You know the 22-Fillmore, the 71-Haight, the 24-Divisadero and the 21-Hayes. But how about the 32-Oak?
Yes, many decades ago, Oak Street was not the nightmarish freeway it has since become. Rather, it was something approaching charming. Reader Bernard S., an Oak Street resident, sent in the above photo that he bought in the 1970s from the son of a local photographer. The image is dated 1947, and features Oak Street between Fillmore and Steiner. Smack in the middle of the road is the #32 line streetcar, which ran along Oak and Hayes Streets during the early 1900s. The line was actually discontinued during the Depression; however, it was brought back briefly in the late 1940s due to work being done on Muni tracks. As a local historian put it:
So, next time you're driving (or biking) down Oak, go ahead and picture yourself in an earlier, simpler time, when your commute would have been far more romantic. But also way slower and clangier.
Yes, many decades ago, Oak Street was not the nightmarish freeway it has since become. Rather, it was something approaching charming. Reader Bernard S., an Oak Street resident, sent in the above photo that he bought in the 1970s from the son of a local photographer. The image is dated 1947, and features Oak Street between Fillmore and Steiner. Smack in the middle of the road is the #32 line streetcar, which ran along Oak and Hayes Streets during the early 1900s. The line was actually discontinued during the Depression; however, it was brought back briefly in the late 1940s due to work being done on Muni tracks. As a local historian put it:
"While Market Street track reconstruction was under way in March 1948, Muni created a temporary route 32, running from the Ferry out Market as far as Duboce Avenue. This was to replace the Market Street portions of lines 5, 6, 7, 21 and 31 which were then terminated at Market Street. The 32 was discontinued June 6, 1948 when the 5 and 21 were converted to motor coach. The 6 and 7 followed a month later and finally the 31 in July of 1949. In those days, a "new" streetcar route, albeit in number only, was another source of excitement for a young railfan."Streetcar aside, a couple of other differences are noticeable. We don't think of today's Oak Street as being particularly lush, but there's not a single tree in the 1947 scene. Also, note that traffic on the street flows in both directions, compared to today's three-lane eastbound thoroughfare. For comparison, here's the same view today:
