Historic Walking Tour Guide: Blackstone Court Landmark District

One-sheet walking tour for the Blackstone Court Landmark District in San Francisco featuring three stops. From introduction: "The Blackstone Court Landmark District is noteworthy as an unusual mid-block enclave of five structures on a blind alley. The Court contains a rare surviving pocket of properties that follow a Gold-Rush-era development pattern that is contrary to San Francisco’s more contemporary street grid. San Francisco streets primarily align with a grid in downtown San Francisco that was created by city surveyor, Jasper O’Farrell in the 1830s. Blackstone Court, however, was built along a pre-Gold Rush trail that lead from the Village of Yerba Buena (later to be renamed San Francisco) toward the Military base at the Presidio. Along the trail, the area surrounding Blackstone Court was settled to take advantage of a fresh water found in nearby Washerwoman’s Lagoon. In 1847, the area was surveyed by William Eddy who laid the streets in a grid that began at the lagoon’s shoreline and went northeast. An 1852 map of San Francisco shows the grid’s alignment with Washerwoman’s Lagoon and Blackstone Court. The northern boundary of Blackstone Court is the last remnant of an 1860s path that ran west around the lagoon. As the city expanded westward from downtown, so did O’Farrell’s street grid. Buildings were moved or demolished beginning in 1889 as Gough, Franklin, Filbert and Greenwich Streets were graded and incorporated into the larger city fabric. From 1885 to 1947, Charles Abraham operated the Western Nursery on most of this block. It was the last agricultural enterprise in the Cow Hollow/Marina district. An Australian peppermint tree and a Monterey Cypress within the district appear to date from the Western Nursery." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2010 Preserve America grant to the City of San Francisco (grant number 06-10-AP-5034) for the Market and Octavia Historic Resource Preservation Project. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Historic Walking Tour Guide: Blackstone Court Landmark District

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