Excelsior District, San Francisco, California

Excelsior District street signs

The Excelsior District in San Francisco is the area along Mission Street, south of Interstate 280 and north of Geneva Avenue. On April 15, 1869, the Excelsior Homestead was filed at city hall. The record is in books “C” and “D” and in the book of city maps on page 129. This map section showing the area we call the Excelsior can be found in Bancroft's Official Guide Map Of City And County Of San Francisco. by Bancroft, A.L. from 1881. This map indicates that the area was previously part of the Rancho Rincon De Las Salinas Y Potrero Viejo. Many of the area's streets were named for cities and its avenues named for countries. Although many names retain from its inception some were changed to accommodate changes in political climate over the years. Excelsior Street itself was originally named "China". It was renamed during the Second World War, as were "Japan" and "India" Streets. In its earlier days the Excelsior was predominantly Italian, Irish, and Swiss. Today it is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, with many Asian Americans, Latinos, and other groups having also settled there in recent decades.^[1]

The neighborhood is part of San Francisco's 11th District, and since 2009, has been represented by John Avalos in the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Noteworthy residents

• Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia
• Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin
• Frontman for the industrial-rock band Orgy, Jay Gordon
• turntablist and composer DJ Qbert
• former heavyweight contender Pat Valentino
• San Francisco supervisor and political assassin Dan White

Community events

There are several events associated with the Excelsior District.

The biggest one is Jerry Day, which celebrates Jerry Garcia (founder of the Grateful Dead) and typically draws thousands of residents, former residents, deadheads, and other revelers to John McLaren Park and the beautiful Jerry Garcia Amphitheater, which is bordered by the Excelsior, Visitacion Valley, and Portola districts. Unlike the Excelsior Festival, funding for this event is minimal, with the majority consisting of individual donations, and none of it from the government. The committee is hoping that's going to change in the near future. This annual event typically occurs in August.

The Excelsior Festival draws hundreds to Mission Street to celebrate the neighborhood's assets such as its cultural diversity, food and to draw people together in a family-friendly environment for music, shopping and fun. The Excelsior Festival is typically held on the first Sunday in October.

Neighborhood institutions

Central to the neighborhood for quite some time was the landmark Granada Theater, at the intersection of Mission and Ocean. In 1922 it opened with the name "Excelsior" but, was replaced with the name "Granada" in 1931 after the downtown Granada Theater changed its name to the Paramount,freeing up the name. Both the name and a vertical "Granada" sign were deployed in the Excelsior. However, the theater closed in 1982.

Among the various schools in the district is the "San Francisco Community Alternative School", a public grade school with a unique 'project-based' curriculum.^[2] and the School of the Epiphany.

In popular culture

Films shot in the Excelsior District include:

• Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)^[3]
• The Princess Diaries (2001) ^[3]
• Getting Even with Dad (1994)^[3]

References

External links

San Francisco Bay Area portal

• Excelsior District Map
• http://www.jerryday.org
• Excelsior District Improvement Association
• Excelsior Action Group
• http://www.excelsiorfestival.org
• The inactive EDIA website

37°43′14″N 122°25′58″W / 37.72058°N 122.43276°W / 37.72058; -122.43276