Events

WNP Events Calendar

Western Neighborhoods Project shares local history at events for community organizations, clubs, businesses, schools, and fairs. We also host our own events, including special walks and symposiums exclusively for WNP members.

140 Years of the Conservatory of Flowers(WNP Event)
Mar 21, 2019 7:00pm-8:00pm (Thursday) at Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
2019 marks the 140th anniversary of the opening of the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, a building that draws locals and tourists alike to view plants from around the world. Come hear stories from throughout the Conservatory's history, including its mysterious origins, interesting characters, and how it has overcome several disasters. Nicole Meldahl and Chelsea Sellin will share images of the building and surrounding landscape over time for an entertaining and informative evening on one of San Francisco's most recognizable landmarks. Admission is $20 for the general public and $10 for WNP members.
Tickets/More Info
map to: Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
SF Model of 1938 and the Haight
Mar 23, 2019 3:00pm-4:30pm (Saturday) at Park Branch, SFPL 1833 Page Street
Woody LaBounty will give a presentation on the massive, 3-D scale model of San Francisco created by the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s. Described by someone recently as "a pre-Internet Google Street View," the mostly-wood 37' x 40' model depicts every structure standing in the city at the time. Parks, lakes, theatres, schools, and even the color schemes of individual houses are accurately represented. Today, the model provides a fascinating historical viewpoint of a San Francisco both familiar and alien at the same time. Woody will explain the purpose and creation of the model as well as point out highlights, changes, and the development of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood using sections of the model on display in the branch.
Tickets/More Info
map to: Park Branch, SFPL 1833 Page Street
Contact: parmgr@sfpl.org
more info: https://sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1037136401
Play Ball! Baseball in the City(WNP Event)
Apr 4, 2019 7:00pm-8:00pm (Thursday) at Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
On the eve of the Giants' opener, we will highlight rare and historical baseball images from OpenSFHistory. See the minor league San Francisco Seals playing at 16th Street and Potrero, Candlestick Park under construction, and Willie Mays, Juan Marichal, and other Giant favorites in their prime. Bring your memories and prepare for a whirlwind illustrated tour of America's pastime as played in the city.
Tickets/More Info
map to: Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
Contact: David Gallagher david@outsidelands.org
WNP 20th Anniversary Gala(WNP Event)
May 19, 2019 6:00pm-10:00pm (Sunday) at The Clubhouse at Presidio Golf Course 300 Finley Road
Western Neighborhoods Project will celebrate its twentieth anniversary with a gala benefit of history and friendship at The Clubhouse at the Presidio Golf Course from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Special Guest of Honor will be Peter Hartlaub, reporter, writer, critic, and lover of local history from the San Francisco Chronicle.

With a theme of "Back to the Neighborhood," the evening will focus on the inspiration for Western Neighborhood Project's creation in 1999---preserving and sharing the history of San Francisco's west side.

Get more information and purchase tickets at http://outsidelands.org/gala/
Tickets/More Info
map to: The Clubhouse at Presidio Golf Course 300 Finley Road
Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
Villages and Concessions of the Midwinter Fair(WNP Event)
Jun 20, 2019 7:00pm-8:00pm (Thursday) at Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
From plaster igloos to German castles to an indoor volcano, the concession exhibits at the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition offered a range of unusual entertainment to visitors. "Villages" of African, Hawaiian, and Inuit performers reinforced imperial ambitions and attitudes of superiority while meeting "interest in foreign humanity." California interpreted and mythologized its own past with the 49 Mining Camp, while people paid dimes and quarters across the fair grounds to ride camels, descend down a dragon's maw, and eat fortune cookies in what became the Japanese Tea Garden.

For this illustrated program, Woody LaBounty will be joined by Japanese Tea Garden gardener and historian Steven Pitsenbarger and Presidio Trust historian Barbara Berglund Sokolov, author of Making San Francisco American: Cultural Frontiers in the Urban West, 1846-1906. $20 for the general public and $10 for WNP members.
Tickets/More Info
map to: Western Neighborhoods Project 1617 Balboa Street
Contact: Woody LaBounty woody@outsidelands.org
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