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San Francisco Scale Model is a massive hit at the library

February 27, 2019 by Bonnee Waldstein

Find your house.

Glen Parkers and residents from adjoining neighborhoods packed the library last Thursday to see a section (of the 120) of the San Francisco Scale Model and hear its fascinating story.  At the same time, it was an exciting history lesson about our neighborhoods.  The model was in storage for 77 years, until now.

The presentation was put on by the Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project and featured historians Evelyn Rose, founder of GPNHP; Amy O’Hair of Sunnyside; Hannah Simonson of Diamond Heights, and Jacquie Proctor of Miraloma Park.

In the talk and slide show, Evelyn Rose noted the history of the San Francisco model as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project that provided employment during the Great Depression. It took 300 craftspeople, working thousands of hours, two years to build.

Sunnyside historian Amy O’Hair

 

Slide show of historic neighborhood photos

The model contains all the houses and structures (6,000, minus some missing pieces) that were in existence in 1938, including many of the houses in Glen Park.  Diamond Heights as we know it now didn’t exist. The three hills in that location were bare except for a bizarre network of roads.

 

After the talk and a round robin of diagrams of the neighborhoods in the meeting room, the group gathered around the model on display in the library’s main room. Local history came to life as people were able to identify their houses, or at least their location, and the lay of the land 80 or so years ago.

Glen Park, Diamonds Heights section of Scale Model

 

Glen Park historian Evelyn Rose discusses points of interest

 

Diamond Heights historian Hannah Simonson

For a complete discussion of the model and its history,
click here.

Assembled, the model measures 37 by 41 feet. Component parts are displayed in corresponding neighborhood libraries until March 25.

SF Chronicle Datebook notes “…the model was built to come apart, and seeing it in smaller quadrants elevated off the floor makes it easier to home in on the detail…Even without all of its pieces, this is considered to be the largest and most intact of any of a number of city models built across America by the WPA.”

However, there’s a movement afoot to at last have the entire assembled model on display.  There’s a petition online to get this done.  It’s on the Take Part page of SFMoma’s website.

Let your voice be heard.

Find your house.

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Bernalwood
Coyote Yipps
Diamond Heights Boulevard Median project
Friends of Monterey Boulevard
Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project
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1 month ago

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Happy end of the spectacle that has been 2020, and that means... It's time to join or renew your Glen Park Association membership!

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Fall 2020 Glen Park News is now online -- read it at www.glenparkassociation.org! ... See MoreSee Less

Fall 2020 Glen Park News is now online -- read it at www.glenparkassociation.org!
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