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In June of 2002,
the historic "17 Reasons" sign at the corner of 17th
and Mission was removed and replaced with a giant billboard advertising
Miller Genuine Draft Beer. In response to this action, a group
of Mission residents and concerned San Franciscans organized to
advocate for the removal of the beer billboard and the re-installation
of the 17 Reasons sign.
The Friends of 1800 supported this effort and wrote the San Francisco
Planning Department Board of Appeals commissioners on behalf of
retaining the 17 Reasons Why sign at 17th and Mission.
But despite wide, high-profile public support for the sign's restoration, in February
2003, a rescheduled hearing at the Board of Appeals was cancelled.
Foster Media, Inc. was issued a permit allowing it continued use
of its sign.
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Commissioners
Planning Department Board of Appeals
City and County of San Francisco
Dear Commissioners:
The Friends of 1800 is a local organization primarily interested in
the preservation of significant San Francisco historical, architectural
and cultural properties.
Recently, was have noticed that the Mission District's original 17 Reasons
Why sign was removed. For more than sixty years this sign served as
an important local monument and landmark to define the area. This sign
was a spectacular example of electrified signage from the Depression
era in both its graphic design and means of illumination. It is not
something that can be reproduced or duplicated in our time.
A large part of America's historical commercial culture is rapidly being
replaced or destroyed. It is incumbent on us to find ways to save and
preserve these monuments, especially those from a period as different
from our own as the Depression. As one of San Francisco's few surviving
signs (and probably the largest) from the 30's, it is an important link
to, and a reminder of, our past.
We urge you to consider the retention and replacement of the 17 Reasons
Why sign.
Sincerely,
Gerry Takano
President
Friends of 1800 Market
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