F I R S TP R E V295NEXTLAST

South Park, South of Market
Before the mansions of Pacific Heights and the Sea Cliff, South Park was the address of the San Francisco elite. Built in 1854 as an imitation of London's Berkeley Square, the small oval park was circled by the Georgian mansions of the city's financiers and ship's captains. But as the years passed the wealthy moved on and the area deteriorated into a rundown warehouse district known as, 'South of the Slot.'

However in the 1980s the area was reborn as 'Multimedia Gulch', with South Park as the epicenter of the developing Internet world. E-businesses, venture capitalists, web startups, and software companies exploded here pushing rents to astronomical heights. After a few years the kings of that new Gold Rush once again relocated, this time 30 miles south to Silicon Valley. Today graphic design studios and the offices of WIRED magazine occupy the refurbished warehouses that surround the park. Along with a number of lofts, hip cafes, restaurants, and bars, South Park has transformed, yet again, into great little neighborhood within walking distance of downtown and the city's ballpark.
[ MAP D-12 ]