Bache Street is a residential lane nestled on the stylish south side of Bernal Heights, just off Crescent Avenue between Porter and Andover.
It’s a lovely place, but there’s a problem: According to @RadioChert, not even people who live on Bache Street can agree on how to pronounce it. That’s why an ad hoc referendum is now underway to reach a consensus on the matter.
As of Wednesday morning, the pronunciation tally seems to be:
Bah-chee – 2
Bay-shh – 1
Bach-ae – 0
Batch – 1
Bay-shee – 0
Bay-ch – 1
Bay-sh – 0
While the voting on Bache Street continues, historians and geo-genealogists are cordially invited to opine on this matter.
HAT-TIP AND PHOTO: Courtesy of @RadioChert
Bernalwood 
This is not a vote, but info. Cab dispatchers and, therefore, cab drivers pronounce it Baych-ee.
I always figured it was “BAH-chee,” as in Uncle Luke’s question to C3P0, “Yes, but do you speak Bache?”
The residents of Bache street solved this a long time ago. The pronunciation is “BAY-sh” with the “sh” sounding like the first syllable of “shut”, (some throw a bit of a “t” in there like “bait-ch” which is OK too) The street was named for Major Hartman Bache, engineering secretary of Lighthouse Districts who oversaw the lighthouse installation at the Farallon Islands (and other areas) http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=100. For other reference, remember the company “Prudential-Bache”? Here’s one of their old commercials, note the pronunciation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCgWwN24nGo. It’s not “batch” or “batch-chee” or bocce. Even Jules Bache, the original founder of Bache Securities agrees – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Bache – scroll down to: “He told The Literary Digest his name was pronounced Baitch, “A rhyme with aitch.” (Charles Earle Funk, What’s the Name, Please?, Funk & Wagnalls, 1936.)”
Great info! Now we know.
Do we know the name origins of Porter and Arnold Streets?
Hey…Mike Nolan! Your old pal Ted Putnam here! How’s life on the hill after the name change? I want to get you a copy of my SF story novella I got coming out. Bloody Thursday…White Shoes gang….Mission High…Coach Mac…it’s all there. Get at me…tedoffensive@aol.com
I don’t know about that. The Richard Bache that Benjamin Franklin’s daughter Sally married pronounced it like beach or beech, for example. I’ve always pronounced it that way because of Benjamin Franklin Bache.
To SF natives it’s “Bay-sh”… like the beginning of Bayshore.
Bait-ch
John & Bob were born on the street and call it ” batch”.
Ahh…John and Bob(by) Moglia! Love that street! 22 Bache is where Grandma “Noni” Kolov and (crazy) Uncle John Kolov lived. 42 Bache is totally haunted, but whoever lives there knows that. According to Noni, some old German guy killed his wife in the 1st floor back left bedroom. He will be seen to be sitting there, head in hands, lamenting said act In that room from time to time. More common are footsteps up the stairs from the basement, up the stairs to the 2nd floor, or a woman walking from room to room offering something. Threw some great city wide parties in that house, much to the consternation of Papa Joe Moglia…sorry Joe.
Yes, I grew up at 42 Bache St, haunted as all Get Out. I love that people still cannot agree on the pronunciation. Thought they would? Knew they wouldn’t. Ever.
On a side note, when I moved to Bernal I thought I lived on /CALL-er-idge/ street but was soon corrected that it was /COLE-ridge/. Now if somebody would just tell Siri how to say Coleridge…
Good to know. I actually might have guessed “Bach”, like the composer.
I’ve never thought of Coleridge having another pronunciation (although it’s interesting how many people think it’s actually “Coolridge” street. I WISH.) Bernal History Project tells us it was named for Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1909 (after being one of a dozen streets called California st), who I don’t know much about but assume it’s this gentleman…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Taylor_Coleridge
Love this topic. Can we PLEASE get MUNI to teach the bus how to properly pronounce Valencia? Where is the coverage on this travesty!
I think the surname was actually pronounce “beach” believe it or not. That is how Benjamin Franklin Bache, the proto-muckraking journalist and Ben Franklin’s grandson, pronounced it.
Our family lived there for 79 years, and we pronounced it “batch”,, as most of the residents did at the time! it was a great place to grow up!