The 10th Annual Dine About Town event starts tomorrow, where local restaurants offer a specially prepared 2-course lunch for $17.95 or 3-course dinner for $34.95. It’s a great chance to try a new spot or save on a nice meal at one of your city favorites.

Here in the Richmond District, three restaurants are participating. Click one of the links below to find out more about their special menus, or to make a reservation.

Cliff House (lunch & dinner, Mon – Sun)

Chapeau! (dinner, Sun – Thurs)

The Moss Room at the Academy of Sciences (lunch, Thurs – Sun)

Visit the Dine About Town website to check out all the San Francisco restaurants that are participating from June 1 – 15.

Bon apetit!

Sarah B.

[via EaterSF]

Taken in the tower at the de Young Museum. Photo by peterburnham.

[Reprinted from The Richmond Police Station Newsletter of May 27, 2011. To be added to the station's mailing list, email sfpd.richmond.station@sfgov.org.]

CAPTAIN SANFORD’S MESSAGE
As a result of the promotion of Commander Richard Corriea to Field Operations Bureau-Metro Division, I have been selected as the Commanding Officer of Richmond Police Station, replacing Richard. I look forward to following in the footsteps of Commander Corriea as well as continuing his excellent work with the residents, community and business owners throughout our district.

Commander R. Corriea and I have similar opinions on policing which consist of a resolution based community policing program involving all parties. It has been and will continue to be an asset to Richmond Station Officers and the community to assist one another in the development of ideas, goal and opportunities in the area of crime response, cultural events, traffic abatement, youth and senior activities.

My career in the S.F.P.D has consisted of 28.5 years of service to the City of San Francisco. I’ve served as the Captain of Taraval Police Station, SFO Airport Traffic Bureau, Juvenile/Domestic Violence Bureau and the Captain overseeing the night operations throughout the city. I’ve served at the listed stations as a Lieutenant, Sergeant and Patrol Officer-Northern Station, Ingleside Station, Central Station and the Traffic Company-Solo Motorcycles.

I look forward to meeting the member of our district at my Police Community Relations meeting and the business, community meetings throughout the district during my stay.

I can be reached at Richmond Police Station, (415) 666-8031.

During the past week in the District there were 23 traffic accidents 4 involving injuries. There were 3 citations issued for driving without a license or driving on a suspended license. There were 5 arrests for driving under the influence.

Thank You,

Captain Keith Sanford
Captain-Richmond Station
Keith.Sanford@sfgov.org

NOTEWORTHY ARRESTS
On 05/20 at 1:30pm, officers were made aware of a wanted suspect who was in the area of the 3400 block of Geary Bl, possibly driving a tan colored pick-up truck. The officers were advised that the suspect may also be armed. Officers located the truck on the 100 block of Commonwealth and after a short time, the suspect returned to the vehicle. The suspect was detained and officers determined that the truck was stolen. The 28 year old male, who was also wanted out of Walnut Creek, was charged with narcotic violations, stolen vehicle and the burglary warrant from Walnut Creek. No firearm was located.

On 05/22 at 1:20am, officers observed two males sitting in a vehicle on the 300 block of Funston. Officers recognized the passenger and knew he was on parole. Officers made contact with the two males and located narcotics on the passenger. The 22 year old male was charged with the narcotic violations and violation of parole.

On 05/22 at 3:57am, officers responded to a call from a resident on the 2200 block of Lyon St. The caller heard glass breaking in the home and then footsteps coming from an upper level. Officers searched the home and located the suspect on the third floor asleep in a child’s tent in the playroom. The 22 year old male was intoxicated and was apparently looking for a warm place to sleep. He was charged with burglary.

On 05/25 at 9:30pm, officers went to a call on the 5200 block of Geary on a report of a suspect who had possibly broken into a vehicle. The caller reported that the male was standing at an open trunk of a VW that also had a broken window. The officers detained the male at the scene. He told the officers that a friend had recently purchased the car and was letting him borrow it. The officers discovered that the suspect, a 40 year old was in possession of methamphetamine and he was charged accordingly.

On 05/25 at 10:15pm, officers responded to a call of a suspicious vehicle on the unit block of Temescal. The caller described the vehicle and which had no license plates and a broken window. As officers arrived on scene they saw the vehicle drive off at a high rate of speed. Officers searched the area and located the car on Bush and Divisadero were a traffic stop was conducted. Officers determined that the driver was on parole, a search of the vehicle was done and officers located narcotics inside. The driver, a 57 year old male was charged with narcotic and parole violations and the 22 year old passenger with narcotic violations.

NOTEWORTHY INCIDENTS
On 05/21 at 11:30pm, 2 male victims were walking on Anza near 7th Ave. They were approached by three male suspects, one of whom ordered “Don’t move!” One of the suspects simulated a weapon and all three began to physically assault the victims while emptying out the victims pockets. The suspects took from one of the victims a laptop that was in a shoulder bag, and their cell phones. The suspects fled south on 7th Ave, towards Anza.

Between 05/22, 9:45am and 05/23, 4:00pm on the unit block of Parker, a suspect gained entry into an apartment by prying open the front door. The suspect took a laptop, I-pad and I-pod.

On 05/23 between 6pm and 9pm on the 5400 block of Geary, a suspect forced open the rear door of a business and dismantled the alarm panel. The suspect rummaged through the building but there was no loss.

On 05/26 between 7:40am and 6:30pm on the 4700 block of Balboa, a suspect gained entry into an apartment building and pried the doors to two different apartments. The suspect took jewelry, cash and laptops.

On 05/26 between 12:30pm and 6:00pm on the unit block of Stanyan, a suspect gained entry into an apartment building and pried open the doors on two units. The suspect took laptops and I-pods from both units.

On 05/27 at 3:30am, the tenant of an apartment building came home and as she was walking up to the second level, she encountered a female walking down. They acknowledge each other and as the female suspect was leaving, the tenant noticed the suspect had a bed comforter slung over her shoulder with “bulky items” contained in it. The tenant continued to her apartment and discovered that someone had broken in via the fire escape. She saw that her laptop and phone were missing. The victim then ran out to the sidewalk to see if she could find the suspect, but she was gone.

This summer, the Richmond Village Beacon is offering free classes for adults during weekday evenings and some low-cost workshops on weekends. Here’s the schedule:

Yoga
Every Tuesday night from June 7 until August 2 | 7-8pm | Free

Saturday June 4th, 11th, July 2nd, 9th | 9am – 11am
$10 per class or $35 for all four
Four two-hour sessions will culminate in a complete yoga routine that can be used as a daily practice at home. Using the breath as our founda-tion, vinyasa, alignment, and core-strengthening exercises will be integrated to provide a complete approach to building a daily yoga practice.

Tai Chi
Every Wednesday night from June 8 until August 3 | 7-8pm

Knitting
Every Tuesday night from June 7 until July 20 | 7-8pm

Dance
Every Thursday night from June 9 until August 4 (alternating weeks of Zumba and Line Dance) | 7-8pm

Saturday June 4th, 18th, and 25th | 11am – 2pm
$10 per class of $24 for all 3
Everything you wanted to know about ballroom dancing in a three day workshop! An introduction to the elegant Foxtrot, upbeat Swing, graceful Waltz and many more. In total you will learn 3 Latin Dances and 3 Smooth Dances. No experience needed. You do not need to bring a partner.

All classes take place on the George Washington High School campus, located at 30th Avenue and Anza.

To register for a class, call the Richmond Village Beacon at 750-8554 or email sarah@rvbeacon.org.

The Richmond Village Beacon is one of eight Beacon Centers in San Francisco under the umbrella of the San Francisco Beacon Initiative. The Beacons receive core funding by the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families and additional leveraged funding from a host of private foundations and individual fund raising. The RV Beacon has been sponsored and operated since 1998 by the Richmond District Neighborhood Center.

Sarah B.

Crowds turn out to see if the original Beach Chalet can survive a winter storm and
eroding Ocean Beach, 1914. Courtesy outsidelands.org

Most of you have probably been to the Beach Chalet at least once over the years; it’s a neighborhood landmark that has been there since 1925.

But I didn’t know – until I got my Western Neighborhoods Project newsletter in April – that there was an original Beach Chalet just across the road, right on the beach. But combine some precarious, eroding cliff with harsh weather conditions, and it was not destined to last.

In the article below, Richmond District historian John Freeman details the beginnings of the original Beach Chalet, originally known as “The House on the Beach”, its battle with the elements, and its final evolution from the cliffs of Ocean Beach to becoming a Boy Scout clubhouse in the Sunset District.

Special thanks to John and Woody LaBounty of the WNP for sharing this. If it weren’t for them, this kind of neighborhood history would slip away. Want to support their efforts? Consider a WNP membership.

The odyssey of the original Beach Chalet

by John Freeman

The Beach Chalet on San Francisco’s Great Highway dates back to 1925, but few people know there was a predecessor chalet that stood directly across from the current location, on the sand west of the highway. That original Beach Chalet had a fascinating history, first perched on the beach, and after, when it was moved twenty-five blocks east to serve as a clubhouse for the Sunset District Boy Scouts.

As Golden Gate Park developed in the 1870s, most of the landscaping and public structures were concentrated at the eastern end, near Stanyan Street. There were dirt roads leading out to the western end of the park and Ocean Beach, but little planting and no public structures for those who took carriage or bicycle rides to see the surf. There was the Cliff House on the bluff, and at its base, a roadhouse called the Seal Rock House, and next door the Ocean Beach Pavilion for dancing. All these early building were more associated with entertaining adults than providing genteel recreation for families.

In November 1891, the Park Commission let contracts for $8,000 to construct a building designed by architect William O. Banks to serve as shelter from the wind, provide bathrooms and changing rooms for bathers, and offer observation decks to watch the waves on one side and the developing park on the other. As the San Francisco Chronicle said, “it will be an elegant addition to the few structures which at present relieve the monotony of sand dunes.”

The new “House on the Beach” opened on Sunday, March 20, 1892. The building was described as “a two-story structure having steep roofs with ornamental gables in Queen Anne style.” There were towers at each end of the building, one of which contained a staircase leading to the second or “observation” floor. “This is divided into a large lounging room, a reading room and toilet and dressing room for women,” the Chronicle noted, making no mention of facilities for the men. One can only assume men were also provided a room for changing into their woolly swimming attire. The newspaper description continues:

The entire seaward side of the building is utilized as an observation platform and supplied with basket-shade chairs, stools, etc. On the landward side between the towers is located another platform, also well equipped with chairs. The building is designed especially for accommodation of ladies with children who wish to avoid the crowds at the Cliff House.

The Original Beach Chalet was built in 1892 on the west side of the Great Highway
across from Golden Gate Park. Courtesy outsidelands.org

In the early years, there was no clear identity for “The House on the Beach;” it was sometimes also called “The Observatory.” By 1895, there were newspaper references to Chalet Beach at the end of Golden Gate Park, and the building there seemed to have developed a permanent identity, but not a firm foundation. The Beach Chalet got little notice in the press, except for the annual reports to the Park Commission, which listed revenue from food concessions at the Chalet and Sharon Lodge at the Children’s Playground in the same category. The Chalet served “approved” refreshments, not alcoholic beverages, since that would be out of character for a building “designed especially for ladies with children.”

After the 1906 earthquake, the Chalet was mentioned in the park superintendent’s report on damage to structures in the park, and $2,000 was requested for unspecified repairs, most likely to stabilize the foundation. The location of the structure provided wonderful views and a comfortable place to get out of the wind; yet a building situated on the beach was constantly subject to the encroaching waves, especially during winter storms.

By 1909, the Park Commission approved a plan to build a 300-foot breakwater to protect the Chalet and the Great Highway. The area just north of the building, near Fulton Street, was determined to be where the ocean tides formed the strongest eddy, a severe threat to the building and the highway. The plan was to separately pour thirty-foot concrete pilings and, when the pilings were cured, sink them into the sand, fifteen feet deep, and place them side by side to form a bulkhead, lashed together with railroad ties. In addition, large rock rubble would be placed in front of the pilings, with concrete poured to keep it all stable and hopefully deflect the waves. The first phase of the work was done in 1910. The entire seawall was completed in 1911.

The real test of the seawall came in January 1914… Read the full article at outsidelands.org

The city erected a concrete pile sea wall to try and protect the original Beach Chalet
from the waves. Courtesy outsidelands.org

Author Amy Stewart’s book on wicked plants is the inspiration for the new exhibition at
the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.

Next Wednesday night, author Amy Stewart will appear at the Conservatory of Flowers to talk about her book Wicked Plants: The Weed that Killed Lincoln’s Mother & Other Botanical Atrocities, which inspired the Conservatory’s current special exhibition.

The Wicked Plants exhibition, set in a Victorian garden, features over 30 species of wicked plants that look harmless – often even pretty – but have highly poisonous, even fatal, properties. Accompanying each plant is a description from Stewart’s book explaining which parts of the plant are most dangerous and its history of wicked deeds. More on my visit to the exhibition

In the slideshow and lecture, Stewart will share tales of botanical rogues and assassins that have left their mark on history and claimed many an unfortunate victim. She will also sign books at the end of her lecture.

The event takes place next Wednesday from 6:30pm until 8pm. Tickets are $10 (including admission to the Conservatory) and can be purchased online or at the Conservatory.

Sarah B.

Last June, the long vacant property at 5th and Fulton (2900 Fulton) was demolished and development began on a mixed use building with retail on the bottom floor and four condos on the floors above.

Construction is nearly complete and the four, 3-bedroom, two-level condos are now on the market. Referred to as Park Modern by Vanguard Properties who are marketing the luxury condos, the new units have a modern feel with minimalist design and high-end finishing touches. Also some great views from the rooftop deck.

San Francisco realtor Matt Fuller reviewed the building after taking a broker’s tour earlier this week. He had high praise for the condos that sit just across from Golden Gate Park:

The finishes throughout are absolutely beautiful, with a clean, minimalist vibe in all of the homes. Three of the four homes for sale have outdoor space for the exclusive use of that home. While the views from the private roof decks were beautiful, I fell in love with the private patio and garden that is adjacent to the living/dining/kitchen space of Residence #1. The wall of windows and sliding door that open onto this beautifully landscaped area do a wonderful job of bringing the outdoors in to the living space. It’s really rare to find space like this, it wouldn’t surprise me if this one goes into contract before all of the others.

Fuller reports that prices start at $1,099,000 for the smallest condo and go up to $1,489,000 for the largest home, with at least one, sometimes two assigned parking spaces for each.

Check out more pics and info at the Park Modern website.

No word yet on who or what will take over the 700 square foot commercial space on the first level.

What do you think of the new building? Leave a comment to let us know.

Sarah B.

And some shots of it under construction, courtesy of Edward Betts who lives nearby: