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Inner Richmond, San Francisco: Clement Street, the Columbarium and the Richmond branch library

Inner Richmond, California

The Inner Richmond runs west from Arguello Boulevard, and its high street is Clement Street. The city's address records place the 1 to 1156 blocks of Clement in the Inner Richmond; from the 1200 block the street is in the Outer Richmond. Along it are bakeries and seafood markets, a hardware store at two numbers, a bookshop at 506 Clement Street and a farmers' market at 244. On Lake Street, Congregation Emanu-El's synagogue stands at number 2 and St. John's Presbyterian Church holds the corner with Arguello Boulevard: San Francisco Landmark No. 83, designated in 1976. The branch library is at 351 9th Avenue, the Internet Archive at 300 Funston Avenue and the Columbarium at 1 Loraine Court. Mountain Lake Park, 12.96 acres, is addressed 1 11th Avenue, and two mini parks sit off the corridor at 450 7th Avenue and at the corner of 10th Avenue and Clement Street.

  1. The high street, running west from Arguello Boulevard; the 1 to 1156 blocks are Inner Richmond and the street is Outer Richmond from the 1200 block.

  2. Built in 1905 by George Dodge and J. Walter Dolliver on the corner of Lake Street and Arguello Boulevard; San Francisco Landmark No. 83, designated in 1976.

  3. Bliss & Faville's Classical Revival branch of 1914 at 351 9th Avenue, built with a grant from Andrew Carnegie and renovated by 16 May 2009.

  4. Bernard J. S. Cahill's domed building of 1898 at 1 Loraine Court, with three halls named for Olympians, Titans and Heroes; office hours 9am to 5pm on weekdays.

  5. Henry Gutterson's building of 1929 at 325 Arguello Boulevard, its meeting hall panelled in redwood under trussed cathedral vaults.

  6. The headquarters at 300 Funston Avenue, in a former Christian Science church, occupied since 2009; from 1996 to 2009 the Archive was in the Presidio.

  7. Congregation Emanu-El's synagogue at 2 Lake Street, dedicated over three days on 16, 17 and 18 April 1926.

  8. Recreation and Park's 12.96 acres at 1 11th Avenue, with a playground and tennis courts; the lake itself is National Park Service ground.

  9. At 309 Clement Street, with dine-in lunch from 11.30am and dinner from 5pm, later on Friday and Saturday.

  10. At 116 Clement Street: Seisiún on weekend afternoons, an Old Time Jam on odd Tuesdays, Set Dancing on Wednesdays, and a cover charge at weekends.

  11. At 521 Clement Street between 6th and 7th Avenues, open Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm.

  12. At 436 Balboa Street, open daily 7am to 7pm, for Napoleon cakes, honey cakes, piroshki and Russian pies.

  13. At 506 Clement Street, buying books from 10am to 6pm daily; the Legacy Business Registry records it under nomination number LBR-2015-16-022.

  14. At 244 Clement Street, where Rize Up Bakery, Volcano Kimchi, Cap'n Mike's Holy Smoke and Joodooboo hold business records.

Clement Street

Clement Street runs west from Arguello Boulevard. The city's address records place the 1 to 1156 blocks in the Inner Richmond; from the 1200 block the street is in the Outer Richmond.

Green Apple Books is at 506 Clement Street and buys books there from 10am to 6pm daily; the Legacy Business Registry certified the business on 3 October 2016 under nomination number LBR-2015-16-022 and records it as established in 1967. Park Life at 220 Clement Street is a shop and gallery stocking books, design objects, editions, apparel, art, stationery, gifts, prints, bags, hats and jewellery, with rotating exhibitions in the gallery. Richmond New May Wah Supermarket occupies 707 and 719 Clement Street, Kamei Restaurant Supply and Kamei Household Wares 525 and 547, Standard Plumbing Ace Hardware 144 and 152, and Sixth Avenue Aquarium 425.

Burma Superstar is at 309 Clement Street, with dine-in lunch Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 3pm and Friday to Sunday 11.30am to 3.30pm, and dine-in dinner Sunday to Thursday 5pm to 9.30pm and Friday and Saturday 5pm to 10pm. The Plough and Stars at 116 Clement Street, at 2nd Avenue, opens Sunday 11am to 2am, Monday and Tuesday 5pm to 2am, Wednesday 3pm to 2am, Thursday 4pm to 2am, Friday 3pm to 2am and Saturday 2pm to 2am, with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday nights; its schedule gives Seisiún on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4pm, an Old Time Jam on odd Tuesdays from 7 to 9.30pm, Set Dancing on various Wednesdays with rotating bands, and Board Game Night on the first and third Mondays from 6.30pm. Schubert's Bakery is at 521 Clement Street, between 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue, opening Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm. The Clement Street Farmers' Market operates at 244 Clement Street; no source states its day or its hours, so none are given here.

The rest of the street, by number: Toy Boat by Jane at 401; Blue Danube Coffee House at 306; Wing Lee Bakery at 503; Good Luck Dim Sum at 736; Kamei Restaurant Supply and Kamei Household Wares at 525 and 547; Cheung Hing Chinese Deli at 323; Giorgio's Pizzeria at 151; Chapeau! at 126; Foggy Notion at 124; Woot Bear at 147; Standard Plumbing Ace Hardware at 144 and 152; Wako Japanese Restaurant at 211; Kitchen Istanbul at 349; Pasta Supply Co. at 236; Genki Crepes & Mini Mart at 330; High Treason at 443; Mamahuhu at 517; Lost Marbles Brewpub at 823; Clement Seafood Center at 831; Wing Hing Seafood Market at 633; Red A Bakery and Red A Dim Sum at 634; Cherry Blossom Bakery at 844; Tai Hing Book Store at 848; See's Candies at 754; Heroes Club at 840; Cable Car Wine and Spirits at 841; Keeva Indian Kitchen at 908; All Stars Donuts at 901; Nakorn Thai at 639; Xiao Long Bao Restaurant at 625; Sakesan at 626; Taishan Taste Hot Pot at 354; Mais Vietnamese Restaurant at 316; Café Bunn Mi at 417; King's Thai Cuisine at 346; Lime Tree at 836; Tenglong Chinese Restaurant at 208; 7th and Clement Market at 538; Clement Dung Market at 645; Yong Fong Co. at 612.

Lake Street, Arguello Boulevard and 9th Avenue

St. John's Presbyterian Church holds the corner of Lake Street and Arguello Boulevard, and the National Register record gives its address as 25 Lake Street and 201 Arguello Boulevard. It was built in 1905 to designs by George Dodge and J. Walter Dolliver, and it is San Francisco Landmark No. 83, designated in 1976, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 under reference number 95001555. Congregation Emanu-El's synagogue stands at 2 Lake Street, on the block bounded by Lake Street, Arguello Boulevard, California Street and 2nd Avenue; it was dedicated over three days, on 16, 17 and 18 April 1926.

The Campfire Girls Building at 325 Arguello Boulevard was built in 1929 to a design by Henry Gutterson, its central meeting hall finished in redwood trim and panelling with beams in trussed cathedral vaults: San Francisco Landmark No. 169, designated in 1984 under Article 10 of the Planning Code. No source states a current occupant or public access for it, so none are given here. The Richmond / Senator Milton Marks Branch Library at 351 9th Avenue is San Francisco Landmark No. 247, designated in 2005 under Article 10 of the Planning Code; Bliss & Faville designed it in the Classical Revival style and it opened in 1914, built with a grant from Andrew Carnegie, after a Richmond branch had operated since 1892 at 809 Point Lobos Avenue. Its renovation was completed on 16 May 2009. Scott Donahue's Touching Earth, of 2010, stands at the same address under accession number 2010.5.1-2.

The San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home at 1 Loraine Court was completed in 1898 to a design by Bernard J. S. Cahill, neo-classical under a copper dome, with a rotunda of mosaic tile floors and a domed skylight and balconies across four floors; three main halls carry the names Hall of Olympians, Hall of Titans and Hall of Heroes. It is San Francisco Landmark No. 209, designated in 1996 under Article 10 of the Planning Code. The Internet Archive has had its headquarters at 300 Funston Avenue, in a former Christian Science church, since 2009; from 1996 to 2009 it was in the Presidio.

Three works from the San Francisco Arts Commission's Civic Art Collection are catalogued to the police station at 461 6th Avenue: Untitled #1 and Untitled #2, both by Jaap (Jacob) Bongers and both of 1991, on the lobby floor under accession numbers 1991.2.1 and 1991.2.2, and Good Luck Piece by Shelley Jurs, also of 1991, at the front doors under accession number 1991.4. Aristides Demetrios's Red Gothic, of 1986, stands at 7th Avenue and Anza Street under accession number 1987.42. SF Planning's survey records name Fernando Nelson as the builder of Inner Richmond houses between 1910 and 1914, and Joseph Leonard with the Urban Realty Improvement Company as the builders in Richmond Heights between 1910 and 1911.

Getting there

Steer by the street numbers instead.

Arguello Boulevard is the zone's eastern limit. The city's address records place 201, 325 and 397 Arguello Boulevard in the Inner Richmond and 200, 350 and 460 across the street in Presidio Heights. On Funston Avenue the records place number 63 in the Presidio and number 120 in the Inner Richmond. Westward, the records place 4800 Geary Boulevard in the Inner Richmond and 5000 Geary Boulevard in the Outer Richmond, and 4620 California Street in the Inner Richmond; on Clement Street the 1 to 1156 blocks are Inner Richmond and the street is Outer Richmond from the 1200 block.

The addresses that matter: the Richmond / Senator Milton Marks Branch Library, 351 9th Avenue. St. John's Presbyterian Church, 25 Lake Street at Arguello Boulevard. Congregation Emanu-El's synagogue, 2 Lake Street. The Campfire Girls Building, 325 Arguello Boulevard. The Internet Archive, 300 Funston Avenue. The San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home, 1 Loraine Court. Mountain Lake Park, 1 11th Avenue. Muriel Leff Mini Park, 450 7th Avenue. The 10th Avenue & Clement Mini Park, which Recreation and Park addresses as 351 Ninth Avenue. Cinderella Bakery & Café, 436 Balboa Street. Arsicault Bakery, 397 Arguello Boulevard. Red Gothic, at 7th Avenue and Anza Street. The police station, 461 6th Avenue.

Frequently asked questions

Which buildings here carry a register citation?
St. John's Presbyterian Church, at 25 Lake Street and 201 Arguello Boulevard, is San Francisco Landmark No. 83, designated in 1976, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996 under reference number 95001555. The Campfire Girls Building at 325 Arguello Boulevard is San Francisco Landmark No. 169, designated in 1984. The Richmond / Senator Milton Marks Branch Library at 351 9th Avenue is San Francisco Landmark No. 247, designated in 2005. The San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home at 1 Loraine Court is San Francisco Landmark No. 209, designated in 1996.
When is the branch library open?
The Richmond / Senator Milton Marks Branch Library at 351 9th Avenue opens Sunday 1 to 5, Monday 10 to 6, Tuesday 10 to 8, Wednesday 10 to 8, Thursday 10 to 8, Friday 1 to 6 and Saturday 10 to 6, and its telephone number is 415-355-5600. Bliss & Faville designed the building in the Classical Revival style and it opened in 1914, built with a grant from Andrew Carnegie; the renovation was completed on 16 May 2009. Scott Donahue's Touching Earth, of 2010, stands at the same address under accession number 2010.5.1-2.
Where can I eat and drink, and when?
Burma Superstar, 309 Clement Street, telephone (415) 387-2147: dine-in lunch Monday to Thursday 11.30am to 3pm and Friday to Sunday 11.30am to 3.30pm; dine-in dinner Sunday to Thursday 5pm to 9.30pm and Friday and Saturday 5pm to 10pm. The Plough and Stars, 116 Clement Street, telephone (415) 751-1122: Sunday 11am to 2am, Monday and Tuesday 5pm to 2am, Wednesday 3pm to 2am, Thursday 4pm to 2am, Friday 3pm to 2am, Saturday 2pm to 2am, with a cover charge on Friday and Saturday nights. Schubert's Bakery, 521 Clement Street, telephone 415-752-1580: Wednesday to Saturday 9am to 5pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm. Cinderella Bakery & Café, 436 Balboa Street: daily 7am to 7pm.
Can I go into the Campfire Girls Building or the synagogue on Lake Street?
No source states a current occupant, public access or opening hours for the Campfire Girls Building at 325 Arguello Boulevard, so none are given here; it is San Francisco Landmark No. 169, designated in 1984, and it stands on Arguello Boulevard. No source states opening hours for Congregation Emanu-El's synagogue at 2 Lake Street either, so none are given here. The synagogue was dedicated over three days, on 16, 17 and 18 April 1926.
What is the Columbarium, and when can I visit?
The San Francisco Columbarium & Funeral Home is at 1 Loraine Court; its office hours are Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, and its telephone number is 415-771-0717. It is San Francisco Landmark No. 209, designated in 1996 under Article 10 of the Planning Code. Bernard J. S. Cahill's building was completed in 1898, neo-classical under a copper dome, and the rotunda has mosaic tile floors, stained-glass windows and a domed skylight, with balconies across four floors. Six ground-floor rooms have stained-glass windows, and one of them has been attributed to both Louis Comfort Tiffany and John La Farge. The building stood in the Odd Fellows Cemetery; San Francisco prohibited cremation in 1910 and the burials were moved out of the city, and the Neptune Society of Northern California began restoration in 1980.

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