Telegraph Hill Dwellers 65-Year Anniversary 

 

The Telegraph Hill Dwellers (THD) is celebrating its 65th anniversary this year. Here is a partial list of what THD has accomplished since 1954

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• 1954 - Playing a key role getting City approval for the North Beach Fair, the first street fair in the country

• 1956, 1964 - Preventing the construction of high rise buildings on Telegraph Hill

• 1959, 1974 - Promoting the enactment of the neighborhood’s 40-foot height limit

• 1974 - Opposing the extension of the Embarcadero freeway through North Beach as part of a proposed over-water bridge between San Francisco and Tiburon

• 1976 - Developing the “A” Parking sticker program, later adopted citywide

• 1983 - Supporting the creation of the Northeast Waterfront Historic District to preserve the warehouse district dating from the Gold Rush

• 1986 - Creating the Telegraph Hill Historic District to preserve the largest concentration of pre-Earthquake residential dwellings in San Francisco.

• 1986, 2007 - Raising funds to protect and permanently preserve the Grace Marchant Garden from development

• 1986 - Working to establish and update the North Beach Neighborhood Commercial District to preserve North Beach’s unique character and small businesses

• Promoting the restoration and increased protection for Coit Tower, its historic murals and Pioneer Park 

• 1995-1999 - In conjunction with Friends of the Urban Forest, planting 355 new street trees in North Beach and Telegraph Hill  

• 2000, 2001, 2002 - Initiating and supporting landmark designations for Washington Square Park (2000), City Lights Bookstore and the Colombo Building.

• 2005 - Supporting legislation to ban formula retail (chain) stores in North Beach

• 2013 - Preventing of the construction, through voter referendum, of a high-rise condo building on the waterfront at 8 Washington, across from the Ferry Building next to Sue Bierman Park

• 2014 - Working to pass Proposition B, a ballot initiative requiring voter approval of any waterfront development that exceeds the existing height limits

• For 65 years, THD has published The Semaphore, a quarterly publication telling the stories of Telegraph Hill, North Beach, and the Northeast Waterfront.

 

Ongoing Activities of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers

 

• Promoting the designation of a North Beach Historic District to protect historic buildings 

• Working with the business community to attract more small-scale neighborhood-serving businesses

• Working with neighbors, MUNI and others to improve public transportation

• Ensuring that new development and building additions are in keeping with neighborhood scale and character

• Preserving affordable housing stock by opposing demolitions, conversions and evictions

• Recording and preserving neighborhood memories through THD’s Oral History Project

• Monitoring and advising the Port Commission on new development on the northeastern waterfront

• Working with the Recreation and Parks Department and Public Works to preserve and replace our urban forest – promoting a neighborhood tree planning program

• Organizing “Town Hall” meetings, lectures and presentations on history, politics, planning, etc.