Stout

William

Bill is the founder of William Stout Architectural Books, an iconic Jackson Square bookstore specializing in architecture and design. Raised in South Dakota and Idaho, Bill began his architectural career on the East Coast, before moving to the Bay Area in 1967. He worked as an architect into the early 1990s, and started selling architectural books in the mid-1970s, with several store locations over the years. His business was purchased in 2022 by the Eames Institute of Infinite Curiosity.

Hearne

Dennis

Dennis is an acclaimed photographer whose work is represented in many museum collections. He was raised in New Hampshire and moved to San Francisco in 1965 to study painting at the Art Institute, but soon found himself drawn to photography. Dennis continues to spend much of his time in North Beach – usually with a camera at the ready – and often shoots at night around North Beach and Chinatown and at music venues. He is also well-known for campaign images he’s taken of Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein, Nancy Pelosi and other politicians. Dennis shares a studio at 480 Francisco Street with his wife, artist Magué Calanche.

Handelman

Ed

Born in 1933, Ed is an artist and long-time North Beach resident. He was raised in Omaha, Nebraska, where he and his two older brothers grew up in a housing project and learned to be tough guys. After Army service in Korea, Ed enrolled in the University of Omaha’s art program in 1955, and later transferred to the San Francisco Art Institute to study painting. He’s lived in San Francisco ever since, and worked as a cook at the Old Spaghetti Factory, among other jobs, to support his painting career. Ed has lived in the same Grant Avenue apartment since 1970, which he now shares with his wife and fellow artist Peggy Huff.

Pisciotta

Rita

Born in 1942, Rita grew up in North Beach when nearly everything about the neighborhood was Italian. Her parents, immigrants from Calabria, turned an empty lot next to their house into a farm, where they raised vegetables and poultry. Like most people in the neighborhood, she was a regular at Saints Peter and Paul Church, and she attended Catholic schools before starting a 50-year career as a nurse. Rita and husband Blaine Ellis have a son, and in 1984 they moved into the same house at 2048 Stockton Street where Rita was raised. Rita and Blaine now divide their time between San Francisco and New Mexico, where they built a home. When in North Beach, they enjoy spending time with friends from the neighborhood.

Crotti

Agostino and Anna

The Crotti family ran Tommaso’s Ristorante Italiano, a celebrated North Beach institution, for 51 years. The THD Oral History Project caught up with Agostino Crotti and Anna Crotti on the eve of their retirement in November 2024. In this interview, Agostino and Anna describe their emigration from Italy to San Francisco, the restaurant’s storied history, how they took ownership in 1973 and highlights of their time at Tommaso’s.

McGurrin

Flicka

Born and raised in San Francisco, Flicka owns Pier 23, an iconic waterfront cafe and music venue on the Embarcadero, and Sweetie’s Art Bar at 475 Francisco Street, a neighborhood favorite. She is an accomplished painter who studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, and she enjoys open water swimming, singing and playing conga drums. Her three adult children, Meighan, McGurrin and Lelogoa, manage Pier 23 these days, while Flicka spends much of her time at Sweetie’s and in her painting studio. Flicka maintains an adventurous spirit and a firm commitment to North Beach.

Huff

Peggy

Born in 1941, Peggy grew up in Coral Gables, Florida, and developed an early passion for interior design. She moved to the Bay Area around 1960, attended San Jose State University and got married in 1964. In the late 1960s, she lived on Napier Lane, studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute, worked at Warren Hinckle’s Ramparts magazine and her son, Steven, was born in 1970. Peggy has worked steadily as an artist since the early 1980's and worked for more than 20 years as a facilitator at Creative Growth in Oakland. She married artist Ed Handelman in 1985, and she and Ed now have neighboring studios at their home on upper Grant Avenue.

Wong

Howard

Howard is a North Beach native whose family were among the first Chinese-Americans to move to the neighborhood in the 1950s. He worked on a wide range of projects during his during his 17-year career with the city’s Bureau of Architecture, and developed strong interests in public transportation and historic preservation. Since retiring, Howard has focused his energies on public transportation advocacy and other civic activities.