EXCELSIOR DISTRICT, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

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The 'Excelsior District' in San Francisco is the area along Mission Street, south of Interstate 280 and north of Geneva Avenue. Its central point is arguably the intersection of Mission Street and Ocean Avenue. The area is characterized by the names of the streets, many of which are named for European countries and cities. Excelsior street itself was only named during the Second World War, replacing Japan. (a second Street, Germany was also booted off the map). Although The Excelsior is historically Italian, today is more ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, with many Asians, Latinos.
Famous Excelsiorites include surrealist poet Philip Lamantia, Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia, Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin, DJ Qbert, and San Francisco mayoral assassin Dan White. A movie was once filmed there with Julie Andrews. The neighborhood is represented by Geraldo Sandoval.
Central to the neighborhood was the Granada Theater at the intersection of Mission and Ocean, which opened in 1922 as the Excelsior. In 1931 when the downtown Granada Theater changed its name to the Paramount, the name and a vertical "Granada" sign were deployed in the Excelsior. The theater closed in 1982.
San Francisco's Excelsior District, California (Images of America Series)
by Walter G. Jebe Sr.
# Paperback
# ISBN: 0738528897
# Pub. Date: December 2004
# Series: Images of America Series
Product Details
# ISBN: 0738528897
ISBN-13: 9780738528892
# Format: Paperback, 128pp
# Publisher: Arcadia Publishing SC
# Sales Rank: 354,883
# Series: Images of America Series
From the Publisher
The Excelsior District traditionally has not been among San Francisco's "spotlight" neighborhoods, yet this area is an important residential and commercial zone that is home to some 30,000 residents. These rolling hills south of San Francisco's better-known districts are now covered with row upon row of houses, streets, and apartments. But places like the Excelsior were once sparsely populated, agrarian, and even rural. This volume of vintage photographs chronicles the Excelsior's intriguing journey from rugged swamp and farmland to the busy cosmopolitan neighborhood we know today. It is a tale of determined immigrant families putting down roots in a challenging locale and overcoming adversity to stake out a permanent enclave in this famed city. It is also a story of large-scale construction and reclamation to tame the rugged outskirts of San Francisco.
Author Description
Author Walter G. Jebe Sr. is the president emeritus of the San Francisco History Association, and for 40 years operated a photography business on Mission Street in the heart of the Excelsior. He also served as chair of the mayor's task force to redevelop the famed Old Mint into a museum and as the president of the San Francisco Library Commission. Jebe presents here the surprisingly varied story of the Excelsior through his collection of vintage images, playbills, and memorabilia that will make locals and tourists alike take a fresh look at this diverse and exciting district.

Contents

External links

External links

★ http://www.jerryday.org

★ Excelsior District Improvement Association

★ Excelsior Action Group

★ http://www.excelsiorfestival.org

★ The EDIA website

★ The old EDIA website