Greyhounds, Aeroplanes, and Wheelbarrows: the History of the Balboa Reservoir 1894-1944

OpenSFHistory.org

One of a series of articles on the history of the Balboa Reservoir.

By Amy O’Hair

The large plot of land that was known as the Balboa Reservoir has had a remarkable history, despite never having been filled with water and once being declared “void of positive features” by the City.[1] Through most of the twentieth century it was owned by SF Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), yet none of the uses the land has been put to have had any impact for good or ill on the city’s water supply. Now the last third of it still left in the hands of SFPUC is being developed as a housing project.

2016-googlesatellite-BalboaReservoir
The original dimensions of the Balboa Reservoir site, as purchased by the City in 1930. The lot now includes Riordan High School on the north, CCSF’s Multi-Use Building on the east, and housing and commercial buildings along Ocean Ave. View larger.

Spring Valley’s Real Estate Wager

The reservoir site started as part of Adolph Sutro’s Rancho San Miguel holdings, most of which were acquired by him in 1881.[2] Sutro sold the 42-acre lot on the far southeast corner of his eucalyptus-covered kingdom to the Spring Valley Water Company in 1894.[3] The company’s stated purpose was to build a reservoir there. They didn’t.

1894Feb14-Call-p9-purchase-Spring-Valley-BalboaReservoir-crop
SF Call 14 Feb 1894, p9. Read whole article here.

Continue reading “Greyhounds, Aeroplanes, and Wheelbarrows: the History of the Balboa Reservoir 1894-1944”

Farms in Sunnyside?

1938 aerial. DavidRumsey.com

Here is a portion of the 1938 and 1948 aerial photos of San Francisco that shows the extensive farming in the area of Balboa Park below Havelock Street. This land had been used for the purpose of growing food from the 1890s until I-280 freeway was built in the 1960s. Some part of it was cultivated by inmates from the Ingleside Jail, but there was also a nursery business which leased land here.

1938-Veg-Gardens-HavelockSt
1938 aerial photo of extensive vegetable gardens below Havelock Street in Balboa Park. Land here used for that purpose from 1890s through to construction of I-280 freeway in 1960s. CLICK FOR LARGER  Photo from DavidRumsey.com, altered with labels. 
1948 aerial photo of area around present Balboa Park, still being used for vegetable gardens. Photo from DavidRumsey.com, altered with labels. 

Continue reading “Farms in Sunnyside?”

Farmland to Freeway: a history of Rock Ranch

OpenSFHistory.org

Once at the site of a landmark rock so large it merited its own mark on early maps, there was an area of rich farmland used for growing food and raising animals into the 1920s, located just east of Sunnyside and south of the present Glen Park Bart Station. It is now lost under the kilotons of concrete that make up the I-280/San Jose Ave interchange.

1917-VegGardens-SanJose-Diamond_wnp36.01632
The vegetable gardens near San Jose Avenue, 1917. OpenSFHistory / wnp36.01632.jpg
2017-openstreetmap-RockRanch-overlay
2017 OpenStreetMap altered to show area of ranch/vegetable gardens.

Continue reading “Farmland to Freeway: a history of Rock Ranch”