South Park, San Francisco
Encyclopedia
South Park is a small neighborhood South of Market in San Francisco, California
. It centers on the small, oval-shaped park of the same name, and South Park Street, which encircles the park. The area is bounded by Second, Third, Bryant, and Brannan streets.
The two halves of the South Park Street re-join at both ends of the park, and continue for short, straight stretches before terminating at Second Street on one end and Third Street on the other. This creates a curved line of buildings which gives the street and park an unusual enclosed, urban character. Local businesses and restaurants dot the street, as well as a large number of apartment buildings.
The park was originally constructed in 1855 as the center of an exclusive residential community. It was modeled after a square in London, England, as a housing development of seventeen mansions plus townhouses (a total of 58 residences) on a 550-foot oval around a private grassy park. It featured the first paved streets and sidewalks in San Francisco. A windmill in the center of the park pumped water for the houses.
The neighborhood began to lose exclusivity after the construction of Second Street, which made the area accessible to less affluent residents. Rich residents moved to the newer Nob Hill neighborhood in the late 19th century, and the city took over the park in 1897. It suffered further decline after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, when most of the homes around the Rincon Hill
neighborhood were destroyed. The oval park, however, has remained unchanged and is still a central meeting place in the neighborhood. After the quake the neighborhood was rebuilt as warehouses, light manufacturing, nightclubs, and hotels. Immigrants from various countries came to the neighborhood, as well as longshoremen, drug addicts, and vagrants. The neighborhood began to attract artists and young professionals beginning in the 1970s.
The area flourished during the dot-com boom
of the late 1990s, due to flexible office space at initially low rent. It was sometimes described as "ground zero" of the dot com revolution, with many start-up Internet companies based in the area. By late 2001, however, many of these companies had closed their doors. Yet, as of 2006, in an era for the Internet that some have dubbed Web 2.0
, South Park has once again become home to many small Web-related companies.
Recently, some neighbors in South Park have expressed opposition to a proposal to put an above-ground stop on the Central Subway
at the southwestern end of South Park Street, on Third Street. Finally the routing of the line has been decided by the Municipal Transportation Agency
, and will be along Fourth Street, one block farther west.
, the city's baseball stadium. Many of the nearby streets are one-way, and many carry traffic to and from the bridge, the stadium, and Interstate 280
, which terminates slightly to the south of the neighborhood.
AT&T Park
(formerly Pacific Bell Park, then SBC Park) where the San Francisco Giants
major league baseball
team plays is two blocks south and east of South Park.
Moscone Center
, San Francisco's main convention facility, is four blocks north and west of South Park.
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...
. It centers on the small, oval-shaped park of the same name, and South Park Street, which encircles the park. The area is bounded by Second, Third, Bryant, and Brannan streets.
The two halves of the South Park Street re-join at both ends of the park, and continue for short, straight stretches before terminating at Second Street on one end and Third Street on the other. This creates a curved line of buildings which gives the street and park an unusual enclosed, urban character. Local businesses and restaurants dot the street, as well as a large number of apartment buildings.
History
The South Park block was assembled in 1852 by English entrepreneur George Gordon.The park was originally constructed in 1855 as the center of an exclusive residential community. It was modeled after a square in London, England, as a housing development of seventeen mansions plus townhouses (a total of 58 residences) on a 550-foot oval around a private grassy park. It featured the first paved streets and sidewalks in San Francisco. A windmill in the center of the park pumped water for the houses.
The neighborhood began to lose exclusivity after the construction of Second Street, which made the area accessible to less affluent residents. Rich residents moved to the newer Nob Hill neighborhood in the late 19th century, and the city took over the park in 1897. It suffered further decline after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, when most of the homes around the Rincon Hill
Rincon Hill
Rincon Hill is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California. It is one of San Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills."-Location:...
neighborhood were destroyed. The oval park, however, has remained unchanged and is still a central meeting place in the neighborhood. After the quake the neighborhood was rebuilt as warehouses, light manufacturing, nightclubs, and hotels. Immigrants from various countries came to the neighborhood, as well as longshoremen, drug addicts, and vagrants. The neighborhood began to attract artists and young professionals beginning in the 1970s.
The area flourished during the dot-com boom
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
of the late 1990s, due to flexible office space at initially low rent. It was sometimes described as "ground zero" of the dot com revolution, with many start-up Internet companies based in the area. By late 2001, however, many of these companies had closed their doors. Yet, as of 2006, in an era for the Internet that some have dubbed Web 2.0
Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
, South Park has once again become home to many small Web-related companies.
Recently, some neighbors in South Park have expressed opposition to a proposal to put an above-ground stop on the Central Subway
Central Subway
The Central Subway is an extension of the Muni Metro light rail system in San Francisco, California, from the Caltrain commuter rail depot at 4th and King streets to Chinatown. The subway is the second phase of the Third Street Light Rail Project...
at the southwestern end of South Park Street, on Third Street. Finally the routing of the line has been decided by the Municipal Transportation Agency
Municipal Transportation Agency
The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is an agency created by consolidation of the San Francisco Municipal Railway , the Department of Parking and Traffic , and the Taxicab Commission....
, and will be along Fourth Street, one block farther west.
Current
- Lookout Mobile Security
- City PictureFrame, Picture Framing and design
- Adaptive Path, Web consulting
- AlternetAlterNetAlterNet, a project of the non-profit Independent Media Institute, is a progressive/liberal activist news service. Launched in 1998, AlterNet now claims a readership of over 3 million visitors per month .AlterNet publishes original content as well as journalism from a wide variety of other sources...
(Independent Media Institute), journalism website - Caffe Centro, coffeehouseCoffeehouseA coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
frequented by many technology workers and executives - Dipity, Web-based Digital Timelines
- Engine YardEngine YardEngine Yard is a San Francisco, California based company focused on Ruby on Rails deployment and management-Software development:One of Engine Yard's four founders, Ezra Zygmuntowicz, was the creator of the Merb project, and the company continued supporting the project by hiring Yehuda Katz to work...
, Platform as a Service - Engine 38 Software developmentSoftware developmentSoftware development is the development of a software product...
- FuseprojectFuseprojectFounded in 1999 by Yves Béhar, Fuseproject is a San Francisco-based industrial design and branding firm. It works across a wide array of industries including beauty and fashion, furniture and technology....
, product designProduct design-Introduction:Product design is the process of creating a new product to be sold by a business or enterprise to its customers. It is concerned with the efficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products.Product designers conceptualize and...
and brandingBrand managementBrand management is the application of marketing techniques to a specific product, product line, or brand.The discipline of brand management was started at Procter & Gamble as a result of a famous memo by Neil H...
studio that designed new MiniMINI (BMW)Mini is a British automotive marque owned by BMW which specialises in small cars.Mini originated as a specific vehicle, a small car originally known as the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and developed into a brand encompassing a range of...
, founded by Yves BeharYves BeharYves Béhar is a designer, entrepreneur, and sustainability advocate. He is the founder of fuseproject, the San Francisco and New York based design and branding firm he established in 1999... - Get SatisfactionGet SatisfactionGet Satisfaction is a customer community software platform for technical support based in San Francisco, California, United States. It was founded on January 31, 2007 by several people, including Lane Becker, Amy Muller, Thor Muller, and Jonathan Grubb. It publicly launched in September 2007. The...
, web-based customer support - GrockitGrockitGrockit is an online social learning game company. Grockit prepares students for the SAT, ACT, GMAT, LSAT and GRE standardized exams. Students can take practice tests while collaborating online with other users. Grockit was founded in 2006 by Farbood Nivi...
, Web-based collaborative learning platform - Grace Street, smart, simple, distinctive home additions
- Grid Net, WiMAX based power meters
- InstagramInstagramInstagram is a free photo sharing application that allows users to take photos, apply a filter, and share it on the service or a variety of other social networking services, including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr , and Posterous...
, photo sharing - iMustTry, restaurant to-do list
- iOfferIOfferiOffer is a San Francisco-based online trading community that was launched on May 1, 2002 by Steven Nerayoff.As of February 2008, it claimed to have nearly one million total users, including approximately 75,000 sellers, although this information cannot be independent verified, nor is it known how...
, Social marketplace - Lamplighters Music TheatreLamplighters Music TheatreLamplighters Music Theatre is a semi-professional theatrical company based in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1952 by Orva Hoskinson and Ann Pool MacNab, the Lamplighters specialize in light opera, particularly the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, as well as such works as The Merry Widow, Die...
, nonprofit - Leverage Software, Social networking software
- LaunchCapital, Venture CapitalVenture capitalVenture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
- Levy Design Partners, Architecture
- Lumos Labs, Brain fitness
- LookSmartLookSmartLookSmart is an online advertising company based in San Francisco. LookSmart provides search advertising products and services to text advertisers, as well as targeted pay-per-click search and contextual advertising via its Search Advertising Network...
, online advertising - LoomiaLoomiaLoomia is a Internet technology company based in San Francisco, California in the United States. Loomia offers a module that recommends content on a Web site. The company is part of a growing Internet trend that aims to bridge the gap between technological capabilities and user intents...
, video and audio search - MacworldMacworldMacworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
, web site and magazine - Mule Design Studio, Web design
- Momentum Design Lab, User Experience strategy, design and development
- MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, Social Network - OdeoOdeoOdeo was a directory and search destination website for RSS syndicated audio & video. It employed tools that enabled users to create, record, and share podcasts with a simple Adobe Flash-based interface....
, podcasting - One Block Off the Grid 1BOG1BOG1BOG is a San Francisco, California based company which organizes community buying of solar power to make the process more affordable and transparent for residential consumers, and to foster an environment of community activism and responsibility.-Name:The name “One Block Off the Grid” is a...
, clean-tech solar - PC WorldPC World (magazine)PC World is a global computer magazine published monthly by IDG. It offers advice on various aspects of PCs and related items, the Internet, and other personal-technology products and services...
, magazine - Podshow, podcasting
- The Butler and the Chef Bistro, restaurant, http://oralpleasureinc.com/cafe/AboutUs.htm
- R/GAR/GAR/GA Media Group Inc. is an advertising agency headquartered in New York — with additional offices in San Francisco, Chicago, London, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Singapore, and Stockholm. The agency is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies , one of four global advertising holding companies...
, is an advertising agency headquartered in New York City - Sfist, regional version of GothamistGothamistGothamist LLC is the operator of eleven city-centric blogs worldwide that focus on news, events, food, culture, and other local coverage.-History:...
- Slideshare.net, a slide hosting serviceSlide hosting servicesA slide hosting service is a website that allows users to upload, view, comment, and share slideshows created with presentation programs. According to Alexa and Compete rankings, the most popular slide hosting services include websites such as Slideshare, MyPlick , Slideboom, and SlideServe.- Main...
- Socialcast, Enterprise social software developer http://www.socialcast.com
- SplunkSplunkSplunk is enterprise software used to monitor, report and analyze the machine data produced by the applications, systems and infrastructure that run a business. Splunk lets users search, monitor and analyze machine-generated data via web-style interface...
, software company - Sputnik Integrated http://sputniksf.com, award-winning web design and development
- TechnoratiTechnoratiTechnorati is an Internet search engine for searching blogs. By June 2008, Technorati was indexing 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media...
, blogging - Tendo Communcations, marketing communications, http://www.tendocom.com
- Twistage, video workflow
- VerticalResponseVerticalResponseVerticalResponse, Inc. is an American company providing software for sending email marketing, online surveys and direct mail for direct marketing campaigns. It has over 70,000 customers.The company was ranked #1270 on the 2009 Inc. 5000 list...
, direct marketing - UE Architects, User experience strategy and design
- VideoEggVideoEggVideoEgg was a privately held advertising network, which re-branded itself in September 2010 as SAY Media. Their network is composed of over 100 million users across more than 500 sites, blogs, gaming and mobile environments.- History :...
, video sharing - Wcities, 340 brannan St.,
- WiredWired (magazine)Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
, tech magazine - YouNoodleYouNoodleYouNoodle is a San Francisco-based company providing a networking website for small businesses. It has received particular attention for its "startup predictor", which aims to use mathematical models to predict the success of a new business based on information about its concept, finances, founders...
, innovation data analytics company http://www.younoodle.com - BruceAndTom (BAT) Architects, 522 2nd Street, San Francisco, CA
- Zack/de Vito Architecture, 156 South Park, San Francisco www.zackdevito.com
Former
- Bigwords.com, used textbooks
- DigaCast, Digital Music.(recapitalized in 2008)
- frog design inc.Frog design inc.Frog is a global innovation firm founded in 1969 by industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger and partners Andreas Haug and Georg Spreng in Mutlangen, Germany as "Esslinger Design". Soon after it moved to Altensteig, Germany, and then to Palo Alto, California, and ultimately to its current...
, design consultancy - Obvious Corp., blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
-related company, acquired by Odeo. - Organic, Inc.Organic, Inc.Organic, Inc. is a digital advertising agency headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Detroit, New York, London, and Los Angeles. It was founded in 1993 with less than $5,000 by Jonathan Nelson, Matthew Nelson, Brian Behlendorf and Cliff Skolnick primarily to design and build commercial web...
, formerly in same building as Wired Magazine. - Quokka Sports, on-line sports coverage
- Rubyred Labs, Web applications
- Sherman Clay (Steinway distributorship), now rented out to dot com companies
- Slide.comSlide.comSlide, Inc., operator of the Slide.com website, is a Web 2.0 company founded by Max Levchin and based in San Francisco, California. Originally formed to make photo sharing software for social networking services such as MySpace, the company achieved its greatest success as the largest developer of...
, Widget software maker (moved when acquired by Google) - TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
, micro blogging - Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
- Xoom CorporationXoom CorporationXoom Corporation is a San Francisco-based online money transfer company that provides consumer remittance services to the Philippines, India, Latin America, Europe, Australia, Canada, and South Africa...
, money transfer - Hummer Winblad, Venture CapitalVenture capitalVenture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm
Neighbors
South Park is located between the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge (Interstate 80) and AT&T ParkAT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
, the city's baseball stadium. Many of the nearby streets are one-way, and many carry traffic to and from the bridge, the stadium, and Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...
, which terminates slightly to the south of the neighborhood.
AT&T Park
AT&T Park
AT&T Park is a ballpark located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Located at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, at the corner of Third and King Streets, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball since 2000....
(formerly Pacific Bell Park, then SBC Park) where the San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....
major league baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
team plays is two blocks south and east of South Park.
Moscone Center
Moscone Center
Moscone Center is the largest convention and exhibition complex in San Francisco, California. It comprises three main halls: Two underground halls underneath Yerba Buena Gardens, known as Moscone North and Moscone South, and a three-level Moscone West exhibition hall across 4th Street...
, San Francisco's main convention facility, is four blocks north and west of South Park.
External links
- San Francisco Chronicle article As Wikipedia moves to S.F., founder discusses planned changes published November 30, 2007 says "Wikipedia [...] has found office space in the city's South Park neighborhood."
- The San Francisco Block Book (1901) p. 332 showing "100 Vara Block 359" (South Park)
- more recent Block Book page from the County Recorder-Assessor's Office showing Block 3775 (formerly 100 Vara Block 359, i.e., South Park)