Kite Hill views: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 22:11, 3 November 2023

Unfinished History

Kite Hill, center of photo above. The eastward views below towards downtown were taken over many years from here.

Photo: Chris Carlsson

<flashmp3>http://www.archive.org/download/KiteHill/7ElizabethCreelyKiteHill_vbr.mp3</flashmp3>

Elizabeth Creely ruminates on Kite Hill as one of her favorite places in San Francisco. Originally recorded for the 2004 Audiozine "Long Ago and Right Now."

From Kite Hill in upper Eureka Valley, looking eastward, Corona Heights to left, Market St. and downtown in distance at right. Take a look at similar views in 1890 and c. 1958.

Photo: Chris Carlsson

1890

Photo: San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center, AAC-8941

I'm not sure when Solari Hill became "Kite Hill" but as a kid, myself and everyone who lived in the neighborhood, called it Solari, as in, I'm going to play army with some friends on Solari. I rode my bike down it and crashed because my new hand brakes wouldn't grip due to the wet grass, I kissed a girl on Solari, played Heats on Solari, and, yes, I flew kites there. In high school I drank my first beer up there, got high up there, rolled down it when I was tripping. I've probably walked up and down Solari 1000 times in my lifetime and I'm only 57. It just upsets me that the newbies to the neighborhood and people who didn't even grow up here changed the name without stopping to think of its history. From my understanding, Solari was a farmer who let his cattle graze there a couple hundred years ago. The name has history attached to it. What history does "Kite Hill" have? Next they'll change the name of Rocky Mountain or the Seward slide. It's just sad...

by Mark D. Lillie

circa 1902.

Photo: Bancroft Library, I0013147A

1958

Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco, CA

2005

Photo: Chris Carlsson

Today (2008) Kite Hill is easily reached through the garden at the end of Stanton Street, which looks like this:

Photo: Chris Carlsson

-->Open Space Habitat tour continues

Prev. Document Next Document

@@ Line 14: / Line 14: @@
 [[Image:castro1$kite-hill-1997-view.jpg]]
-'''From Kite Hill in upper Eureka Valley, looking eastward, Corona Heights to left, Market St. and downtown in distance at right. Take a look at similar views in 1880 and 1890 and c. 1958.'''
+'''From Kite Hill in upper Eureka Valley, looking eastward, Corona Heights to left, Market St. and downtown in distance at right. Take a look at similar views in 1890 and c. 1958.'''
 ''Photo: Chris Carlsson''
@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 [[Image:Kite-hill-view-downtown-1880.jpg]]
-'''1880'''
+'''1890'''
+''Photo: San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco History Center, AAC-8941''
+I'm not sure when Solari Hill became "Kite Hill" but as a kid, myself and everyone who lived in the neighborhood, called it Solari, as in, I'm going to play army with some friends on Solari. I rode my bike down it and crashed because my new hand brakes wouldn't grip due to the wet grass, I kissed a girl on Solari, played Heats on Solari, and, yes, I flew kites there. In high school I drank my first beer up there, got high up there, rolled down it when I was tripping. I've probably walked up and down Solari 1000 times in my lifetime and I'm only 57. It just upsets me that the newbies to the neighborhood and people who didn't even grow up here changed the name without stopping to think of its history. From my understanding, Solari was a farmer who let his cattle graze there a couple hundred years ago. The name has history attached to it. What history does "Kite Hill" have? Next they'll change the name of Rocky Mountain or the Seward slide. It's just sad...
-''Photo: Greg Gaar Collection, San Francisco, CA''
+''by Mark D. Lillie''
-[[Image:Kite-hill-view-downtown-1890.jpg]]
+[[Image:1902c-kite-hill-view---reservoir,-mansion,-kellogg's-adv--aac-1548-&-bancroft-I0013147A-.jpg]]
-'''1890'''
+'''circa 1902.'''
-''Photo: Greg Gaar Collection, San Francisco, CA''
+''Photo: Bancroft Library, I0013147A''
 [[Image:Kite-hill-view-downtown-1958.jpg]]
@@ Line 34: / Line 38: @@
 '''1958'''
-''Photo: Greg Gaar Collection, San Francisco, CA''
+''Photo: Private Collection, San Francisco, CA''
 [[Image:Kite-hill-view-sept05-1265.jpg]]
@@ Line 48: / Line 52: @@
 ''Photo: Chris Carlsson''
-[[Image:Habitat-tour-button.jpg]]   [[Habitat Conservation Plan Compromises Survival of Native Species|-->Open Space Habitat tour continues]]
+[[Image:Tours-habitat.gif|link=San Bruno Mountain]]    [[San Bruno Mountain|-->Open Space Habitat tour continues]]
 [[Mt. Olympus  |Prev. Document]]  [[Nobby Clark's Folly  |Next Document]]
 [[category:Castro]] [[category:Eureka Valley]] [[category:hills]] [[category:1880s]] [[category:1890s]] [[category:1950s]] [[category:1990s]] [[category:2000s]] [[category:ecology]] [[category:gardens]]