1971 Dement Pictorial View of San Francisco

This is Richard S. Dement's scarce 1971 large-format bird's-eye pictorial view of San Francisco, California.

A Closer Look

Oriented towards the west, this view looks out over San Francisco from the vicinity of the Bay Bridge, with the city's piers (numbered for reference) and now-closed Navy Shipyard at Hunters Points in the foreground. The relative size of the historic core of the city at right is exaggerated, while the more recent and mostly residential portions of the city's south and west are present as smaller than their actual size. Streets, parks, landmarks, tunnels, and other features are illustrated throughout. Chinatown is distinguished by red shading. On Market St. the Bay Area Rapid Transit System (BART) is recorded as being under construction (ultimately opening to passengers in November 1973). A gird surrounds the view, corresponding to an index of major sites at left.

Although the basic layout of the city is familiar compared to today, several features seen here have since undergone significant changes or been demolished. One obvious example is the much-maligned Embarcadero Freeway, which passed in front of the Ferry Building and connected Chinatown to the rest of the city's freeway network. When the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake damaged the freeway, long-time opponents sensed an opportunity and successfully lobbied to have it demolished. Similarly, though less controversially, the westernmost portion of the Central Freeway near City Hall was damaged in the same earthquake and afterwards shortened somewhat to its current configuration. An extension of the Embarcadero Freeway, passing near the Southern Pacific Depot (now Caltrain station) in the foreground, noted here as 'Southern Freeway under construction' was never built, though an extension of Interstate-280, running nearly parallel to Third St. towards Candlestick Park (also since demolished), was eventually built and reached nearly to the train station. Other features, such as the Naval Shipyard at Hunter's Point, the Cannery in Fisherman's Wharf (canning peaches, not fish), and Playland near Ocean Beach have since been demolished or committed to other uses, reminding the viewer of a bygone era in the city's history.

In the Presidio, Crissy Field is seen as an operational airfield and the Letterman Army Hospital stands prominently. Both were used for transporting and treating wounded soldiers during the Vietnam War but lost relevance afterward. They eventually became part of the National Park Service, with the hospital being demolished in 2002 and replaced by the Letterman Digital Arts Center. The Marine Hospital at the southern end of the Presidio was likewise turned over to other uses, becoming a residential complex in 2010.

Historical Context

This view prepared not long after the Summer of Love, as the city became the epicenter of the Hippie, Anti-War, Counterculture, and Gay Rights movements. San Francisco was also thrust into the spotlight for its role in the American Indian movement after a group of activists called the United Indians of All Tribes occupied Alcatraz Island in November 1969 to raise public awareness of issues facing Native Americans. Despite having the island's water and electricity cut off, a core group of activists stayed on the island for nearly two years and are widely seen as having successfully brought about a change in the federal government's Indian policies.

Publication History and Census

This view was prepared by Richard S. Dement in 1971. It is quite scarce, only being noted among the holdings of the California Historical Society and the Newberry Library in the OCLC.