Hip, haute Potrero Hill - San Francisco, California neighborhood - Brief Article

Sunset, March, 2001 by Lora J. Finnegan

Heady times come to this San Francisco neighborhood

"San Francisco's old industrial neighborhood is popping," says brewer James Renfrew. He's right. The dotcoms and multimedia companies that so mightily boosted its fortunes over the last two years may be wobbly now. But Potrero Hill is still on a roll. Once quiet and isolated, it's San Francisco's hottest up-and-coming neighborhood, flush with galleries and eateries haute and hip. "It's getting SoMa-ed," says one local, comparing it to the more completely gentrified South of Market district that lies just to the north.

It's an area in transition--even its boundaries are tough to pin down. It embraces the area from Potrero Avenue between 16th and 25th Streets east to Interstate 280. There are still some empty warehouses and rough edges on its south side. But a visit reveals cool hangouts, great cityscapes, and pockets of restored Victorians.

At the Potrero Brewing Company Renfrew sums up the changing atmosphere: "This area was about homeless people and druggies a couple years back when we first considered opening our cafe and brewery here. But we had a good feeling about the possibilities and took the plunge."

Suds and sunny skies

The first wave of change washed against Potrero Hill in the 1970s, when industrial companies began moving out and artists moved in to carve out cool lofts and live/work spaces in warehouses. They discovered what Potrero Hill locals knew all along: The hill gets some of the sunniest weather in the city (to the west, Twin Peaks holds back the fog) and offers some of the best views of downtown and the surrounding bay.

The Anchor Brewing Company has been a Potrero mainstay since the late 1970s, when Fritz Maytag (heir to the appliance concern) stepped in to save a struggling brewery. On a free tour (book ahead), you'll see gleaming old German-made copper brewing vats and state-of-the-art bottling lines.

Across the street, the Basic Brown Bear Factory has been in the neighborhood for almost two decades. "When we first got here," co-owner Merrilee Woods says, "it was still industrial: One factory across the street made soy sauce and another down the block roasted coffee--it sure smelled interesting!" Now the factory turns out some 150,000 bears and other stuffed animals annually. Watch the process on a tour, then put the final stuffing into your own bear.

Prowl the neighborhood some evening and you can mingle with the cyberworld's up-and-coming at newer eateries like the cavernous Gordon's House of Fine Eats or the Potrero Brewing Company, where you can hang at the pool tables and sip English-style ales. Over at the Metronome Ballroom, they're swing-dancing and doing the tango.

Some of the area's most innovative theater can be found in Potrero Hill. Perhaps the best spot is Theater Artaud, with a year-round offering of cutting-edge dance, music, and drama (one recent program: a hip-hop reinvention of Romeo and Juliet). A Traveling Jewish Theatre, part of Project Artaud, is also making its mark in the world of experimental theater, as is Thick Description.

Of course, Potrero Hill is finding there's a downside to transforming a neighborhood: As dotcoms discovered the relatively low-rent spaces, they've pushed out a number of artists and nonprofit companies. But many creative souls still remain-- helping Potrero Hill become a headier brew than ever before.

Potrero Hill travel planner

A good way to enjoy the views from Potrero Hill is by starting at McKinkley Square park at Vermont and 20th Streets. Then wind your way down Vermont, which is one of the city's steepest and curviest streets. On foot, head down the Vermont steps. Are code is 415.

Shopping

Anchor Brewing Company. This is one of the country's largest and oldest microbreweries. Tours 2 P.M. Mon-Fri; reservations required. Mariposa and De Haro Streets; 863-8350.

Basic Brown Bear Factory. Shop for soft toys, take a free tour, and stuff your own bear. Tours 1 P.M. daily; also 11 A.M Sat. 444 De Haro; 626-0781.

Christopher's Books. This is a classic family-friendly neighborhood bookstore distinguished by the presence of Mavis, the store dog, and by black-and-white photos of old Potrero Hill. 18th and Missouri Streets; 255-8802.

Potrero Gallery. Five shops under one roof spread out in a lovely jumble of everything from Italian ceramics to Asian antiques. 1301 17th St.

Entertainment

Metronome Ballroom. This has become a hangout for dotcommers and locals alike for dance classes and open dance evenings. 17th and De Haro; 252-9000.

Project Artaud. One of the country's earliest live/work spaces for artists, Project Artaud is a steel-and-concrete warehouse turned performance space. It houses A Traveling Jewish Theatre (470 Florida St.; 399-1809), this month offering See Under: Love, and Theater Artaud (450 Florida; 437-2700), which presents everything from modern dance to one-act plays. 499 Alabama St.; 621-4240.

Thick Description. An experimental theater company that focuses on multiracial American identity. 1695 18th; 401-8081.