact that the Outer Sunset is an area of the City that greatly lacks adequate street trees and parks.

EVENT DETAILS

The event kick-off will begin will begin at 8am on Saturday, October 18 at West Sunset Playground at 3223 Ortega. At 1:00pm, volunteers will reconvene at West Sunset for lunch and prizes. Scheduled to appear are Sunset District Supervisor Carmen Chu and world-renowned environmental photographer James Balog.

The first 400 volunteers will receive a special Timberland t-shirt and a ticket to a concert that evening from 6:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m. featuring Stone Gossard, founding member of Pearl Jam, at the Regency Center’s Grand Ballroom (1290 Sutter).


VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP

To volunteer at a Dig It! park, playground, or schoolyard cleanup project, contact NPC Outreach Coordinator Matthew Silva at (415) 621-3260 ext. 116 or msilva@sfnpc.org.

To volunteer at Dig It! tree plantings contact Reed Milnes at the Friends of the Urban Forest at reed@fuf.net or (415) 561-6890 ext. 103.

And now for the "Brown".
1970's buildings, how ever did you guess? First up, we have a specimen on 21st Ave from 1972.


Pretty typical, we've even seen this tile before. I don't take pictures of interiors of residences, that you can't see from the street. I could have pressed up against the glass to show you the mirrors. So many, many gold-framed, tiled mirrors.


Instead you will have to be satisfied with the wallpaper.


And a close-up of the rocky accent shapes.


As I headed down the block I spotted this cousin of the first. Although the windows are different, the ground floor has the same shape, and the rock stuff is the same color. However, the records show it wasn't built until 1975.

Cousins on Lincoln

I headed down to Lincoln Way to see if the road work was resulting in any new mis-spellings. Instead I found that some of my favorites have been or are in danger of becoming eradicated. As they put in new pavement and ramps, they are correctly labeling the avenues, but not even putting in "Lincoln".

How have I missed this in the past? It is somewhere between 38th and 41st. Note that the "I" is actually a "1".


As I headed down Lincoln I passed one of my favorite buildings.


What's up with the circles?


The entry is neat, too.


From the park I noticed that the building next door has almost the same layout. Look at windows. The one on the left has more garages. A check with city records confirms they were both built in 1928 and have the same number of rooms and baths.


From street level I never noticed that because the entries, although both with columns have very different feels.

Curious Collections

I have a few additions to various collections. First, some more cement mix-ups.

Spotted on Noriega Street.

Say this one if you can. Forty-threeth.


Next, another named apartment. This is on 48th Ave between Kirkham and Lawton, unless I'm wrong, then it is on 47th.




And finally a house that has some really neat lines.

So much to love: the porthole, the glass blocks, the vertical and horizontal lines, circles & lines on the balcony echoed on the front railings.

What Lies Behind

I was admiring the decorations on this building on Judah...


...and noticed that this one around the corner on 31st has the same ones.


Vaguely Masonic, in my opinion.


But look there at the right in the back.


There's a whole other single family house with the same decorations.


According to City records they were built in 1948.