SA
6SUNDAY,FEBRUARY7,2010
SPOTLIGHTSt. Francis Wood
A century later,St.Francis
Wood residents are as
happy as ever
S
an Francisco's St.FrancisWood is
aspecialplace.Whilefarenough
outof thepubliceyeforsome
localstomistakenlyrefertoitas
"St.FrancisWoods,"it has been,for a cen-
tury,acomfortablehomeforwell-to-do
SanFranciscanswhoprefertrees,yards
anddetached homestothedense chaosof
PacificHeightsandRussianHill.Of the
western neighborhoods madepossibleby
the1915completion of theTwinPeaks
tunnel,St.FrancisWoodstandsoutasthe
mostexclusive,andperhapstheprettiest.
The neighborhoods West of Twin
Peaks are completely different from the
rest of San Francisco,in part because
they are so much newer than the those at
the city's core.Whereas the older neigh-
borhoods were haphazardly filled in
house-by-house,West Portal,Ingleside
Terraces,Forest Hill and,St.Fran-
cisWood are products of careful urban
planning.
St.FrancisWood's story begins with
agroupof BerkeleyitesledbyDuncan
MacDuffie.In1912,MacDuffie'sgroup,
known as Mason-McDuffie,purchased
175acresof landownedbytheResiden-
tialDevelopment Company.Therethey
intendedtobuild,inthewordsof German
cityplannerWernerHeggemann,"The
most distinguishedresidentialsuburbnot
aloneinCalifornia,butinAmerica."
A few years later,with a scant few
lots sold,St.FrancisWood reached a
crossroads.Short on funding,Mason-
McDuffie was forced to consider
compromising their original vision.
"Among those temptations was pres-
sure to cheapen street improvements,to
reduce the size of lots,to encourage`jerry
builders'and to let down on restrictions
and architectural supervision,"McDuffie
recalled while speaking at a 1932 cere-
mony honoring the 20th anniversary of
St.Francis Wood.
At one point,the builders even
considered selling the entire project.Ulti-
mately,their commitment was unbowed.
According to McDuffie,"An overwhelm-
ing desire to carry the enterprise through
on the lines originally laid down induced
us to hang on,matter what the cost."
From the start,St.FrancisWood
adhered to tenets of Daniel Burnham's
"City Beautiful"movement.This"res-
idential park"would be no businesses,
visible utility poles or gridded streets.
Wide,gently curving streets,decorative
fountains and an abundance of trees gave
St.FrancisWood a calming,serene aura,
so different from the chaotic m�lange of
fire escapes,laundry lines and crowded
tenements found closer to downtown.
Overtime,St.FrancisWoodhas
earnedareputationas hometoSan
Francisco'smost stableandconservative
demographic.Withitsdouble-widecity
lotsandon-site playgroundandpark,it
easily lends itself to long-term residency.
Homesareoftenpasseddownfrom par-
entto child,stayinginthesamefamily for
many generations.Peopleputdownroots.
Almost100yearsafteritsincep-
tion,St.FrancisWoodisSanFrancisco's
embodimentof thequiet,gracefullifestyle.
ThesidewalksalongSantaClaraAve-
nuearewell-wornwithacentury'sworth
of doctors,lawyersandbusinesspeople
strollingtoWestPortalAvenuefordin-
ner,shoppingortocatchtheMUNItrain
downtown.Onfoggydays,thetreesout-
sideSt.FrancisWood'sstatelyhomesfill
upwithwatervaporandthesmallneigh-
borhoodtakesonaquiet,muffledfeel.
In 1932,Duncan MacDuffie stood
in front of a group of St.FrancisWood
boosters and said,"The ideas which
its developers established for it have,
through the efforts of its residents and
the machinery of the St.Francis Homes
Association,not only been achieved but
surpassed."Seventy-seven years later,his
words ring no less true.
The city beautiful
SHOP
Mason-McDuffie's vision for St.
Francis Wood did not allow for any
businesses, which means that
residents must leave the neigh-
borhood for their shopping fix.
Fortunately, West Portal Ave-
nue is a short walk away, offering
a combination of established,
mom-and-pop stores and newer
boutiques. Locals looking for their
mall fix can find it at the Ston-
estown Galleria, which is also
within walking distance, on the
west side of 19th Avenue.
DINE
No shopping means no dining
within St. Francis Wood neigh-
borhood boundaries as well.
Once again,West Portal and
Stonestown come to the res-
cue.While Stonestown offers the
mainstream U.S.A. experience
(Olive Garden, Chevy's, a food
court),West Portal shines with
local favorites like Roti, Fresca,
the very popular Mozzarela di
Bufala and an outpost of Haight
Street breakfast mainstay Squat
and Gobble.
GO
TO THE PLAYGROUND
Part of the original plan for St.
Francis Wood, the neighborhood's
pastoral playground continues to
thrive as new families move into
the area.
ENJOY THE GREENERY
The "City Beautiful" movement
placed a premium on trees, which
makes St. Francis Wood strolls
exceptionally serene.The stately
fountains on St. Francis Boulevard
don't hurt, too.
CATCH A FREE SHOW AT STERN
GROVE
Only a short walk down Sloat Bou-
levard away, Stern Grove (2750
19th Avenue) presents a yearly
summer concert series, featuring
artists from almost every musi-
cal genre.
WHERE TO...
AllphotosbyMikeKoozmin/SpecialtoTheExaminer

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