The San Francisco call., 1897-08-12
NINETEENTH AVEN UE.
A New Thoroughfare to Be
Opened for the Sunset
Valley.
City and County Surveyor Tilton
Has Established the
Grades.

Nineteenth avenue, from the base Of
Straw berry Hill to the Trocadero, or
Ocean View avenue, as it is now called, is
about to be opened. The City and County
Surveyor has, under instructions OF the
Supervisors, established the grade from
Golden Gate Park to the Ocean View road.
This new thoroughfare, when put in
proper condition, will open up a new sec
tion OF the southwest country heretofore
comparatively unknown.
The ''Sunset Valley" which is now the
residence of quite nun Der of San Fran
cisco's m mechanics and laboring men, was
in the early history of this City known as
"ouiside lands or, in other words, tout
side sand Dunes" from its bleached ana
desolate appearance. The pioneer of the
valley was Thomas q. Sweeney, who set
tied on what is now the corner of ] street
and Seventh avenue in 1854. At that Pc
riod his residence was about as unap-
proachable as is the Kondike Of to-day.
He was looked upon at that time as a
kind Of demented hermit, who sought Sc.
lusion at the furthermost end of tn e
American continent. He saw great
future in San Francisco and set to work
to locate home for himself, which he
has since occupied. He waited until the
City came TO him.
At the time mentioned Golden Gate
Park was unknown, save as counterpart
of the surrounding country. The observ-
atory, which now stands on the summit of
the park and is known as "Sweeney's OBJ
servatory," was erected by the pioneer Of
1854.
The great draw back to the prosperity of
the Sunset Valley is and has been the
scarcity OF good roads through the Sec
ton. The opening OF Seventh avenue,
from the park to K street, which was done
terng wedge, so to speak, OF the now
Balboa boulevard
But this driveway is not sufficient to ac-
com m odate the increased travel of the
residents now located in the cozy valley.
To meet the additional wants of the peo-
pie another public spirited citizen in the
person of Carl G. Larsen, proprietor OF
Tivola Cafe, has come forward and moved
in the opening of Nineteenth avenue over
the line mentioned, which has just been
surveyed and grades established.
The other property-owners interested in
the opening OF the avenue will in the
course of few weeks let the grading to
Captain John Tuttle, who has already y
graded Seventh avenue.
The conditions of the contract are set
forth in the ordinance as passed by the
Supervisors and are as follows:
That the grades on the several block,
between K street and the point 600
feet southerly from W street be es-
tablished to conform on true gradients to
the grades given by the Citv and County Sur
veyor and to the present official grade q the
crossing of K, except that between the inter
mediate grade points given for the blocks be-
tween Q and streets and streets and V
and w streets, the grade shall conform on yer.
tical curves to the points given.
At meeting of the improvement club
on last Tuesday evening the executive
committee reported that consultation
had been held with the Spring Valley
Water Company, at which satisfactory
arrangement hau been made by which the
district will be supplied with an abun-
dance of fresh water in the near future
A site for reservoir has been selected and
new piping will be run through the valley
before long.
Resolutions were adopted favoring q
high rate of taxation, with the view OF
giving the many improvement clubs the
demands they have been asking for dur
ing the past year.