RichmondSFBlog reader Brian W. left a comment on our Facebook page yesterday, saying that a 10 foot piece of the Alexandria Theater (18th & Geary) marquee had fallen to the ground on Wednesday evening. No one was harmed in the incident.

Today I asked cub reporter David H. to check out the scene – take some pics, maybe talk to the store owner next door who had pulled the fallen piece off the sidewalk.

But when David arrived at the Alexandria Theater this afternoon, things were worse than he expected. He discovered the upper section of the vertical “ALEXANDRIA” marquee had come loose and was ready to fall to the street. David immediately called the SFFD, who came out to try and secure the upper section of the sign.

The vertical marquee is constructed in two parts – the top “ALEX” portion was the one coming loose under the strain of today’s high winds.

Because of the winds and position of the marquee, the Fire Department made the unusual move of bringing another truck to the scene so two ladders could be put up, one on each side. Each firetruck ladder can extend to 100 feet. The top of the marquee is about 85 feet off the ground, so firefighters were just barely able to reach it from their ladders.

According to firemen, the upper brackets of the ALEXANDRIA marquee were completely rusted out. Ropes were lashed from the sign to the building in a temporary effort to prevent the loose section from falling.

Ronald Yu of Yuflux Engineering, located on Geary, was also on the scene and has made arrangements for a sign company to visit the Alexandria tomorrow. They’ll bring heavier, taller cranes that will allow for a better assessment of the potential risks the marquee poses.

Depending on the condition of the sign, engineers may recommend removal which would require further city inspection and permits. In the meantime, Yuflux staff members will be keeping an eye on the marquee through the night.

The Alexandria Theater property has been unused, with the exception of two retail stores on the Geary side, since the theater closed in February 2004. Redevelopment plans have been filed with the city which include a 221 seat movie theater, ground level retail space, a restaurant, and a 4 story residential complex on the back parking lot on 18th Avenue.

Special thanks to David H. for calling in the SFFD, and for reporting and snapping pics.

Sarah B.

Firefighters watch their crew up on the marquee with binoculars.

Two ladders were used to inspect and secure the top ALEX part of the marquee from each side.

RichmondSFBlog reader Graham just moved to the Outer Richmond in February and says he’s “pretty taken by it all.” He created a “short film of haphazardly edited experimental timelapses and still shots” from his roof, accompanied by the song “Oú es-tu, mon amour? (Where Are You, My Love?)” by Django Reinhardt.

It’s a nice little microcosm of our ever-changing weather on the west side. Thanks for sharing, Graham and welcome to the neigborhood.

Sarah B.

CNN reports:

When it’s at perigee, the moon is about 31,000 miles (50,000 km) closer to Earth than when it’s at the farthest point of its orbit, also known as apogee. This celestial event is far rarer than the famed blue moon, which happens once about every two-and-a-half years.

Look for the moonrise around sunset on Saturday night; it should be pretty mind-blowing thanks to some optical illusions at play:

This full moon will rise in the east at sunset and should look especially big at that time because of what’s known as the “moon illusion.”

“For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects,” according to NASA.

Now let’s just hope this soggy weather clears up enough so we can see it!

Sarah B.

Strange weather we’re having in the Bay today; even a rare tornado warning down in San Mateo.

We didn’t get a warning here, but we had our own little tornado moment this morning around 9:24am. Youtuber Neorick shot this video of a funnel cloud touching down at Ocean Beach. “I was looking outside my window. There was a very dark cloud and there it was.” Wild!

Thanks to RichmondSFBlog reader Robin for sending it in. Here’s a couple of pics taken by another reader, Carl.

Sarah B.

The Conservatory of Flowers under snow on February 5, 1887. Courtesy SFGate.com

Everyone is talking about it – will we see snow in the city of San Francisco this weekend? The Chronicle has a great article on the history of SF snowfall, which includes great old photos like the one above.

The city has seen snow 5 times in the last 100 years – in December 1882, on Feb. 5, 1887, Feb. 28, 1951, Jan. 21, 1962, and Feb. 6, 1976.

According to the wunderground.com forecast, there’s a chance of snow beginning in the wee hours of Saturday and until about 10am. Here’s hoping I don’t sleep through it!

If it does happen and you capture some good photos, use the contact us form to let us know. We’ll post them here on the blog.

Stay warm!

Sarah B.

Sarah B.

Sarah B.