The Coalition to Save the Historic Street Lamps of Van Ness Avenue

Beyond Chron recently put out a post that provides a great overview of the newly founded coalition to save the historic street lamps of Van Ness Avenue.

“The continuous “Ribbon of Light” that illuminates over two miles of Van Ness Avenue from Market Street to Bay Street faces imminent destruction by SFMTA. Built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1936 for the inauguration of the Golden Gate Bridge, and installed atop Beaux Arts trolley poles dating from before the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, these graceful geographic and historic markers are slated for replacement by anonymous steel-tube urban lamps as part of the incoming Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.”

Another quote from the post describing the goal and focus of the coalition:

“Our goal is simple: to ensure that the city recognize the streetlamps’ civic and historic value, and fully explore the costs and technical feasibility of reuse and/or replication of the Van Ness Avenue Historic Streetlamps, before discarding them. We believe that the streetlamps’ classic design can and should continue to provide the architectural framework for new development along Van Ness as a celebration of civic pride, uniting old and new San Francisco.”

It’s a great read on the challenges and compromises that lie ahead on this issue. You can read the post in its entirety here.