Dogpatch Howler › Serving the Dogpatch Neighborhood since 2011

The Goat. For Lease.

Last week Andrew Dudley of Haighteration sent over this link:

$4836 / 1209ft² – ▲ DOGPATCH Retail for Lease ▲ (potrero hill)

Third & Twentieth | Dogpatch District
Retail Space for Lease
Property Brochure

Size: +/-1,209
Rate: $4 psf

+ 2289 Third Street
+ Easy access to public transportation
+ Successful neighbors

Location:
Located on the eastern side of San Francisco, this once working class neighborhood has quickly
made a name for itself. Adjacent to the waterfront, the Dogpatch District continues to see a steady increase in residential growth and commercial development. The Third Street Corridor is this District’s main attraction, making Third & Twentieth the center of it all, and sits directly across from the much traveled T Line.

I was… too emotional… to post anything, especially without checking with Christopher first. Then, as these things go, checking with Christopher led to the usual discoordination of my typing fingers, so this post languished for a bit. Anyway, the Goat’s liquor license stays with the Goat, no matter which brick building in Dogpatch the Goat might move to, Christopher was pretty confident that he will continue to liquidate the neighborhood.

Filed under Dogpatch on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 with tags booze, rumors. Comments (0)

Police Blotter

The SFPD says:

Recovered Firearm:

On June 16th at midnight, officers responded to the 600 block of Indiana to help clear an unorganized closure of a night club in the area. The officers were dispersing individuals who were loitering about. They noticed a group of subjects hanging out at an LRV platform at 3rd and 20th. The subjects did not board the train that had stopped and milled about the platform with no apparent purpose. The officers detained and identified the individuals. One of the officers found a back pack on the platform that had been left on the ground by one of the suspects (though the officers were not sure by which). None of the suspects claimed ownership of the item. Inside the bag, the officers located a loaded .38 caliber handgun. The officers seized the weapon for processing. The suspects were released pending further investigation into the firearm and review of surveillance footage from the MUNI platform. This incident is under investigation and may have involved the following robbery report. (SFPD Case No. 130496145)

Robbery:

On June 17th at 6:00 pm, two victims came into Bayview Station to report that they had been robbed at 12:40 am that morning while waiting at the MUNI platform at 3rd and 20th. The victims were approached by a large group of subjects. One of the suspects grabbed one of the victims, stole the hat he was wearing, and threw him off the elevated platform to the street. Another suspect approached the second victim and snatched a chain off his neck after shoving him to the ground. All of the suspects then fled on foot. Surveillance footage from the area which may have captured the robbery is under investigation. (SFPD Case No. 130498129)

This same event was written up in SF Weekly:
Pack of 17 Dudes Beat and Rob Two Kids Waiting for Muni

Officer Teper confirmed that these two events happened one after another. There are indeed two cameras at each of the T line stops, northbound and southbound. So far the Howler has been unable to confirm with Muni whether or not the train that the suspects were not boarding was actually continuing past 23rd or not.

Robbery:

On June 17th at 7:15 pm, a 19 year old victim was robbed in the area of 19th and Minnesota. He told the responding officers that he had been walking in the area while holding his iPhone in his hand. A suspect approached the victim from behind a put a gun to his cheek while ordering him to give up his phone. The victim, in fear for his life, handed the phone to the suspect who in turn fled north on Minnesota. The officers searched the area for the suspect but were unable to locate him that night. This incident is under investigation. (SFPD Case No. 130498129)

Filed under Dogpatch on Thursday, June 20, 2013 with tags crime. Comments (1)

Police Update

Hey, that was exciting yesterday, and according to the police, no one got hurt. A lot of people were frustrated, though, what with Caltrain being seriously delayed.

Officer Teper said in an email:

Hi. The incident occurred on 22nd between Illinois and Pennsylvania. The suspect was having a psychotic episode and was taken in for treatment. There were no injuries.
I have not seen anything regarding any incident on the 600 block of Texas.
Thank you for writing.

The rumor that the individual (suspect?) was living under the freeway remains unconfirmed.

Maybe now is the time for us as citizens to figure out how to be empathetic. I haven’t been able to get past the first chapter or two of “Hobos, Hustlers, and Backsliders: Homeless in San Francisco“, but it is about people who lived here in Dogpatch only a few years ago — probably under that bridge. Is there anything in it that could teach us about our neighbors? Please let us know if you have read it and if it opened your heart or closed it up.

Filed under Dogpatch on Tuesday, June 18, 2013. Comments (6)

Police at 22nd and Iowa

Investigative reporter Sarah said:

tons of police heading west on 22nd

Shortly after, a dispatcher was heard on ScanSF:

“all mission units not tied up to respond to 22nd and iowa for the incident”

a line of police cars

Police were keeping a tight cordon, saying that someone was trying to hurt himself.

Baja Dogpatch

The Potrero Hill / Dogpatch Green Benefits District just sent out a link to a survey that you should probably go fill out so they can figure out how to add more green to our grit*.

Go take the survey, you can always come back to the Howler later:
http://www.phdgbdsurvey.org/

Okay, when you were taking that survey, did you notice the kind of amazing map of micro-mini-neighborhoods?

I’m looking at you, “Baja Dogpatch,” pick a name. A divided house cannot stand.

* “gritty Dogpatch” is a thing. Please consider a new adjective.

Filed under Dogpatch on Wednesday, May 1, 2013 with tags pendatry. Comments (5)

Uppercasing History

The Upper Haight has its own neighborhood blog, and they posted today about the Spencer House in their fair hood.

Archival: Meet the Spencer House

Uppercasing says:

The John Spencer House was built in about 1895 (it’s hard to say for sure; the city’s building records burned in 1906), and is a shining, brilliant relic of Queen Anne architecture.

Let’s go to the directories! Where do we first see Mr. John Spencer?

1881:

Spencer John C., artificial flowers and feathers, 1024 Market, r. NW cor Mason and O’Farrell

1024 Market is where Machine Coffee & Deli is today.

Only a few years later, the store has a slightly more interesting name:
1887:

Spencer John C., proprietor The Wonder Flower and Feather Store, 1024 Market, r. 2618 Market

Eventually, hats!
1891:

Spencer John C. proprietor
The Wonder Hat Flower and Feather Store, 1024 Market, r. 225 Castro

225 Castro is just a quick trip on the F line away, or a half hour plus walk.

Spencer John C. proprietor
The Wonder Hat Flower and Feather Store, 1024 Market, r. 225 Castro

1894 saw an an expansion of business: the store address was listed as 1024-1026-1028 Market, but Mr Spencer still lived at 225 Castro.

Finally, in 1896, we see Mr. Spencer in his new home:

Spencer John C., proprietor The Wonder Hat, Flower and Feather Store, 1024-1026 Market, r. NE cor Baker and Haight

Spencer John C., proprietor The Wonder Hat, Flower and Feather Store, 1024-1026 Market, r. NE cor Baker and Haight

In 1897, it looks like Mr. Spencer took on a partner, but Spencer himself is finally listed at 1040 Haight.

Spencer & Mitau (John C. Spencer and Morris Mitau) proprietors The Wonder, 1026 Market

Spencer John C. (Spencer & Mitau) r. 1040 Haight

By 1899, the shop had condensed to 1026 Market. In case you’re wondering, Morris Mitau lived at 2226 Clay.

John is listed in the 1905 and 1907 directories at 1080 Haight, but in 1908, James Costello, seeming president of O’ Connor, Moffatt & Co, has the residence, and Mr. Spencer has moved to 2140 Vallejo. O’ Connor, Moffatt & Co was later acquired by Macy’s and became Macy’s West.

This is possibly on the heels of being “burned out” by the 1906 fire, as is written up in Volume 7 of the Illustrated Milliner:

The full extent of the terrible tragedy at San Francisco can never be fully realized by any but those who passed through this awful calamity. … The entire life work and savings of many a deserving woman, who has struggled against all forms of adversity, was represented in the loss of some of their millinery shops.

The shop moves around a bit on Mission and Van Ness, but then in 1920, Alice Spencer is listed at the widow of John Spencer. An Arthur E Spencer is listed at the same address, married to a Nina, and as the manager of Wonder Millinery.

Looking for the Wonder Millinery finds it in the 26 April 1894 San Francisco Call:

. Strangely, it looks like there might be a separate “Wonder” millinery (small m) around the same time.

The Illustrated Milliner is a pretty awesome magazine.

In 1922 the Wonder Millinery is still at 930 Market, but Arthur E Spencer isn’t listed as a manager or milliner, but an engineer. He might not even be the same Arthur. I’d say it’s safe to say that the Spencer feather and hat empire had come to a close.

Filed under History on Thursday, April 18, 2013. Comments (1)

Robbery at Gunpoint

The SFPD says:

Armed Robbery:
On April 13th at 11:00 pm, officers responded to the 600 block of 22nd St. to a call of a robbery. They met with the two victims, ages 29 and 39. The victims told the officers that they were at a party in the area and stepped outside to smoke a cigarette. As the victims were listening to music from one of their smart phones, they were approached by two suspects. One of the suspects pointed a handgun at the victims and demanded all of their property. The victims, fearing for their lives, gave up their personal belongings which included a purse, laptop bag, and cell phone. The suspects then went through the victims’ pockets and took additional items. The suspects then fled on foot, east on 22nd. The officers searched the area for the suspects but were unable to locate them that night. This incident is under investigation. (SFPD Case No.
130303471)

As a good-neighbor measure the AIC should really install some cameras that cover the blocks around their building.

Filed under Dogpatch on Monday, April 15, 2013 with tags crime. Comments (2)

Museum of Craft and Design: Now Open!

Dogpatch has been waiting a year — make that a century and a half — for its first museum, and we are finally on the map. The Museum of Craft and Design had its grand opening this weekend, with a cupcake truck, hot dog stand, bahn mi sandwiches*, and works from three talented contemporary artists. As such, the museum space was crowded and noisy on Saturday. Patrons swarmed amidst the work exitedly. Their conversations echoed to deafening extent — a situation not helped by the DJ spinning in a corner.

But the work! “Creatures from the Deep” by Arline Fisch is lovely and exciting. Unfortunately, having the jellyfish cordoned off in a single space reduced their three dimensionality — they would have been well served to be installed at multiple heights in individually navigable groups.

“Accomodation” by Rebecca Hutchinson is an installation constructed in-place. The sculptural work was beautiful and seemed to be organic and alive, but also suffered from feeling pressed into a corner.

The real star of the show was “A Sculptural Odyssey, 1968-2011” by Michael Cooper, being a stunning exploration of the fetishization of machine — automotive forms reinterpreted into abstractions, surreal larger-than-life handguns, and impossible chairs and conveyances that seem all-but-real. The artist’s work is simultaneously grotesque and sublime: perfectly expressed three dimensional collages.

If you miss the free admission this weekend, the regular admission is $8 — but it might be worth it just to avoid having to wade through intense crowds. Then again, with such strong work, there is a chance that they will be mobbed every weekend. This museum could be the new anchor for the neighborhood.

So, what night is the Dogpatch Art Walk (Dogpatch Art Bark?) each month? Are there enough galleries, studios, and museum to make that work?

Filed under Dogpatch, Art on Sunday, April 7, 2013. Comments (1)

April Fool’s Posts Are The Worst

We here at the Howler are completely above such things.

The Bold Italic says:

Behind a nondescript door in Dogpatch, Jason Munchausen is trying to revolutionize the way we breathe – one jar at a time.

…

What drives an otherwise successful guy to leave his job as the start-up coordinator at a start-up that incubates start-ups in its start-up incubator and then launches new start-ups to chase a crazy dream of handcrafting fine American air? “There was a need, really,” Jason says. “I mean, where I grew up, in the Midwest, there was one kind of air. You either breathed it or you didn’t. And then when I moved out here, I guess expecting to find, like, a thousand different kinds of air, no dice. Just the same air.” Jason started experimenting with different blends, compositions, and testing them out on his friends and his 12 roommates.

Oh, and when that Subway Sandwiches franchise opens in Potrero Launch, we will be running a special Dogpatch Dealz™ coupon. I forgot to mention that before, but it’s pretty cool.

Filed under Dogpatch on Monday, April 1, 2013. Comments (0)

Advertising Pays Rent, Is Lucrative For Operating Our Local Site

Thanks for a year and a half-ish of Howling! Thanks to your loyal readership, we’ve been able to enter into a new advertising contract with a local marketing company. We’re excited for the pivot and for the new offices that we will be renting! Yes, this deal will be lucrative enough for me to switch to full-time reportage — just like if I had gotten a “journalism degree.” Anyway, you can expect the exact same intensity of snarkiness and occasional research, just more often, and with a little more positivity towards the Subway Sandwich franchise opening in Potrero Launch.

Really, though, it was ads or a paywall, so you get in-article ads like this:

I cannot thank you enough for reading and spending the time to decipher the jokes in my silly headlines.

Filed under Dogpatch on Monday, April 1, 2013. Comments (7)