Marina District, San Francisco, California
Encyclopedia
The Marina District is a neighborhood located in San Francisco, California
. The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition
, staged after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
to celebrate the reemergence of the city. Aside from the Palace of Fine Arts
(POFA), all other buildings were demolished to make the current neighborhood.
and Fort Mason
; on the west by Cow Hollow, Lyon Street and the Presidio National Park
; on the south by Lombard St
, which bisects the southern edge of the Marina District. The northern half of the Marina is a shoreline of the San Francisco Bay
, and features the Marina Green
, a picturesque park adjacent to the municipal boat marina from which the neighborhood takes its name.
Much of the Marina is built on former landfill
, and is susceptible to soil liquefaction
during strong earthquakes. This phenomenon caused extensive damage to the entire neighborhood during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
.
consisted of bay shallows, tidal pools, sand dunes, and marshland similar to nearby Crissy Field
.
Human habitation and development came in the mid to late 19th century in the form of a sandwall and of a road from the nearby Presidio to Fort Mason. Most of the sand dunes were leveled out, as a hodgepodge of wharves and industrial plants was built extending from what is now Laguna Street to Steiner Street. All of this was destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake that would destroy large swaths of the city.
During reconstruction of the city after the 1906 Earthquake, the area was chosen as the site of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
. Although rubble from the earthquake was used as part of the land reclamation, most of the landfill was from dredging mud and sand from the bottom of the Bay. After the end of the exposition in 1915, the land was sold to private developers, who tore down nearly all of the fair's attractions and developed the area into a residential neighborhood. This major redevelopment was completed in the 1920s. In the 1930s, with the completion of the nearby Golden Gate Bridge
, Lombard Street (now Highway 101) was widened, and soon developed into a strip of roadside motels.
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
caused severe liquefaction
of the fill upon which the neighborhood is built, causing major damage including a small firestorm
. Firefighters resorted to pumping water directly from the Bay, to replace water unavailable from broken water mains. The neighborhood was quickly rebuilt. Physically, the neighborhood appears to have changed very little since its construction in the 1920s.
, which shelters the Exploratorium
, a renowned hands-on science museum and children's educational center, and which takes up much of the western section of the neighborhood. The Palace is the only building left standing in its original location within the 1915 Exposition fairgrounds. The grounds around the Palace are a popular year-round attraction for tourists and locals, and are a favorite location for weddings and wedding party photographs for couples.
The neighborhood is also most noted and famous for its demographic population, which has rapidly shifted in the 1980s from mostly middle class families and pensioners, to twentysomething to thirtysomething young urban professionals
who now make up more than half of its population, although a very small, affluent middle age to elderly population remains. Most of these type of residents live a "swinger
" lifestyle and have thus turned the neighborhood's main commercial streets (Chestnut Street, a section of Fillmore Street
south of Lombard Street, as well Lombard Street itself) into one of the city's more lively and famous nightlife
scenes. The Marina Safeway
supermarket is particularly notable for its swinger scene — it is frequently listed as one of the city's best pick-up spots and is affectionately known as the "Singles Safeway" or more recently, "Dateway." This concept was first popularized by the San Francisco author Armistead Maupin
in his late 1970s novel "Tales of the City
", a television mini-series which has been broadcast on PBS.
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The neighborhood sits on the site of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
, staged after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
to celebrate the reemergence of the city. Aside from the Palace of Fine Arts
Palace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still...
(POFA), all other buildings were demolished to make the current neighborhood.
Location
The area is bounded to the east by Van Ness AvenueVan Ness Avenue (San Francisco)
Van Ness Avenue is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, running from Market St north to the Bay. Originally named Marlette Street, the street was renamed Van Ness Avenue in honor of the city's seventh mayor, James Van Ness. Van Ness Avenue begins at Market Street near the Civic...
and Fort Mason
Fort Mason
Fort Mason, once known as San Francisco Port of Embarkation, US Army, in San Francisco, California, is a former United States Army post located in the northern Marina District, alongside San Francisco Bay. Fort Mason served as an Army post for more than 100 years, initially as a coastal defense...
; on the west by Cow Hollow, Lyon Street and the Presidio National Park
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...
; on the south by Lombard St
Lombard Street (San Francisco)
Lombard Street is an east–west street in San Francisco, California. It is famous for having a steep, one-block section that consists of eight tight hairpin turns.-Route description:...
, which bisects the southern edge of the Marina District. The northern half of the Marina is a shoreline of the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, and features the Marina Green
Marina Green
The Marina Green in San Francisco, California, is a expanse of grass between Fort Mason and the Presidio. It is adjacent to San Francisco Bay, and this location provides good views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Alcatraz Island, and parts of Marin County. Houses built mostly in the 1920s...
, a picturesque park adjacent to the municipal boat marina from which the neighborhood takes its name.
Much of the Marina is built on former landfill
Land reclamation
Land reclamation, usually known as reclamation, is the process to create new land from sea or riverbeds. The land reclaimed is known as reclamation ground or landfill.- Habitation :...
, and is susceptible to soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid....
during strong earthquakes. This phenomenon caused extensive damage to the entire neighborhood during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
.
History
The area in the 19th century prior to the 1906 Earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
consisted of bay shallows, tidal pools, sand dunes, and marshland similar to nearby Crissy Field
Crissy Field
Crissy Field is a former airfield, now a part of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy in San Francisco, California, United States. Historically a part of the Presidio of San Francisco, Crissy Field was closed as an airfield and eventually the National Park Service took control over it...
.
Human habitation and development came in the mid to late 19th century in the form of a sandwall and of a road from the nearby Presidio to Fort Mason. Most of the sand dunes were leveled out, as a hodgepodge of wharves and industrial plants was built extending from what is now Laguna Street to Steiner Street. All of this was destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake that would destroy large swaths of the city.
During reconstruction of the city after the 1906 Earthquake, the area was chosen as the site of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
. Although rubble from the earthquake was used as part of the land reclamation, most of the landfill was from dredging mud and sand from the bottom of the Bay. After the end of the exposition in 1915, the land was sold to private developers, who tore down nearly all of the fair's attractions and developed the area into a residential neighborhood. This major redevelopment was completed in the 1920s. In the 1930s, with the completion of the nearby Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, Lombard Street (now Highway 101) was widened, and soon developed into a strip of roadside motels.
The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
Loma Prieta earthquake
The Loma Prieta earthquake, also known as the Quake of '89 and the World Series Earthquake, was a major earthquake that struck the San Francisco Bay Area of California on October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. local time...
caused severe liquefaction
Soil liquefaction
Soil liquefaction describes a phenomenon whereby a saturated soil substantially loses strength and stiffness in response to an applied stress, usually earthquake shaking or other sudden change in stress condition, causing it to behave like a liquid....
of the fill upon which the neighborhood is built, causing major damage including a small firestorm
Firestorm
A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires, forest fires, and wildfires...
. Firefighters resorted to pumping water directly from the Bay, to replace water unavailable from broken water mains. The neighborhood was quickly rebuilt. Physically, the neighborhood appears to have changed very little since its construction in the 1920s.
Attractions
The neighborhood is most famous for the Palace of Fine ArtsPalace of Fine Arts
The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. One of only a few surviving structures from the Exposition, it is the only one still...
, which shelters the Exploratorium
Exploratorium
The Exploratorium is a museum in San Francisco with over 475 participatory exhibits, all of them made onsite, that mix science and art. It also aims to promote museums as informal education centers....
, a renowned hands-on science museum and children's educational center, and which takes up much of the western section of the neighborhood. The Palace is the only building left standing in its original location within the 1915 Exposition fairgrounds. The grounds around the Palace are a popular year-round attraction for tourists and locals, and are a favorite location for weddings and wedding party photographs for couples.
The neighborhood is also most noted and famous for its demographic population, which has rapidly shifted in the 1980s from mostly middle class families and pensioners, to twentysomething to thirtysomething young urban professionals
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
who now make up more than half of its population, although a very small, affluent middle age to elderly population remains. Most of these type of residents live a "swinger
Swinging
Swinging or partner swapping is a non-monogamous behavior, in which both partners in a committed relationship agree, as a couple, for both partners to engage in sexual activities with other couples as a recreational or social activity...
" lifestyle and have thus turned the neighborhood's main commercial streets (Chestnut Street, a section of Fillmore Street
Fillmore Street
Fillmore Street is a street in San Francisco, California, named after American President Millard Fillmore which starts in the Lower Haight neighborhood, and travels northward through the Fillmore District and Pacific Heights and ends in the Marina District...
south of Lombard Street, as well Lombard Street itself) into one of the city's more lively and famous nightlife
Nightlife
Nightlife is the collective term for any entertainment that is available and more popular from the late evening into the early hours of the morning...
scenes. The Marina Safeway
Safeway Inc.
Safeway Inc. , a Fortune 500 company, is North America's second largest supermarket chain after The Kroger Co., with, as of December 2010, 1,694 stores located throughout the western and central United States and western Canada. It also operates some stores in the Mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern...
supermarket is particularly notable for its swinger scene — it is frequently listed as one of the city's best pick-up spots and is affectionately known as the "Singles Safeway" or more recently, "Dateway." This concept was first popularized by the San Francisco author Armistead Maupin
Armistead Maupin
Armistead Jones Maupin, Jr. is an American writer, best known for his Tales of the City series of novels, based in San Francisco.-Early life:...
in his late 1970s novel "Tales of the City
Tales of the City
Tales of the City refers to a series of eight novels written by American author Armistead Maupin. The stories from Tales were originally serialized prior to their novelization, with the first four titles appearing as regular installments in the San Francisco Chronicle, while the fifth appeared in...
", a television mini-series which has been broadcast on PBS.