C.W. Nevius throws in his two cents' worth on the Pagoda Theater in today's Chron; nothing new here, save a few priceless lines from the inimitably quotable Aaron Peskin who paraphrased Rodney King (1992 L.A. Riots, North Beach NIMBY quibble— total correlation there) while assessing the state of the nabe. In response to developer Joe Campos, whose plans to transform the site into residential condos remains caught in the crossfire, Peskin said: "I told him, 'Hey, dude, I just want to get along ... In no way is this legislation aimed at the Pagoda Theater.'" Peskin claims no ill will toward those who support redevelopment in the area, including the single mother who mortgaged her house in order to open the long-beleaguered (and as of Sunday, now open) Fro-Yo shop, Swirl Culture. The Pagoda's property owner claims that opposition is "coming out of one household" (i.e. Peskin's). The kicker, however, goes another disgruntled North Beacher: "If that legislation passes, Aaron Peskin's legacy will be an aviary." Not to mention a whole lot of shit.
· Serious Shitshow: Curbed Presents the Pagoda Theater [Curbed SF]
· North Beach Says: "Enough With the Plywood" [Curbed SF]
· Theater of Absurdity: North Beach Wars Over Pagoda Development [Curbed SF]
· (Pre) Development Watch: Reincarnation at Columbus and Powell [Curbed SF]
· Ask Curbed SF: Graf Can't Mask North Beach Eyesore [Curbed SF]
Shitshow. For once, the situation at hand begs for literal use of this, our most overused cherished of all pejoratives. Behold the Pagoda Theater, in all its bombed-out, faded, pigeon dung-encrusted glory; the theater-cum-bunker is one of a battalion of buildings at the center of North Beach neighbors' ongoing skirmish over building, zoning, and preservation (not to mention Fro-Yo). Following a very special invitation, Curbed SF dispatched an operative over to 1701 Powell Street in order to document a site whose ruins, as you see here, may not inspire the sort of romantic vision wistful preservationists tend to cling to. A couple of phone calls and a few IMversations with our operative garnered the following intel:
· The building has been gutted entirely— no furniture, fixtures, or remnants of any kind, save an obscene coating of pigeon doo. Following an impassioned tirade on the doings of North Beach's infamous nabe groups, our informant insisted "there's nothing here to preserve! No columns, no arches...!" Rant roll call: Supe Aaron Peskin, wife and Telegraph Hill Dwellers prez Nancy Shanahan, and NB Chamber of Commerce prez Marsha Garland, natch. Not-so-incidentally, if all systems remain at a "go," 17-20 residential units, parking, and restaurant space will eventually occupy the site.
Removal of Bush Street signs: 1) A poignant gesture of protest against the Bush presidency; or 2) A surefire way to invite car accidents and desperate Google Map usage as drivers, tourists, and iPhone junkies alike struggle to find their whereabouts; or 3) A shortsighted— not to mention damn well annoying— prank that most will hardly notice let alone associate with our current administration. You decide.
Screw old news. Join us in real time on the Curbed SF TwitterWire. This just in: Twitter Sixy reports that a huge blow-up dinosaur is protesting at the Esprit Park construction site, chanting "Treat your workers like you should!" while drumming and waving placards around— all the fixings of a good, old fashioned demonstration. One can only describe so much in a 140-character tweet.— who else among you saw Barney's parade?
Via the Curbed SF TwitterWire (join us!): The torch is gone. As in, already on its way to the airport. See also: a KTVU anchor just called the torch "the cross." Um ... After party?
We just snapped the following shots at the Embarcadero; expect this set to be updated as our operatives send in more material throughout this grand day. See photos' captions for deets. TWITTERWIRE UPDATE: The torch is on Bay Street between Franklin and Gough; few protesters reported. Oh, oh ... the protesters have caught up! Viva San Francisco!
Pure madness already. Via the Curbed SF TwitterWire (join us!): All the bridges are locked down; Mad helicopters overhead, along with planes flying "Free Tibet" flags and such; Cops are on jetskis in Mission Creek; First scuffles reported, police are already separating protesters; "Tibet vs. China on 4th Street"; Trains are a mess. Stay tuned...
Hey San Francisco, join us on Twitter— new feature alert!— or drop a line in the Curbed SF Inbox, and help Curbed SF keep an eye on today's Olympic torch protest (or anything else, for that matter). Bonus for digital photos (end-of-day photo gallery? You bet your gas mask.) Mad love, your Editrix
[Says a Curbed fan of last night's Giants vs. Padres game at AT&T Park: "The cheers of 'Free! Ti! Bet!' somehow turned into 'Lets! Go! Mets!' in the drunk bleachers." Yes, that actually happened.]
Epic. By all accounts, this morning's arrival of the Olympic torch was nothing short of a covert op: "The Olympic flame arrived in San Francisco from Paris early today under cover of darkness and security typically reserved for head-of-state visits ... Several San Francisco police officers guarded every entrance to the airport's international terminal this morning and patrolled heavily outside.Initially some officers wore riot helmets, then later took them off. Agents with the U.S. State Department, Secret Service and the Customs and Border Protection agency were also part of the security contingent..." [SF Gate]
Castro residents might consider banding together to form a support group or plot a protest— anything to cope with the Planning Department's decision to approve a residential addition at 20th and Douglass Streets, despite vehement opposition from some disgruntled neighbors. The home in question will now rise (or in the opinion of the nabes, loom) 30 feet above the venerated Douglass Steps, effectively truncating a bit of the view. Enter Curbed SF commenters: discussions on the subject have erupted into some of the best reader throw-downs we've hosted on this here blog. To wit:
Plaintiff: "My question is, what view? All I see are a tangle of phone wires and haze. "Doesn't my concrete look cool in the distance"? This is typical San Franciscan micro-management at it's best/worst."
Defendant: "The bottom line is that they need to move out to the burbs where they can build the McMansion of their dreams. The Castro has no tolerance for selfish, spacehog breeders."
So on, and so forth; et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. One resident deemed the city's call a "great loss to the LGBT community." A little overstated, yes, but prescient too, no doubt — don't expect the nabe to acquiesce quite yet.
· Panel OKs Castro projects [BAR]
· This Way Up: Nabe Opposes Douglass Steps Addition [Curbed SF]
[Photo and rendering: Tony DeYoung and Joe Metro, via the Bay Area Reporter.]
Ever notice how Bay Area protesters often tend to stray from the stated issue? However, this rare, vintage variety of Berkeley hippie— not only did he use today's (ongoing) anti-Marine demonstration in Berkeley as an occasion for railing on Bush—while dressed in his best Nelson Mandela-meets-Sally Ross getup, natch— but he also advertised another, future protest while at it. Strategic. Or something. Other reports indicate that Berkeley parents have effectively assuaged their liberal guilt by encouraging their kids to play hooky. Code Pinkers are pinking on as per the norm, and a former Cal tree sitter has even been spotted on the scene. Berkeley, you never fail to inspire a good, hearty rolling of the eyes.
· Snapshots of the Rally on Shattuck [CBS 5]
· Public Throw Down in Berkeley, Protesters on Standby [Curbed SF]
· Berkeley Spins Wheels, Spends its 15 Minutes [Curbed SF]
· Stand Off on Shattuck, Stand Down for Berkeley [Curbed SF]
· Berkeley Ousts Marines, Welcomes Growers [Curbed SF]
About Curbed SF
From the Golden Gate to The Mission, in San Francisco, it all comes back to our neighborhoods: where we live, where we work, where we eat, and where we play. Covering real estate sales, rental prices, and news-making deals and much more, it's all on Curbed SF. More about Curbed SF...
Shitshow. For once, the situation at hand begs for literal use of this, our most 
Screw old news. Join us in real time on the Curbed SF 
Hey San Francisco, 
Epic. By all accounts, this morning's arrival of the Olympic torch was nothing short of a covert op: "The Olympic flame arrived in San Francisco from Paris early today under cover of darkness and security typically reserved for head-of-state visits ... 
Mission Accomplished. Via Gav 'n Heather have taken the Olympic torch route back to the drawing board, this time swearing that the plan will not, by God, be made known to the public. Sneaky, sneaky. Quoth Gavin, to 
Castro residents might consider banding together to form a support group or plot a protest— anything to cope with the Planning Department's decision to approve a residential addition at 20th and Douglass Streets, despite vehement opposition from some disgruntled neighbors. The home in question will now rise (or in the opinion of the nabes, loom) 30 feet above the venerated Douglass Steps, effectively truncating a bit of the view. Enter Curbed SF commenters: discussions on the subject have erupted into some of the 
Ever notice how Bay Area protesters often tend to stray from the stated issue? However, this rare, vintage variety of Berkeley hippie— not only did he use today's (ongoing) anti-Marine demonstration in Berkeley as an occasion for railing on Bush—while dressed in his best Nelson Mandela-meets-Sally Ross getup, natch— but he also advertised another, future protest while at it. Strategic. Or something. Other reports indicate that Berkeley parents have effectively assuaged their liberal guilt by encouraging their kids to play hooky. Code Pinkers are pinking on as per the norm, and a former Cal tree sitter has even been spotted on the scene. Berkeley, you never fail to inspire a good, hearty rolling of the eyes. 
