The Potrero Hill/Dogpatch neighborhood contains a hodgepodge of elements from San Francisco’s past, present and future. Many different eras can be seen in the contrast between old and ultra modern, industrial and residential. Remnants of shipyards, run-down brick buildings and 19th-century cottages butt up against brand-new lofts and condos. It’s one of the less congested parts of town, but maybe not for long; as early as next year, Muni’s new light-rail and subway line will connect the district to busier parts of the city.

The area has a long industrial history dating back to the Gold Rush in 1848; soon after, San Francisco became a bustling metropolis, with Dogpatch quickly becoming the City’s center for heavy industry. In the mid-1940s, Dogpatch experienced a long period of decline as the local shipbuilding industry died out after World War II, and the maritime industry diminished as shipping went to bigger ports in Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle. Today, Dogpatch is an official historic landmark, home to some of the City’s oldest Victorian-era buildings, since much of the area emerged untouched from the 1906 quake and fire.*

These days, Potrero Hill might be better known as the neighborhood where OJ Simpson grew up. Though it’s near the Mission, SOMA and downtown, the Potrero/Dogpatch area feels remote and self-contained, like its own small town, with 18th Street’s restaurant row as its hub. The neighborhood boasts panoramic views and the City’s real crookedest street, the much lower-profile Vermont St (at 20th St.).

“Much of the Potrero, especially Dogpatch, still retains the atmosphere of 'Old San Francisco,' the city that made things, like ships, locomotives, beer, rope, cans, sugar and diesel engines,” says architectural historian Chris Ver Planck.

“Like the rest of San Francisco, which appears to be developing into a playground for the well-heeled, the Potrero is evolving away from its working-class roots, albeit at a slower pace; it seems inevitable that cities like San Francisco will continue to lose their working-class communities to gentrification.”

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It’s also home to several notable non-profit organizations, such as the Center for Ecosystem Survival, the San Francisco Center for the Book and the Thick Description theater company. (Speaking of dramatic productions, the warehouse [now luxury condos] where the Mitchell Brothers shot their 1972 porn classic, Behind the Green Door, is a few minutes away on Tennessee St.)

Many expect the completion of the light-rail line next year – which will run down along the waterfront, through Bayview, ending in Visitacion Valley, followed by a subway line that extends north to Chinatown – to drive business and traffic out to the relatively quiet Third Street corridor, prompting further growth and development, which could be good or bad, depending on who you ask.

almost always involves the loss of an area’s heritage and character, and it’s understandable that longtime residents of a neighborhood could have a hard time seeing the positive. For now, the Potrero/Dogpatch area is a quaint town-within-a-town with a colorful history and endless possibilities.

*Thanks to pier70sf.org for historical information.