Location

The Excelsior District is located along Mission Street, east of San Jose Ave, south of Interstate 280 Southern Fwy, west of John McLaren Park, and north of Geneva Avenue,
This link includes a map including all areas considered part of the Excelsior.
Provided by Excelsior District Improvement Association

http://excelsiorsf.org/About_the_Excelsior/Historical/Maps/currentEmap.html

History

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 map

City map

A city map is a large-scale thematic map of a city created to enable the fastest possible orientation in an urban space. The graphic representation of objects on a city map is therefore usually greatly simplified, and reduced to generally understood symbology.Depending upon its target group or...

s on page 129. This map section showing the area called the Excelsior can be found in Bancroft's Official Guide Map Of City And County Of San Francisco. This map indicates that the area was previously part of the Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo

Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo

Rancho Rincon de las Salinas y Potrero Viejo was a Mexican land grant, largely in present day San Francisco County, California and extending to San Mateo County, California, given in 1839 by Governor Protem Manual Jimeno to José Cornelio Bernal...

. Many of the area's streets were named for cities and its avenues named for countries by Emanuel Lewis and his daughter Jeannette. Emanuel built 200 houses which sold as a result of the 1906 Earthquake. Although many names retain from its inception some were changed to accommodate changes in political climate over the years. Excelsior Avenue 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

Italian people

The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

, Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

, and Swiss.

Attractions and characteristics

Today it is one of the most ethnically diverse neighborhoods in San Francisco, with many Hispanic Latino, Asians, and other groups having also settled in recent decades.

Noteworthy residents

• Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia
  Jerry Garcia
  Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
  
  
• Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin
  Joe Cronin
  Joseph Edward Cronin was a Major League Baseball shortstop and manager.During a 20-year playing career, he played from 1926–45 for three different teams, primarily for the Boston Red Sox. Cronin was a major league manager from 1933–47...
  
  
• Frontman for the industrial-rock band Orgy
  Orgy (band)
  Orgy is an American synth rock band formed in 1996, from Los Angeles, California. Orgy described their music as "death pop".-History:Orgy was formed in 1996 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarist Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley, guitarist Amir Derakh, and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up...
  
  , Jay Gordon
  Jay Gordon
  Jay Paul Gordon is a producer, journalist and lead singer of rock alternative band Orgy- Early life :Originally from the Excelsior District of San Francisco, California, Gordon is the vocalist in the synth-industrial band Orgy, which rose to prominence through their signing to Korn's fledgling...
  
  
• turntablist and composer DJ Qbert
• former heavyweight contender Pat Valentino
• San Francisco supervisor and political assassin Dan White
  Dan White
  Daniel James "Dan" White was a San Francisco supervisor who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall...
  
  
• Surrealist Poet Phillip Lamantia

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, deadhead

Deadhead

Deadhead or Dead Head is a name given to fans of the American jam band, the Grateful Dead. In the 1970s, a number of fans began travelling to see the band in as many shows or festival venues as they could. With large numbers of people thus attending strings of shows, a community developed...

s, and other revelers to John McLaren Park and the 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.

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. and the School of the Epiphany

School of the Epiphany

School of the Epiphany, colloquially called Epiphany or Epiphany School, is a Catholic school in San Francisco, California. The school opened in 1938 and is named for the Feast of the Epiphany.-Mission statement:...

.

External links

• http://www.jerryday.org
• Excelsior District Improvement Association
• Excelsior Action Group
• http://www.excelsiorfestival.org
• Excelsior District Improvement Association (EDIA) website