These images were collected for my QR mural on Masonic Ave at Haight. Here’s a Google Street View shot of me at work on it:
I generated the QR code at this site, a QR code generator that was a gift to the Internet community by Andreas Haerter and Andreas Wolf.
I will also be accepting historical images of the Haight from others as time goes by.
This is a BBC documentary about the hippies with some great shots of the old street:
You must see KPIX’s “The Maze” from 1967, narrated by poet/playwright/graphic artist Michael McClure. (I had the video posted here from YouTube but that was removed for a copyright claim by KPIX) The new link takes you an authorized version of it.
And linked below you will find several sites that contain copyrighted images of the Haight.
If any of these images belong to you and you would like them removed or for me to change the caption, please leave me a note and I’ll do so immediately.
Poster for The Diggers’ first Human Be-In Jan 14, 1967
Handbill for The Diggers’ first Human Be-In Jan 14, 1967
Handbill for The Diggers’ first Human Be-In Jan 14, 1967
Handbill for The Diggers’ first Human Be-In Jan 14, 1967
1967 Magnolia Thunderpussy menu (copied from a fax)
Hell’s Angels party, 1966 The photo used for this poster is of Hairy Henry who was stopped for letting his girlfriend ride standing up and arrested for a parole violation..
North from Buena Vista, ca. 1907-15 There are two other images here with similar views from 1897 and 1905. The smoke stacks in the 1905 are gone, toppled by the ’06 Quake and USF/Lone Mountain are as yet unbuilt
North from Buena Vista, 1905
North from Buena Vista, 1897
1905-10 Chutes @ 10th & Fulton After the surrounding property near the Haight Chutes was sold the owners moved here.
1905-10 Chutes @ 10th & Fulton After the surrounding property near the Haight Chutes was sold the owners moved here. Next it would go to Fillmore and Geary and after that become the basis of Playland at the Beach.
Ashbury at Haight looking southwest, 1967 Mulready’s Dept. Store where RVCA is today.
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
34th Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2011
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010 Available as a t-shirt at Haight Ashbury T-Shirts, 1500 Haight St.
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Winner, 2010
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010
33rd Haight St Fair Poster Contest Runner-up, 2010
1190 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St, ca. 1970s (?) One of the most interesting buildings in the Haight are the apartments at the corner of Haight and Lyon. The pillars, pilasters, and capitals have been elaborately carved with faces, symbols, tools, and cryptic words. My favorite is the 35mm camera with a telephoto lens in the front right capital. Amongst the tulips which surround it there used to be an old-fashioned squeeze shutter release but it has since broken off. I have not yet been able to track down the artist Arlen or actual date.
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s
1190-1192 Haight St @ 10 Lyon St Carved by Arlen, ca. 1970s One of the most interesting buildings in the Haight are the apartments at the corner of Haight and Lyon. The pillars, pilasters, and capitals have been elaborately carved with faces, symbols, tools, and cryptic words. My favorite is the 35mm camera (back of camera seen here) with a telephoto lens in the front right capital. Amongst the tulips which surround it there used to be an old-fashioned squeeze shutter release but it has since broken off.
Forever 27 Club, Haight Ashbury Tobacco, 2010 On the west side of the ‘Red House’ a new mural has appeared showing the faces of 3 people who died much too young, Jimi, Janis, and Jim. Replaced now, it never included Brian Jones, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse (the year after this was painted), Kurt Cobain, or the founder, Robert Johnson
Pre-1960 Ashtray from Trax, then the Question Mark This is an ashtray I found on Ebay and mounted on the wall in Trax, 1437 Haight St (in a Lexan display case that I made). The ‘UNderhill’ phone prefix, just visible at the bottom, dates it to before 1960. I was paid with one free beer a day for the rest of my life.
Haight St, 1967. Looking east from Ashbury This is a screen capture from a 1967 KPIX film narrated by Michael McClure called The Maze. View it here: http://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/189371
Haight St, 1967. Looking west from Ashbury This is a screen capture from a 1967 KPIX film narrated by Michael McClure called The Maze. View it here: http://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/189371
New signs appear on Belvedere, ca. 1940s or 50s The removal of the oft-graffitied billboard on Belvedere near Haight reveals these two signs from a distant and long-gone past. The signs were saved by Steve Smith of Roberts Hardware.
Signs on Belvedere at Haight, ca. 1940s-50s The removal of the oft-graffitied billboard on Belvedere near Haight reveals these two signs from a distant and long-gone past. The signs were saved by Steve Smith of Roberts Hardware.
Signs on Belvedere at Haight, ca. 1940s-50s The removal of the oft-graffitied billboard on Belvedere near Haight reveals these two signs from a distant and long-gone past. The signs were saved by Steve Smith of Roberts Hardware.
Yana (Joanna) Zegri Creating Evolutionary Rainbow on Cole at Haight, 1967 Re-painted 3 more times over the years.
McGovern Campaign Headquarters, 1972 NE corner of Haight at Ashbury. Pretty sure the official campaign didn’t know about the Viet Cong flag.
McGovern Campaign Headquarters, 1972 NE corner of Haight at Ashbury. Pretty sure the official campaign didn’t know about the Viet Cong flag.
Mutant mannequin in Wasteland window, 2010
Mutant mannequin in Wasteland window, 2010
Tree Carving, Stanyan St., 1953 In GGPark on Stanyan just north of Page St. it reads “Peter Cummin 1953”
Einstein in Nikes at Cole & Haight by Banksy, 2010 This Banksy was painted over by the owners of the building (The HA Free Clinic Foundation) It was worth about $100K.
Close-up-Einstein in Nikes at Cole & Haight by Banksy, 2010 This Banksy was painted over by the owners of the building (The HA Free Clinic Foundation) It was worth about $100K.
Banksy on the Red Victorian Hotel, 2010 Banksy came to SF for the premier of his movie and posts his unique work all over the city. These are of one piece across several walls above Decades of Fashion at Haight & Belvedere.
Banksy on the Red Victorian Hotel, 2010 Banksy came to SF for the premier of his movie and posts his unique work all over the city. These are of one piece across several walls above Decades of Fashion at Haight & Belvedere.
Banksy on the Red Victorian Hotel, 2010 Banksy came to SF for the premier of his movie and posts his unique work all over the city. These are of one piece across several walls above Decades of Fashion at Haight & Belvedere.
Haight St from Cole St. Oct, 1967 Photo by Tom Kuhn. It shows Haight St in the fall of 1967. It was probably taken from a car or truck just west of Cole St. The Straight Theatre is in the foreground, a red Berkeley Farms sign can be seen at Benedetti’s Grocers (now Wasteland, originally the Sunset Theatre). Note 3 lanes of traffic- 2 westbound, 1 eastbound. And the hippies in the foreground are selling 2 different issues of the Oracle.
Golden Gate Park, April, 1906 Military relief for refugees from the Earthquake and Fire. Judging by the slope of Mt Sutro in the background this appears to be near Frederick, perhaps where the Kezar parking lot is.
Stanyan St Red Cross center, April 1906 Red Cross center on Stanyan near Waller. Note the Stanyan Park Hotel in the background and the ads for the Burlesque show and steam beer.
YMHA @1970 Page St., April 1906 Served as a food distribution center for refugees living in the park. Now the SF Boys’ and Girls’ Club
Homeless in the Panhandle!, April 1906 Somebody tell the Chronicle’s official whiner Chuck Nevius
Baker St at the Panhandle, April 1906 Probably a few days after the Quake Note the neater campsite compared to the adjacent photo.
Baker at the Panhandle, April 1906 Baker between Oak & Fell Probably the day of the quake, note the ramshackle pile of possessions as compared to the tents in the same location in the next picture.
Baker St. from the Panhandle, pre-Quake 1906 McKinley Monument on right, a building of unknown use called the Coliseum on the future sight of Calif. DMV
Haight from Central, 1906 After the Quake almost all the cable car lines in SF were replaced with street cars. Note the Haight St. School on the left.
Haight from Central, recent Compare to the adjacent image from 1906
Haight from Ashbury, 1906 This pic was mislabeled, the image is from Ashbury looking west.
Haight near Belvedere, 1906 Note the Neda’s Flowers building on the left, built around 3 years earlier, designed by James McCarity
Haight St. from Stanyan, 1906 Looking east, the large building on the right is the cable car barn, future site of Park Bowl and then Amoeba Records.
A coincidence of two vanished SF icons An Emporium bag on the steps of I. Magnin’s old house
TAKE LSD AND SEE (with Lightbulb), 1968 In Haight by the crosswalk on the SW corner of Masonic
Haight Chutes, 1895 The white fence is along Clayton St. note the Cranston House on the corner of Ashbury and Page, the numerous cable cars on Haight, a MUCH smaller St Agnes Church, and the row of Eastlake Stick-style Victorians between Central and Lyon
Haight and Baker (NW corner), 1891 The stately home that occupied this corner was long gone by the 60s, replaced by a Shell gas station and later in the late 1980s, by a condominium & apartment building.
Haight & Baker, 1912 The stately home adjacent to this picture can be seen in this later shot of a #7 streetcar by Buena Vista Park.
#6 Masonic (today #6 Parnassus) Replacing a two car counterweight cable car line that went from Page St, up Masonic to Frederick, right to Stanyan where there was a turnaround. From there you could catch a steam train out to the beach via UCSF.
645 Haight St., ca. 1920s Today the site of condominiums To buy in 2008: $700,000 for a one-bedroom, 821-square-foot unit with a parking space.
Cole St, 1977 Looking north on Cole St from Haight. Straight Theater on left.
Haight Ashbury Switchboard near Shrader St, 1977 One of several locales over the years.
Haight at Shrader, 1977 Looking west, note Park Bowl in rear on left.
Haight from Cole St, 1977 At the corner of the Straight Theater looking west.
Anti-Nixon Graffiti, 1974 At Hayes and Ashbury
Haight hippies, 1968 Unknown location or photographer, if known, please drop me a line.
Haight @ Clayton NE corner, 1967 Head Quarters
Stanyan at Page, 1964 Old Mc Creary Gate, only central pillars remain
All Saints Episcopal Church, 1953 Originally near the SW corner of Masonic & Haight it was moved intact to its present location at 1350 Waller in 1902-3. It would become the Diggers’ headquarters in 1966.
#7 Haight electric bus, 1949 5¢ would take you from downtown to Ocean Beach.
Divisadero at Haight, looking north 1944 The oldest road in San Francisco it used to connect Mission Dolores and the Presidio and until it was mistakenly misinterpreted by a naive map-maker in the 1920s, spelled Devisadero. (It went to the vista point above the Golden Gate before descending to the military post)
Cracking down on Commies, 1934 A police raid on the Workers School at 121 Haight St.
Haight at Clayton looking east, 1929 Lots of parking!
Dudley Stone School, 1928 Later De Avila and now the Chinese Immersion School, 1300 block of Haight
Haight @ Pierce looking west, 1927
Haight @ Fillmore Sts., 1924 NE corner
Haight @ Buchanan, looking north, 1920
Page St near Clayton, Apr 1906 Quake refugees line for food at the YMHA where the Girls’ and Boys’ Club of San Francisco is today
NE from Buena Vista Park, ca. 1905 “Looking NE across city toward Nob Hill from Buena Vista Park-Haight St.”
First Haight Street Fair, 1978 From David Wills, the photographer: “The photo outside the De Luxe is of Curtis Spangler (early ‘puter man) and Robert Pruzan (Photographer, mime) in 1978 at the first street fair.”
Masonic at Haight, 1968 Waiting next to the Drogstore Café
Clayton from Haight. 1968 Author Anne Rice lived across from these buildings on Clayton in 1965. It’s where she started writing “Interview With a Vampire.” (nice ’68 Cougar)
Haight & Masonic Sts, 1907 The QR code you probably scanned to get here is where that fence is behind the building. The apartment building in the back is where I live.
37th Haight Ashbury Street Fair Poster contest runner-up
#7 Streetcar at Haight & Cole, 1940
#7 Streetcar, 1916 (location unknown, lower Haight perhaps?)
#7 Streetcar, 1916 (location unknown, lower Haight perhaps?)
View from Mt Sutro looking northwest, early 1900s Looking across GG Park, the white rectangle is the Spreckels Temple of Music and the building to its right is the then-new de Young museum. In the foreground there appears to be a lagoon where the Big Rec baseball fields are today and to the left of that is the nascent Arboretum
Winning 2015 Haight Ashbury Street Fair poster shown by its designer artist Lily Prillinger, (BFA Princeton, MFA-Painting SFAI, SFPD) with her boss Capt. Sanford of SF Park Station
Buildings on McAllister designed by James McCarity, architect of the Loved to Death Building on Haight @ Cole
The Grateful Dead at Ashbury & Haight, 1966 Grateful Dead, 1966: JERRY GARCIA, RON “PIGPEN” MC KERNAN, PHIL LESH, BOB WEIR & BILL KREUTZMANN. Photo by Herb Green from his “BOOK OF THE DEAD: CELEBRATING 25 YEARS WITH THE GRATEFUL DEAD.”
View of Buena Vista hill from Mt Sutro, ca. 1886
View of Lower Haight from Buena Vista, 1886 looking east Waller St. at center, Haight St cable car at Pierce St.
Alvord Lake at the foot of Haight in the Park- note the familiar bridge in the background- it is the oldest pre-stressed concrete bridge in N America and is a National Civic Engineering Landmark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvord_Lake_Bridge
The interior of the Alvord Lake Bridge features artificial stalactites
Alvord Lake Bridge is, quite literally, the bridge to the modern world. It is one the oldest reinforced concrete structures still standing. The twisted iron bars embedded in the bridge served as the model for the all the rebar containing structures that followed. It is the ancestor to an endless number of reinforced concrete buildings, bridges, tunnels, viaducts, and foundations. Ransome’s major innovation in rebar was to twist the square bar so that it bonded to the concrete better.
Bird’s Eye View of Golden Gate Park, 1892 Space in center foreground is a minor league baseball field called Haight Street Grounds. On March 19, 1892 the first Big Game between UC Berkeley and Stanford was played there with Stanford winning 14–10. Stanford’s ‘Accountant’ (Equipment Manager) was a bum named Herbert Hoover who is alleged to have forgotten to bring a football.
View from Mt Olympus to NW across Cole Valley (right of previous image)
Left side of Print Mint* artist Joe Gomez’ 1969 mural in Haight Street Market (then Pacific Drugs). Bottom section of 1968 poster shown in following pictures. *The Print Mint was next door, where Haight Ashbury Music is now
Right side of Print Mint* artist Joe Gomez’ 1969 mural in Haight Street Market (then Pacific Drugs). Bottom section of 1968 poster shown in following pictures. *The Print Mint was next door, where Haight Ashbury Music is now
1968 Print Mint poster by Joe Gomez, the bottom couple of rows of buildings are painted on the wall of the produce side of Haight Street Market. A copy of this poster now hangs on the wall next to the mural, donated by Stan Flouride
1968 Print Mint poster by Joe Gomez, the bottom couple of rows of buildings are painted on the wall of the produce side of Haight Street Market
1968 Print Mint poster by Joe Gomez, the bottom couple of rows of buildings are painted on the wall of the produce side of Haight Street Market
1968 Print Mint poster by Joe Gomez, the bottom couple of rows of buildings are painted on the wall of the produce side of Haight Street Market
Some pictures of the Richard Spreckels
mansion at 737 Buena Vista West which was a studio for the Grateful Dead (where Quicksilver Messenger Service and Steve Miller recorded the sound track for the movie Revolution)
and Danny Glover’s house until it was sold by his ex-wife last fall for $10,000,000 (a bargain!) and below are pictures from the real estate listing.
I am adding many photos of San Francisco and especially the Haight Ashbury from 1967 by photo-documentarian William Gedney.
The 5,000 item collection documents Gedney’s work from the 1950s to 1989. Subjects include photographs of cross country road trips; rural New York; Manhattan; Brooklyn; rural Kentucky; Hippies in San Francisco; composers; gay rallies and demonstrations; St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf; India; England; Ireland; France; and, a large number of nocturnal pictures.
This wonderful LEGO construction of Ben & Jerry’s at the corner of Haight and Ashbury was sold on ebay for about $400.00
I think it was worth much more, the bricks alone probably cost that much.
Letters from Jerry Garcia to Kim Alexis, 1982
In the summer of 1982 Grateful Dead vocalist Jerry Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) wrote a letter to a Vogue cover model he’d met in New York. The letter is in two parts.
PART 1-
TRANSCRIPTION:
Thank you really for sending that postcard, I feel like it’s sort of our first ‘official’ communication somehow. I’ve been hoping we could get together ever since we first met at Al’s that winter nite so long ago (sigh)…However it seems as tho…(Hey! My pen stopped writing) I’ve been ninety degrees off or out of phase or something whenever it might have been possible to get to know you a little better.
I hope it doesn’t seem like I’ve been avoiding you, although I admit I’ve kind of been waiting for the opportunity (that is, the ‘right’ opportunity) for us to meet in some kind of neutral context that would be comfortable and relaxed and free of any pressure. Of course it could be years before any such opportunity arises, so…this is just a long winded way of saying thank you for writing.
Oh! also in spite of never having been alone with you, I somehow feel close to you and I’ve looked forward to and enjoyed those times, however brief, that we have been in the same general vicinity and spoken slightly (New York, Germany, Calif etc.) you know—so…
The Grateful Dead just played our first outdoor show of the year at a place called the Greek Theatre (a nice amphitheatre in back of The University of Calif. in Berekley [sic] kind of like this).”
A really nice site, we played for three days and the weather was really delicious although the last day (Sunday) was the beginning of a short hot spell and was a trifle uncomfortable but it was nice to play outdoors. I’m going to be playing in and around New York in June (while you’re in London naturally) and I’m sorry I’ll be missing you again: write me more, if you like that is, and thank you again for the card…
P.S., Pardon my handwriting, this is the first letter I’ve written in years.
PART 2-
TRANSCRIPTION:
Now, weeks later I’m in N.Y.C. Received your 2nd postcard (gasp) and I’m just getting (that is) around to mailing my first letter. Partly, it’s a sort of mail fright, like stage fright and partly editorial misgivings (Let’s see, is it legible? Spelled correctly? Am I constructing these sentences properly? God I hope she doesn’t think I’m an idiot for running off at the pen like this) Oh well—I’ve always wanted to visit Ireland. Hope you enjoyed it & I hope this letter finds you well. The whole Falkland thing here became really creepy (for me) when Begin explained & excused Israel’s invasion of Lebanon by comparing the situation to the British position in Falklands. The whole business scared the hell out of me. Latest news from England is of course the Royal birth. I’ll bet the locals are enjoying it immensly [sic].
I’m on the road again. This time with my own band & also doing some more of those two piece shows (me and John Kahn) (bass). I’ve done a few more of them since I last saw you and am starting to adjust to and become aware of the musical possibillitys [sic] of that acoustical format. It’s exciting tho still scary. I wish you were here now that I’ve got a little time here (for once) but… bye for now.
Thank you for writing 2nd card
Stay well–Love Jerry
yes
Stannous Flouride's Book of Truthiness 
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