In memory of our lost landmarks
The Hamm’s Brewery sign RIP: 1975
Never forget: This Mission District beer sign visible from the Central Freeway was a marvel, lighting up at night with neon rings that made the 13-foottall chalice look like it was constantly being “filled” (complete with white foam at the top). It replaced the Rainier Beer sign in 1954 when the brewery changed hands — and then loomed over Seals Stadium when Willie Mays arrived in 1958. Arguably the greatest S.F. signage of all time.
Where is it now? We confirmed years ago that the sign was trucked away to a scrap yard and destroyed, but artist Dan McHale has painted 36 Hamm’s sign portraits, some of which hang in the former Hamm’s building at 1550 Bryant St.
Mr. Peanut sign RIP: 1976
Never forget: Planters is a Pennsylvania company, but for decades San Francisco was a second home. Mr. Peanut was a character in the musical revue “Beach Blanket Babylon,” and he greeted us as we drove north on the Bayshore Freeway past Paul Avenue — with a 20-foot-high sign featuring arrows pointing toward the always-dashing anthropomorphized nut with his top hat and monocle. When the factory with its 200 employees closed in 1976, the sign vanished, too. The Chronicle wrote a tearful goodbye editorial titled “A Plea for Mr. Peanut,” but no word on what happened to the sign.
Where is it now? We don’t know, but an Aug. 22, 1976, classified ad in The Chronicle read “SIGN Mr. PEANUT for sale. 20 ft. tall as seen from Bayshore Fwy. Eves. 364-5005.” Please let us know if it’s sitting in your garage.
Doggie Diner heads RIP: 1986
Never forget: Doggie Diner was a local fast-food chain from the 1940s to 1980s, which once had dozens of locations around the Bay Area. The symbol of the restaurants — which became a symbol of the city — was a 300-pound fiberglass dachshund head with a chef ’s hat and bow tie. While the restaurant is closed, citizens fought to preserve the last Doggie Diner head (minus the restaurant) on Sloat Boulevard and 45th Avenue near the San Francisco Zoo. Where are they now? Bay Area artist, writer and Burning Man co-founder John Law has collected and restored three of the heads, which make frequent appearances in Bay Area parades.
Carol Doda sign RIP: 1991
Never forget: Carol Doda was a pioneer and San Francisco icon who became one of the first adult entertainment celebrities. At the peak of her fame, the Condor Club erected a huge sign with a nude woman and blinking red nipples advertising “CAROL DODA TOPLESS.” Her topless and bottomless performing career continued off and on from the early 1960s to 1985, before Doda fronted a band and sold lingerie in the city. The sign was so famous that the Condor offered it to the Smithsonian when it finally came down in 1991. Where is it now? You won’t have to travel far to see the sign — at least half of it. Though the “legs” were sold for $3,700 during an AIDS benefit in 1991, the top half remains on a wall inside the still-active Condor.
Embarcadero Freeway
RIP: 1991
Never forget: It’s not like we want it to ever come back, but the double-decker Embarcadero Freeway definitely made an impact on those who lived through it. Part of Interstate 480, it was built beginning in 1955 as part of a freeway plan to link the Bay and Golden Gate bridges, and was torn down after damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
Where is it now? It still pops up on cable television if you watch enough — appearing in “The Streets of San Francisco,” “Magnum Force,” “A View to a Kill” and the U2 concert movie “Rattle and Hum.”
Jet Plane Playground
RIP: 1993
Never forget: For decades, children in the Sunset District played on and inside a decommissioned fighter plane at Larsen Park on 19th Avenue at Vicente. There were three warplanes, most recently a Vought F-8 Crusader donated by the Navy. Lead paint issues would have forced an expensive cleanup, so the city jettisoned the third plane in 1993. Former Supervisors Carmen Chu and Katy Tang led a project to revamp the park … including a jet plane-inspired play structure as a nod to the past.
Where is it now? In 2007 The Chronicle investigated the fate of the plane, and found it restored and with its own incredible post-playground life at the Pacific Air Museum in Santa Rosa.
Union 76 tower
RIP: 1995
Never forget: Back before the East Cut and Millennium Tower and skyscrapers on Rincon Hill, the most prominent sight welcoming drivers entering San Francisco from the east was the Union 76 gas station sign, a 183-foot tower that had an analog clock — and later a digital clock that also flashed the temperature. The tower had no other function; there was an elevator for repairs and light bulb changes. Bank of America bought the land in the early 1990s — a very wise investment — and the tower came down.
Where is it now? The sign was just a little too big to fit in someone’s backyard. The Chronicle reported that it was demolished.
Emeryville mudflat sculptures
RIP: 1997
Never forget: Local artists and students, many from UC Berkeley, began making mudflat sculptures in Emeryville near the eastern entrance of the Bay Bridge, using driftwood and other recycled objects. There were trains, dragons, antiwar symbols, Red Baron and Sopwith Camel biplanes and other surprises. The popularity brought environmental concerns, and the process was banned — with the last remains of the sculptures hauled away by helicopter in 1997.
Where are they now? After the free for-all of wooden creations were cleared, local artist Tyler James Hoare continued to install his sculptures on poles along the shoreline and at the pier near Shorebird Park. Look for his work, including his trademark biplanes.
Larkspur trestle
RIP: 2003
Never forget: Trains used the Larkspur trestle for the first half of the 20th century, transferring people and goods over Corte Madera Creek and later Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The creosote covered wood trestle was best known in pop culture from its appearance in “Dirty Harry,” where Clint Eastwood stood before jumping on the Scorpio killer-commandeered school bus.
Where is it now? Bike enthusiasts wanted the trestle transformed into a bikeway, but it was torn down in 2003.
Candlestick Park
RIP: 2013
Never forget: There’s no greater phantom limb feeling in the Bay Area than driving up Highway 101 and staring at the blank piece of land where Candlestick Park used to stand from 1960 to 2013. The home of the San Francisco Giants, the 49ers, the last stateside Beatles concert, a Pope John Paul II visit and Monsters of Rock was cold, windy and past its prime, but still will be missed. It was demolished beginning in 2014 after a final Paul McCartney concert, with work finished by March 2015.
Where is it now? There’s not much left at Candlestick Park except a few parking signs. But the Candlestick seats were sold to fans, and hundreds were moved to Kezar Stadium, which hosted the 49ers before 1970.
Kwik-Way Drive-In
RIP: 2014
Never forget: The Kwik-Way thrived as a number of Oakland drive-in fast -food restaurants in the middle of the 20th century, but the name is mostly associated with the diner on Lakeshore Avenue, down the street from the Grand Lake Theatre, with its green lightning-bolt sign and greasy food. Oaklanders from Frank Oz to Tom Hanks have celebrated the Kwik-Way in interviews, and Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal made Kwik-Way a plot point in their 2018 film “Blindspotting.” After a brief reboot into more upscale fast food, the Kwik-Way died, its sign disappeared (anyone know where?) and a vegan fast-food joint took its place.
Where is it now? The sign disappeared without a trace. But we like to imagine Diggs and Casal quietly dismantled it and have it stored for a big comeback.
Western Exterminator sign
RIP: 2018
Never forget: The Western Exterminator “Little Man with a mallet” was created in 1931 for a Yellow Pages ad, with a man in a top hat and sunglasses looming over a small rat. A large sign with a 17-foot man appeared at the pest control’s Burlingame headquarters just off Highway 101 years later. The man received international fame in the 1980s when Van Halen used the logo for their “1984” tour T-shirt.
Where is it now? As reported by The Chronicle’s Annie Vainshtein, the sign was removed but preserved when Western Exterminator left Burlingame in 2018.
Coca-Cola sign
RIP: 2020
Never forget: The Coca-Cola sign just west of the Bay Bridge greeted San Francisco commuters for 83 years, before its 2020 removal when the beverage company shifted advertising dollars away from physical media. Despite the city’s tough policies toward sugary drinks, fans of the billboard protested on social media.
Where is it now? Heather Knight reported in 2021 that the big “C” from the sign was preserved and then-Supervisor Matt Haney was looking for a home for it. We’ve reached out to Haney, but have no word yet on the outcome.
Cliff House sign
RIP: 2020
Never forget: Of all the pandemic related closures of bars and restaurants, the Cliff House may have hit the worst. The Hountalas family, who had run the white tablecloth restaurant for generations, announced the closure in December 2020 after contract negotiations with the National Park Service broke down. Also revealed: The Hountalases had trademarked the name “Cliff House” — so the iconic letters on top of the building also came down. A new tenant is being chosen and a reopening is expected later this year.
Where is it now? It was carefully removed. We hope the Hountalas family members are enjoying it, as a souvenir and reminder of all the great memories they gave to the city.
Harkleroad House wind turbine
RIP: 2021
Never forget: In the 1960s, architect Sam Harkleroad designed and built a rotating house in Novato, and a garage with a wind turbine made up of halved oil cans. The latter structure was easily visible from Highway 101, and a landmark for commuters and visitors heading north on the freeway. We spoke with former tenants who said the turbine was cosmetic and may have never generated power. It was removed some time in 2021, not long after a sound wall was installed partially obstructing its visibility.
Where is it now? We have no idea. We hope it’s in the backyard, getting a new paint job before a triumphant return.