We all know that infrastructure is sexy. Sometimes, however, it can also be rather sweet.
The photo above shows the new roadbed on Winfield Street; It represents a tasty victory in a hard-fought battle to preserve a subtle link to Bernal Heights history. The image was captured by Neighbor Art Siegel, who also owns the feet that appear in the pic. Art writes:
It must have been 7 or 8 years ago that the city announced it had to replace our sewer on Winfield and would replace the bricks with concrete.
As there are only a few brick streets left in San Francisco, the neighbors responded with the “Save Bernal Bricks” campaign, and the city relented.
Here’s what it looked like when workers began tearing up the old brick:
And here’s a photo I took on September 5, that gives an overall sense of how Winfield’s bricks are coming back together:
See what I mean? A new sewer pipe AND a fresh brick road surface. Sexxy and sweet.
Photos, Art Siegel and Telstar Logistics
Bernalwood 
alright! and gorgeous. congrats neighbors!!!
Sorry they had to demolish the existing bricks–wasn’t keeping them the point? New bricks are OK and all, I guess.
as you can see in the photo, the old bricks are encrusted with concrete and grout, and the effort to remove the concrete and grout would be incredibly labor intensive, plus we were told that the old bricks would not stand up to the process. Personally, I am happy with the solution. The new bricks look great, and 100 years from now they will look as “vintage” as the old bricks did. Thanks to Scott and Elizabeth of Winfield Street for spearheading the “Save Bernal Bricks” campaign!
I’m happy the street’s residents are happy, and I’m happy that the new bricks are on a concrete base and *smoooooooth*.
Who paid for the upgrade to new bricks? neighbors or City?
City
Love them
We started this process almost 10 years ago when Tom Ammiano was our supervisor. We were told that the bricks would be removed for sewer work (they had been there since the 20’s and patched and repatched over time – not always very well – leaving a mix of very old and very new bricks). We got the neighbors involved and even had then-head of DPW Ed Lee come to our street and meet with the “Save Bernal Bricks” committee. We consulted with historic preservation societies, looked at some of the projects the city had messed up (Commercial Street in 2000), saw how other neighborhoods had managed (Potrero Hill) and brought our arguments and signed petition to Supervisor Ammiano and asked for his help in saving the bricks. He told us he would put money in a budget to ensure we would have bricks on Winfield Street. And to his credit, he actually did it.
Gale, we absolutely would have preferred to preserve the historic bricks – but more than one preservation society we contacted said we should feel lucky we’re getting what we are. Bill Adams from DPW has been very accommodating and the City is even installing a plaque commemorating the original brick street.
So now the old bricks are finding new homes in the backyards of Winfield residents — close by the street they served so well for almost 100 years.
It’s not a perfect story, but we’re still pretty happy with most of it. Now we’re just ready for it to be finished!
Scott and Elizabeth are heroes of the Bernal Bricks campaign. When we were first told the sewer was collapsing and the street would not be re-bricked, they refused to take no for an answer and rallied the neighbors. 10 years later, the sewer held up until replacement and the street is brick again.
Coolio! Congrats on a job well done.
So, sounds like the city taxpayers paid for the bricks and labor on this little street.Didn’t realize the City was rich enough to fund “privately desired” projects.
It’s the city’s street, so they pay for the work on it all over the city.. Keep in mind that the street was already bricked when the city tore it up for the sewer replacement. All they did was agree to replace the surface of the portion of the street that was already brick. They did not brick the rest of the block (large stretches on both ends) where the original bricks had been replaced with asphalt in the past. There are only a small handful of brick streets left in the city, so it makes sense to keep what is there, even if it takes 10 years to find the money to do it. You make it sound like the residents asked them to put in a gazebo and petting zoo!
The street has been torn up since the winter, I sure hope the brick fetishists find it worthwhile. I use the Eugenia steps to walk down the hill and I’m tired of tripping over the sawhorses and poorly patched concrete in the non-brick part of the Winfield.
Band name: Brick Fetishist
The non-brick parts were torn up as part of the block-long sewer and manhole replacement. So the street was going to be messed up for a long time, re-bricking or no re-bricking. As a resident of a house near the steps, I feel your pain.
Let’s get one thing a little more correct, instead of hiding the facts under the rug. Yes, the street needed repaving due to sewer repair.
But let’s be clear, the city could have paved the street over at a reduced cost with concrete, vs. hand laying bricks. Don’t be defensive brick lovers, but this is more the truth. The brick paving did cost MORE.
A lot more, no doubt. They could have repaved in gravel for even less. The winning argument was “Take away a brick street, put one back. Why make the city any less beautiful than it was?”
Clever argument Art, but I don’t buy it. The city does not pave streets in gravel, so that’s a moot point. The standard is just concrete and asphalt paving.
I have no problem with the brick paving, per se. But the residents who wanted it brick should have been assessed an amount to cover the extra cost. Beauty is fine, but make the residents of that street pay for it.
I live on that block. But the bricks don’t come past my house. Would I be assessed the full amount? Half? None?
you’re high-sterical crankypants, i think it is an excellent point Art, and as a city resident i totally support it
The city is replacing what was there before. Some bricking contractors got some work. Crankypants indeed.
I’d be surly if I moved to a block due to a city-owned amenity that made the block desirable and then the city took it away. My non-brick street was also recently torn up for sewage replacement and yes, it is an inconvenience, but so is having sewer lines that aren’t in good enough shape to withstand modern demands and risks.
Almostnative, now that the bricks are almost done you can go stamp your little feet and pound your little fists on them.
The city makes all kinds of changes and improvements for safety and beautification and traffic calming and bike lanes and mini-parks and fancy faux antique streetlamps and does not charge the individual residents adjoining the improvement. Despite those “free” changes and improvements, this was an *existing* brick street owned by the city. The residents did not ask that an old asphalt street be repaved in brick, only that the amenity of bricks be retained. The city decided it could find the money to do that and keep a piece of old San Francisco, even if it took 10 years.
And hey, it doesn’t belong to the Winfield Street people. As they have for more than a century they invite all of San Francisco to enjoy it. But single file, please!
Congrats and thank you to the Bernal Bricks Brigade! Job well done preserving a bit of charm.
So the neighbors banded together, persuaded an elected representative to take up their cause and bring it to a public vote of other duly elected representatives, who then approved the expenditure? Geez, sounds awfully fishy to me.
Yea, kinda smells pretty fishy to me too.