Outside Lands San Francisco

If you've been to the Outside Lands Music Festival, then you know the Polo Fields and Speedway Meadow. These open spaces both have storied histories. This classic episode continues our celebration of the Park's 150th Anniversary.

In March 2020, Golden Gate Park welcomed five new, year-old bison to the Paddock. In this classic episode, we revisit the Bison's arrival in the 1890s and their long history in the park.

Our Monumental Golden Gate Park event has been postponed. But to whet your appetite, we present a Classic Episode where David and Woody chat about their five favorite Golden Gate Park statues.

For St. Patrick's Day, we revisit an Outside Lands San Francisco classic episode: Elizabeth Creely visits to talk about Irish-American San Francisco, east and west side.

Today's Planetarium at the California Academy of Sciences features the latest state-of-the-art digital technology. But when the Morrison Planetarium was built in 1952, it featured an optical star projector.

Tacoma Street is an enigmatic dead-end off 15th Avenue in the Richmond. Why are the lots so unusually angled?

In 2020, Argonne Elementary School celebrates the 100 year anniversary of its dedication in 1920. Near and dear to Western Neighborhoods Project, Woody shares a story of a his relative's connection to the school.

Did a railroad really run from Golden Gate Park down to Powell Street? There's a stand out remnant of the 1890-era Station on Fulton at 7th Ave.

Turn back the clock on major City thoroughfares like I280 or US101 and you'll often find a railway. Go further back in time and you could find its origins in a Spanish road. Learn what lies beneath the concrete.

McLaren Lodge in Golden Gate Park is impressive inside and out. Take a virtual audio tour of John McLaren's residence where he lived for 47 years.

Some surprising TV and movie stars were native to the west side of San Francisco. Learn the stories of a few of WNP's favorites.

Ninety years ago, the Camp Fire Girls Building was dedicated, beginning its long service shaping and educating both the girls and boys of San Francisco's West side.

The lodge has a long history of sheltering vulnerable women and children. Learn about the stately building and it's history of service to the community.

A fond look back at the momentous events, milestones, and change at Western Neighborhoods Project and OpenSFHistory.org in 2019.

Merced Heights was one of the few, post-war, housing developments to sell to African-American families in the 40s. Learn more about this lesser-known Heights located near San Francisco State University.

Before the big box stores, King Norman's Kingdom of Toys ruled. From its humble beginnings on Clement, the store grew into a toy empire including an amusement park and even a local TV show for kids.

The proximity of Nineteenth Avenue and Sloat Boulevard is teeming with history: Stern Grove, the Trocadero, Ardenwood, and the Scottish Rite Temple are just a few of the highlights discussed.

Francisco Heights was a 1930s public housing project that never was. Imagine 11 buildings for 2500 residents near present-day USF.

Today on WNP cemetery talk, we explore the history of the Masonic Cemetery on Lone Mountain, the disinterment in the 30s, and the encroachment by the University of San Francisco.

In a City under pressure for constant change, San Francisco Heritage protects and preserves the cultural and architectural legacy of this great city. Woody LaBounty recently joined the staff of SF Heritage and talks about his new role and organization.

The building at 46th and Taraval has an unexpectedly colorful, if not checkered, past. What is that two-story silo on the corner?

You can appreciate the Breon Gate the next time you're waiting for the light on 19th Avenue and Lincoln. But what is its origin? Who built it and when?

The rehabilitated Presidio Theatre recently opened to the public for the first time in 25 years. What began as a WPA project is back in its new, state of the art glory.

Nineteenth Avenue began its transformation from a residential street into six lane highway in the 1930s. Learn about the driving forces behind the expansion.

Jack Anderson's talented sisters, Lenore and Jean, owned and operated the Anderson Sisters School of Dance on Clement Street. Learn which beloved actor performed there early in their career.