• Launching a National Treasure: Haight and Ashbury

    July 22, 2019

    On May 15, 2019 the National Trust designated the Corner of Haight and Ashbury its 100th National Treasure. It was a party in the true spirit of the Haight.

    Festivities included a morning media event at 557 Ashbury – the “Doolan-Larson House,” the centerpiece of the designation. The crowd included those who contributed first-hand to the cultural life of the 60s in the Haight, including Peggy Caserta, who opened the clothing boutique Mnasidika in a first floor storefront of the building in early 1965.

    The campaign will be altogether unique for the National Trust - our first to explore the impact of the 1960s counterculture. The history is relatively young, but the era undoubtedly impactful on contemporary society. And few tangible places represent this impact as well as the intersection of Haight and Ashbury Streets in San Francisco.

    San Francisco Heritage acquired the Doolan-Larson Building in 2018. It is located at the northwest corner of the famed intersection, including its six storefronts along Haight Street. The property was an estate gift by its long-time steward Norm Larson. When he purchased the property in 1980 Larson found the 2nd and 3rd stories divided into eight boarding rooms (aka crash pads). He spent the next several decades painstakingly returning the residential portion of the home to its turn-of-the-century appearance. The storefronts on the ground floor, like much of the retail shops in the Haight, are independently owned and contribute to the neighborhood’s identity and feel.

    The National Trust’s next steps are to work closely with Heritage and the Haight Street Art Center on a collaborative visioning process to create a new cultural destination at the site during the coming year. We plan to share our expertise in the management of historic sites and explore innovative programming concepts.

    Check out some of the local news coverage of the announcement:

    San Francisco Supervisor Vallie Brown speaking in the first floor front parlor during the National Treasure announcement of the Corner of Haight-Ashbury

    San Francisco Supervisor Vallie Brown speaking in the first floor front parlor during the announcement.

    No major event in the Haight would be complete without street musicians and free food courtesy of Arizmendi Bakery and Ritual Coffee.

1 place update

This May, our Preservation Month theme is “People Saving Places” to shine the spotlight on everyone doing the work of saving places—in big ways and small—and inspiring others to do the same!

Celebrate!