Western Neighborhood Project to Preserve History

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

While most San Franciscans know something about the history and culture of the Mission District or Haight Ashbury, few know much about the western side of the City.

The Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP), a nonprofit corporation, is dedicated to preserving and especially sharing the unique and rich historical significance of the Richmond and Sunset districts. The group offers an ever-expanding web site (www.outsidelands.org) that features stories, articles, photographs and memories of the western neighborhoods, including the Cliff House and Playland at the Beach.

Founder Steve Woody LaBounty says it all started when he moved to North Carolina.

"I went to North Carolina for my job and after a year I came back for a visit," LaBounty explains. "I couldn't believe how much I missed San Francisco, especially the Richmond, where I grew up. So I came back home and started WNP right away."

Realizing how much change he had seen in the neighborhood in just 36 years, LaBounty began to think about the elderly residents who had lived on the western side of town for 60 or 70 years. He decided to interview the residents to preserve their memories for future generations.

"I really want to get photos of the residents, like my family who lived on 46th Avenue after the war. Often, these pictures just end up in boxes," LaBounty said.

He is excited about an upcoming event, in concert with the San Francisco Library, where residents of certain neighborhoods are asked to bring in their pictures on a certain day. In February the library will hold a photo day for the Ocean-Mission-Ingleside area and WNP is partnering with them to obtain photos of the western neighborhoods.

WNP's current project also revolves around pictorial history, called the "West Portal History Walk," which consists of framed photos of historical areas labeled with text and hung in the windows of West Portal merchants. The project launched Jan. 24.

"I think it's a great idea. People see it and get educated while they shop," LaBounty says enthusiastically. "We want to preserve the history of outer San Francisco, but mostly we want to share it and make it accessible. People can get this information other places, but they have to put a lot of work into it."

In 2002, WNP will take on the daunting project of creating an oral history of the Richmond and Sunset districts, which will include a big push to obtain stories from elders around the City by actively seeking them out.

"We really want to record the memories of people who grew up in the outside lands," LaBounty explains. "People can call us or contact us via the web site to tell their stories at any time, or we will come to them and even bring a translator if they need it. We also hope to recruit more volunteers who would like to help us in this effort."

WNP subsists on donations and small grants from historical societies and other organizations. It is run by eight volunteers and a five-member volunteer board of directors.

But for LaBounty, this is a labor of love and his life's work in many ways.

"I know the history of the west side of this City is interesting and important to preserve, and I know a lot of other people feel that way," he says. "It goes beyond Golden Gate Park - there is so much more here. If we all come together, we can find even more people who recognize this and want to help us preserve it and share it."

For more information, contact: The Western Neighborhoods Project, P.O. Box 460936, San Francisco, CA 94146-0936 or call (415) 643-8995 or www.outsidelands.org.