SF Uncorked Summer Lecture Series

Garden Neighborhoods and Urban Oases with Richard Brandi and Woody LaBounty
Date: July 25, 2023 Location: Haas-Lilienthal House Ballroom. Purchase tickets here!

Join us on a journey through time to the early 20th century as we delve into the evolution of San Francisco’s garden neighborhoods. From the intricate planning of areas like St. Francis Wood, Forest Hill, and Sea Cliff, to their distinctive architectural features and the incorporation of natural elements, we’ll explore how these neighborhoods became the urban oases they are today. In a special segment, historic preservation advocate Woody LaBounty will share his personal insights and vision for the future of these green havens amidst San Francisco’s ever-evolving landscape. Richard will be signing copies of his latest book “Garden Neighborhoods of San Francisco: The Development of Residence Parks, 1905-1924,” before the lecture.

Woody LaBounty leads nonprofit initiatives in San Francisco and is a researcher, writer, and speaker on the city’s history. He serves as President and CEO of San Francisco Heritage, a 50-year-old nonprofit with a mission to protect and enhance San Francisco’s unique architectural and cultural identity. Before joining Heritage, Woody was the longtime executive director of the local history organization, Western Neighborhoods Project. There he led efforts to save relief cottages from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, bring more than 50,000 historical images online, and use arts and history to equitably enrich neighborhoods. http://www.woodylabounty.com/

Richard Brandi is a highly experienced and respected professional in the field of historical architecture and preservation. His repertoire of evaluated buildings is extensive and diverse, encompassing railroad roundhouses, train stations, log cabins, courthouses, and more, as well as a wide range of houses. Brandi is also a long-time board member of the award-winning Western Neighborhoods Project, which received the State of California Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation. He has served as president and board member of the Northern California Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians and was also a board member of docomomo’s Northern California Chapter. https://www.brandipreservation.com/

Market Street Marquees: Neon Nirvana with Al Barna, Jim Van Buskirk, Randall Ann Homan
Date: August 2, 2023 Location: Haas-Lilienthal House Ballroom. Purchase tickets here!
Time travel with us to experience the elaborate neon movie marquees that once saturated Market Street in San Francisco. Between the 1930s–1960s, Market Street was home to 18 cinemas between 5th and 10th Streets that created a vibrant neon nightscape. All but three of these movie theaters are closed or demolished. Now it is a treasure hunt to discover these beautiful bygone neon signs where San Francisco’s movie-lovers once gathered from downtown offices, Union Square shops, and beyond. Enter neon nirvana and spend an evening with Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan, founders of San Francisco Neon, with co-presenter Jim Van Buskirk, author of Celluloid San Francisco. San Francisco is one of a handful of cities to designate a special neon preservation district. San Francisco is also home for the Neon Speaks annual international festival and symposium to advocate for neon preservation, coming up in September at the Great American Music Hall. This illustrated presentation features free popcorn!

Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan are the authors and photographers of San Francisco Neon: Survivors and Lost Icons, and Saving Neon. They formed a nonprofit organization, San Francisco Neon, to advocate for the preservation of the artistic legacy of historic neon signs via talks, tours, events, sign design, consultations, and books. Al and Randall Ann are the co-founders and hosts of Neon Speaks, an annual international festival and symposium to celebrate the past and future of neon. https://sfneon.org/ | https://neonspeaks.org/

Jim Van Buskirk is a former librarian at San Francisco Public Library and the co-author of Celluloid San Francisco: The Film Lover’s Guide to Bay Area Movie Locations. He regularly presents illustrated programs on San Francisco history and the city’s role in movie-making, topics include: Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the 1906 earthquake and fire in feature films. https://jimvanbuskirk.com/

Special Event! Save the date…ticketing opening soon!

Shadows & Silhouettes: Discovering San Francisco through Film Noir and Alfred Hitchcock with Christine Madrid French and Eddie Muller
Date: August 8, 2023, 6 pm Location: Vogue Theatre
Join Eddie Muller and historian Christine Madrid French as they embark on a journey through San Francisco’s vibrant film history and architectural legacy using the dual lenses of Film Noir and the works of Alfred Hitchcock, culminating in a forward-looking exploration of the city’s cinematic and architectural future. Eddie, the “Czar of Noir,” will immerse us in the darkly compelling world of Noir and its depictions of San Francisco’s cityscape, showcasing how this genre has dramatically showcased the city’s spirit and structures. Meanwhile, Christine will highlight how significant architectural sites have been immortalized in films like Hitchcock’s ‘Vertigo,’ and decode Hitchcock’s complex relationship with the city’s architecture, tracing the director’s unique ability to employ these structures as silent players in his narrative suspense. In the final act, they will come together to discuss the future of film in a digital world and the evolving landscape of movie theaters in the Bay Area. This presentation offers a panoramic view of San Francisco’s past, its present, and its future as shaped by the intertwined worlds of cinema and architecture. After the conversation, Eddie will be selling and signing copies of his new book “Eddie Muller’s Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir” (Turner Classic Movies).

Christine Madrid French is an architectural historian, storyteller, and preservation advocate. Christine is a graduate of the University of Virginia and has worked as an historian across the country. Her book The Architecture of Suspense: The Built World in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, focusing on the real-world histories of cinematic structures, released by the University of Virginia Press, was also featured in Vanity Fair. She is the Director of Advocacy, Programs, and Communications at San Francisco Heritage. https://madridfrench.com/

Eddie Muller is renowned as the “Czar of Noir.” Muller is the host of Turner Classic Movies’ “Noir Alley,” a weekly showcase of film noir classics. Eddie is also the founder and president of the Film Noir Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and restoring film noir classics. His newest book “Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir,” was just released by Turner Classic Movies. https://eddiemuller.com.

Strolling Through Old Chinatown:  Images of Chinese American Pioneers on the Urban Frontier with Doug Chan
Date: August 16, 2023 Location: Haas-Lilienthal House Ballroom. Purchase tickets here!
Join Doug Chan, the President of the Chinese Historical Society, for a fascinating and enlightening exploration into San Francisco’s Chinatown as it was before the transformative earthquake and fire of 1906. The talk will examine a wide range of sources, drawing on images from various archives and collections. Chan will guide us through the unique architectural landscapes, bustling streets, and intimate domestic scenes captured in these early photos. In this thoughtful journey through time, you’ll gain a nuanced understanding of San Francisco’s Chinatown, its legacy, and its enduring cultural significance. The event provides a platform for informed conversation, revealing insights, and fresh perspectives on a crucial part of San Francisco’s history.

Doug Chan will present a short sampling of his ongoing reappraisal and reevaluation of the pre-1906, photographic record of San Francisco’s Chinatown.  A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Doug serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors and President of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA). His long and extensive participation in nonprofit, civic and governmental affairs includes four decades of service on a half dozen city boards and commissions.  He has written numerous articles about the Bay Area’s Chinese communities.

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