Here’s a fun one-two punch from the Bernalwood Time Machine. The photo above shows the corner of Precita and Alabama, at the eastern end of Precita Park, as it looked in 1928.
Here’s how it looks now:
Comparing the images, two main thoughts come to mind: First, it’s nifty that the storefront on the right was a corner store, even then. (The space is currently for rent.) And second, OH MY GOD SO MUCH PARKING!
Bernalwood 
Great old photo. Nice to see how the wires have been put underground on that block– I wish Alabama St had this too.
awesome comparison!
also gotta love the street without the overhead wires going down Precita, that were probably only removed recently, and they are even there in the old picture!
cool!
Proof that cars are a blight… The undergrounding is great. Do we think those are new trees, too?
Thanks for the then-and-now goodness! Future shot: Precita Park as a kids’ snow park…
I wonder if the missing trees were Elms?
I also notice that there appear to be no street lights in the 1928 shot. Of course the curb cut ramps on the corner are new and different in 2011. I see that the corner store has even maintained an awning in the same place since 1928! New awning, but same place.
Regarding cars et al – many more street signs now, although there’s one half way down the block in 1928. I think many fewer people simply owned cars! They actual walked, biked and took the streetcar to work – what an idea.
Trams and cable cars were all over the city then, it was a lot easier to take public transportation than it is now.
Indeed! Remember, there was a streetcar line that wrapped around Precita Park.
The 36 used to go on the south (upper) side of Precita park and loop around Army back to Folsom – streetcar line map here. Breakout of the 36’s path in the middle of the “Tufte” streetcar map.
oh yeah, and the 30 too – from 8th and Mission to Bryant, wiggling down 16th/17th/18th, down 3rd, over on army, around Precita, up Howard, across 22nd to Mission.
Depressing how virtually nothing has changed, bet it looks like this in another 75 years too.
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