13th Avenue?

I noticed this on the corner near Andronico's yesterday:

As we know, there is no 13th Avenue. It was changed from 13th to Funston in 1923, according to this article about a former Sunset resident, at the Western Neighborhoods project. There is a lot of other neat stuff in the interview, including Doelger homes. Hmm, this page has an excerpt from the 1919 "Call", which says describes someone as living on Funston Ave. I will try to do further research about that. In any case, the impression is wrong. Funston is not a street, but and avenue.

This subject reminded me of a book I have "San Francisco Street Secrets", which I haven't pulled out in a long time. Although it doesn't mention the name change, I learned that General Frederick Funston was The Army's Pacific Division Commander during the 1906 Earthquake and Fire. And Judah St. was named after Theodore D. Judah, the mastermind of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Book Review: Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture

Occasionally, while reading through trade magazines or doing research for our business, I come across an architectural term I am unfamiliar with. Also, I was at a loss of what to call some of the things I posted on this site. Yes, I could look it up on the internet, but it's great having it all in one place, so I went to The Builder's Booksource in Berkeley to find a resource.

There are dictionaries that are more construction-related, but I decided on the Illustrated Dictionary of Architecture, partly because of the sheer number of references. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and this book is full of photos, 3,000 according to the publisher. Take a look inside. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of terms, and had many "ah ha" moments learning that so many things I took for granted had their own names.

Not only are terms such as "masonry", "riprap", and "crownstone" described, but also different styles such as Art Deco and Pueblo. The work of hundreds of architects is described as well. It was fun spotting several San Francisco buildings used as examples.

This book is definitely a good reference tool.

Book Review - San Francisco's Sunset District

I recently bought a copy of San Francisco's Sunset District, by Lorri Ungaretti. It is full of historic photos. The one that I find most amazing is of 19th Avenue when it was a dirt road. I was also shocked to see a photo of "Bea" Lassiter when she owned Polly Ann Ice Cream. I've been acquainted with her for years and had no idea. Here's a story about Polly Ann, by the way.

I learned quite a bit of the history of the Sunset. But the photos are the highlight. One of the things I like to do is picture intersections as they were 50, 75, or 100 years ago. Now I can take my copy of the book out on my walks.

If you decide to order one, why not get it from The Western Neighborhoods Project?