Parkway Terrace was designed in 1916 by the prolific San Francisco builder, Fernando Nelson who later developed West Portal. I will defer to the great articles about Parkway Terrace and Fernando Nelson on the Western Neighborhoods Project site for the history. One fact of note from the article - like other developments in San Francisco, Nelson intended Parkway Terrace to be for white residents only.There are some very beautiful homes in the development.
The homes become more modest as you approach Irving.
The sidewalks are extra-wide closer to Lincoln Way on some blocks.
What physically defines Parkway Terrace are the corner benches with "Parkway Terrace" plaques.
(Nelson built this house for himself in 1916).It was fun strolling down the street looking for the plaques. Some of them are well taken care of:
Others are hidden in the brush:
While others are gone:
This one is well taken care of:
But the bench is inaccessible:
I wonder if people used to walk around the neighborhood and sit on the benches to rest or chat. I do walk around with my son, but it doesn't seem like it would be a very relaxing break with all the traffic zooming by. Maybe in by-gone days?This plaque is somewhat of a mystery.
It is in front of this house, which is not a real historic site.
In fact, San Francisco historic site #29 is the firehouse on 10th Avenue. It has been suggested that a lot of great parties were held in this home and the plaque was put in by a former homeowner to celebrate that fact.Finally, you can still find a Nelson sewer line cover on the sidewalk.
