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Russian Hill | |
|---|---|
 Russian Hill seen from the southeast | |
  Russian Hill Location within Central San Francisco | |
| Coordinates:37°48′06″N122°25′11″W / 37.8018°N 122.4198°W /37.8018; -122.4198 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  California |
| City and county | San Francisco |
| Government | |
| • Supervisor | Catherine Stefani |
| • Assemblymember | Matt Haney (D)[1] |
| • State Senator | Scott Wiener (D)[1] |
| • U. S. Rep. | Nancy Pelosi (D)[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 0.397 sq mi (1.03 km2) |
| Population | |
• Total | 13,146 |
| • Density | 33,100/sq mi (12,800/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−8 (Pacific) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−7 (PDT) |
| ZIP codes | 94109, 94133 |
| Area codes | 415/628 |
Russian Hill is aneighborhood ofSan Francisco,California. It is named after one ofSan Francisco's 44 hills, and one of its original "Seven Hills".
Russian Hill is directly to the north (and slightly downhill) fromNob Hill, to the south (uphill) fromFisherman's Wharf, and to the west of theNorth Beach neighborhood. The Hill is bordered on its west side by parts of the neighborhoods ofCow Hollow and theMarina District.[4]
At the northern foot of the hill isGhirardelli Square, which sits on the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay,Aquatic Park, and Fisherman's Wharf, a popular tourist area. A trip down the winding turns ofLombard Street and acrossColumbus Avenue to the east leads to the neighborhood ofNorth Beach. Down the hill to the west, past Van Ness Avenue, areCow Hollow and the Marina districts.
The neighborhood's name goes back to theGold Rush-era, when settlers discovered a smallRussian cemetery at the top of the hill. Russian naval and merchant ships frequently visited San Francisco throughout the 19th century beginning in 1806, and there are several mentions of burials of crew members in the Russian Hill cemetery in the first half of the century. The cemetery was eventually removed, but the name remained.[4]
In 1853 and 1854, a partnership was formed byWilliam H. Ranlett (the architect), Charles Homer (the general contractor), and Joseph H. Atkinson (the mason/brick contractor), in order to build three houses in Russian Hill (at what is now known as the Vallejo Street Crest).[5] TheAtkinson House (1853) is one of the oldest houses still standing in San Francisco, and possibly one of the first examples ofItalianate-style architecture in the city.[6][5][7]
The switchbacks design ofLombard Street was first suggested by property owner Carl Henry[8] and was built in 1922,[9] intended to reduce the hill's natural 27 percent grade,[10] which was too steep for most vehicles to climb.[4][11]
Because of the steepness of the hill, many streets, portions of Vallejo and Green streets, for example, are staircases. Views from the top of the hill extend in several directions around the Bay Area, including theBay Bridge,Marin County, theGolden Gate Bridge andAlcatraz. TheMacondray Lane District is notable for its historic architecture in a hilly and woodsy area, which features the pedestrian-onlyMacondray Lane.[12][13] TheParis Block Architectural District is a residential area known for its architecture, including theFeusier Octagon House.[14]
TheVallejo Street Crest Historic District is located in the southeast portion of the hill and is known for the cultural history and architecture, the district is surrounded by a retaining wall and natural bluff.[15] A small park at the top of the hill on Vallejo Street (or the Vallejo Street Crest) features a small plaque and memorial placed by theRussian Government, that is dedicated to the original Russian cemetery that once stood there. Another park on the hill on Vallejo Street is named afterIna Coolbrith.
Russian Hill is home to the formerSan Francisco Art Institute, located on Chestnut Street between Jones and Leavenworth Streets. TheAcademy of Art University also maintains a presence in this neighborhood with their Chestnut Street building hosting their fine art MFA studios, photo classrooms, and photo studios.[16]
The neighborhood is most famous forLombard Street, the one-way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (orswitchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being "the crookedest street in the world".[4] As it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the city, this section of the neighborhood is frequently crowded with tourists. Tourists also frequent the cable car line along Hyde Street, which is lined with many restaurants and shops.
Alice Marble Tennis Courts are four hardcourt tennis courts located at Lombard and Hyde Streets. The courts offer a view of the bay andNorth Beach and can be unsuitable for tennis on windy days. A basketball court is located adjacent to the tennis courts. The San Francisco Cable Cars serving the Powell-Hyde line stops nearby.[citation needed]
San Francisco Police Department Central Station, Metro Division serves Russian Hill.[17]
It is in theSan Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) and is within the Jean Parker Elementary School attendance area.[18][19] The school building was first built in 1911 and rebuilt in 1996.[20]Galileo Academy of Science and Technology, a public high school, is located in northern part of the neighborhood.
Life in the neighborhood during the 1970s was used as the basis for the fictionalized seriesTales of the City byArmistead Maupin.[25]
Much of the famous car chase sequence in the 1968 thrillerBullitt, starringSteve McQueen (whose character lived in Nob Hill on Taylor and Clay streets), were filmed on Russian Hill, notably the scenes on Taylor Street. The neighborhood was also featured in the early scenes of the 1982 action-comedy feature film,48 Hrs.
The cast ofThe Real World: San Francisco, which aired in 1994, lived in the house at 949Lombard Street on Russian Hill from February 12 to June 19, 1994.[26]
InAnne Rice's bookThe Wolf Gift, the main character, Reuben Golding, grew up in Russian Hill.
John "Scottie" Ferguson, a character played byJames Stewart lives at 900 Lombard Street inAlfred Hitchcock's filmVertigo (1958).
Based on the view from the window, AdmiralJames T. Kirk's apartment seen in the filmsStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan andStar Trek III: The Search for Spock was located in the Russian Hill area of San Francisco.
In the racing video gameBlur, one of the courses is named after and closely resembles Russian Hill.
A parody of Russian Hill appears as a district in the 1997 video gameGrand Theft Auto, named 'Soviet Hill'.
She lives with her family at 1024 Francisco street.
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37°48′06″N122°25′11″W / 37.8018°N 122.4198°W /37.8018; -122.4198
