1963 San Francisco street/freeway planning document

[TheStranger]

Discovered this while researching the history of the 5th Street North (Cyril Magnin Street) and 7th Street North (Charles Brenham Place) extensions past Market Street:

http://archive.org/stream/downtownsanfranc1963sanf/downtownsanfranc1963sanf_djvu.txt

As much as the talk about the Embarcadero Freeway (and its impact on the visual and geospatial presence around downtown) and the Central Freeway (with then still-active talk for at least extending it to O'Farrell Street and eventually to the Doyle Drive/Golden Gate Bridge approach) is important, some other tidbits suggested then are equally as fascinating:

- biggest one to me is the conversion of Market Street to full pedestrian mall, which never happened, but was considered (which would have also involved turning Mission Street in South of Market to one-way, amongst other changes)

- Grant Avenue as a pedestrian mall in other spots, which also never transpired

- Powell Street is indeed a pedestrian mall from Market north to Ellis, but this was originally considered for two more blocks to Geary.

[texaskdog]

would love to see a map of this

[NE2]

would love to see a map of this

would you

whats wrong with this one http://archive.org/stream/downtownsanfranc1963sanf#page/n37/mode/2up

[sparker]

would love to see a map of this

would you

whats wrong with this one http://archive.org/stream/downtownsanfranc1963sanf#page/n37/mode/2up

So the plan to remove automotive traffic from Market Street east of Van Ness dates back 54 years.  Makes sense; the city has implemented that one bite at a time: revamping of the street ("calming") when the subway was built, reconfiguration of the surface trolley line, utilizing even more previously automotive space -- and now reconstruction as a bike/pedestrian "promenade".  Can't say no one saw that coming!  No great loss -- it was an inefficient thoroughfare back when this plan was formulated; and today doesn't provide access to anything that can't be readily reached from adjacent streets.