The Spanish settlers of Mission Dolores considered the area around the modern-day Haight to be of little value, dismissing it as "Tierra de las Pulgas" or "Land of the Fleas." After the Gold Rush it, along with most of the area west of Van Ness Avenue became known as the Outside Lands and was populated by ranchers and dairy farmers. The first family of the Haight was the Lange family, operating a dairy farm that covered the area currently bordered by Carl, Cole, Grattan and Stanyan

San Francisco residents were clamoring for a large park in the 1860's, an idea championed by then-Supervisors Monroe Ashbury and Charles Stanyan. Governor Henry Haight appointed the first San Francisco Parks Commission in 1870, paving the way for Golden Gate Park. As the park plan was set into motion San Francisco's Outside Lands Commission began dividing the surrounding area into blocks and lots to be developed by private interests and the Haight Ashbury District was born.

Gateway to Golden Gate Park

The 1880s and 90s were a period of heady development for the neighborhood with ornate Victorians going up on the blocks around the park to serve as weekend homes for the Nob Hill elite. Train and cable car lines were built (the Haight cable car line began in 1883) and the California Baseball Grounds opened on the edge of the park at Waller and Stanyan in 1887, near the cable car turnaround. The Park and Ocean Railroad Terminal, at Haight and Stanyan, made the neighborhood a center of activity and several other streetcar lines began to serve Haight Street in addition to the vivid red cars operated by the Market Street Railway Company. The deep blue Ellis Line and the green Oak Line, operated by the Omnibus Railroad Company, also made their way to Haight Street. An amusement park called The Chutes opened at Haight and Cole in 1894 and covered two square blocks, its namesake being the twin waterslides visible from up and down the street.

The neighborhood was full of characters even then, from Tommy Hurley who tended the cable car turntable to Officer Beck who rode through the neighborhood on his white horse and chased kids out of the swimming hole in the Panhandle at Cole and Fell. Joe Langrafdt, one of the neighborhood's earliest publicans, ran the Villa Tavern at Fell and Stanyan while Haggerty's Bar, inside the ballpark, was another favorite watering hole. Hotels and bars were the norm up and down Stanyan and the adjacent block of Haight as the area took on a resort town feel. Bicycling was the favorite park activity and people came from all over town to ride through the park.

The Fire of 1892 was the outstanding event of the early Haight-Ashbury, consuming a block and a half of buildings around Page and Lyon. Only one wooden stable remained strangely unscathed. Two fireman, Dick Windrow and Chris Madison, lost their lives putting out the blaze. But development continued with The Terminal Hotel being built at Haight and Stanyan and a new cable car barn on Haight between Stanyan and Shrader.

With the west end of Haight so densely developed the eastern blocks of the neighborhood began to receive more attention. The Handy Block Book of 1894 shows that most of the property in the neighborhood was owned by V.C. Baird and E. Scott Trustees, including all of Block #656, on which Magnolia Pub & Brewery currently resides. It is unknown what, if anything, occupied the space during this time. The 1901 Handy Block Book lists the same owners but the 1902 San Francisco Real Estate Circular lists the northeast corner lot at Haight and Masonic for sale for $20,000. Water tap records show that water was first turned on at the site on April 23, 1903 for Hugh Keenan Construction Company, indicating completion of the present building. The first tenant of 1398 Haight is unknown but a map from 1905 indicates that it was some type of store. The only mention of a tenant that shows up from the early years of the building is the ABC Grocery which occupied the space for an unknown length of time sometime before the end of the 1920s.

The Haight Keeps on Growing

The Haight, meanwhile, boomed again after the 1906 earthquake and fire, which left the neighborhood virtually untouched. Many displaced San Franciscans migrated to the Haight. By 1912 streetcar traffic was up to 41 cars per hour on Haight Street, a 25% increase from pre-quake days. Kezar Stadium was completed in 1925, continuing the tradition of entertainment and recreational facilities in the neighborhood (it was home to the San Francisco 49ers from their inception in 1946 until 1971). And again, after World War II, many people flocked to the Haight. By the 1950s, however, so-called "white flight" was taking place, with whites moving out of urban neighborhoods for the suburbs. Vacancies in the Haight rose and housing prices sank.

Throughout all of this time 1398 Haight served the neighborhood as a pharmacy. Known as Buena Vista Pharmacy in the record books, it was called Schumate's, after the owner, by the locals. The pharmacy seems to have opened in the late 20s or early 30s and remained in business through the mid 1960s. All of the woodwork in Magnolia Pub dates back to the pharmacy days and the medicine drawers are clearly recognizable behind the bar.

A Decade of Change

The character of the neighborhood was preserved when the "Freeway Revolt" of 1959 stopped the planned Cross-town Freeway from running through the Panhandle. A plan to replace rundown Victorians with modern apartment towers was also rejected. The low rents and proximity to S.F. State brought the burgeoning bohemian movement from North Beach and Palo Alto to the Haight and the neighborhood began its most famous chapter in its history. The large Victorians were ideal for group living and the thriving, artistic Haight-Ashbury community quickly sprung up from these roots. During this time the neighborhood was home to the Grateful Dead, the Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company as well as a long list of artists, poets and writers.

The pharmacy at 1398 Haight closed early in this transition and was quickly reopened by some enterprising hippies as the Drugstore Cafe, one of the neighborhoods first hippie gathering spots. The hippies ran afoul of the state's Pharmacists Board, however, and were forced to change the name so they called it the Drogstore. The Drogstore was a popular gathering spot and references to it turn up in many interviews and stories about the Haight.

Magnolia and Her Ice Cream Parlor

When the Drogstore closed in 1968 the building's most famous occupant moved in: Magnolia Thunderpussy. Magnolia Thunderpussy was a former dancer who was running a dessert business at the time. She moved her operation into the kitchen at 1398 Haight and began producing her well-known concoctions there and delivering them all around town. Two of the most popular choices, still talked about today, were Barney's Montana Banana (an unsplit banana between two scoops of ice cream covered with whipped cream and chocolate shavings) and the Pineapple Pussy (a hollowed pineapple filled with strawberry ice cream covered with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cherry). After a short time Magnolia reopened the front area and Magnolia Thunderpussy's became a popular ice cream parlor/cafe/hangout spot. She stayed open late and her place was often full of people into the wee hours of the morning. Many folks have fond memories of waiting in line at Magnolia Thunderpussy's or having her inimitable desserts delivered to their houses at 1 AM.

Happy Thanksgiving at Psalms Cafe

Magnolia Thunderpussy's was replaced in the early 1970s by the Psalms Cafe, one of the last remnants of the hippie ethic on Haight Street. The street was in decline, with a major influx of hard drugs and violent crime leading to widespread storefront vacancies and a war zone feel. Newspaper headlines changed from 1965's "New Paradise for Beatniks" and 1968's "Haight Street: An Arcade of Pleasure" to 1969's "Haight-Ashbury Has Become a Cesspool" and 1972's "Trying to Save Haight". But the Psalms Cafe kept a little bit of the old Haight alive and did so throughout the 1970s, culminating with a Thanksgiving feast in 1979 that fed all of the area's poor. In the preceding months it was clear that the business couldn't survive but someone left 10 $100 bills in the suggestion box with a note instructing the Psalms staff to feed the poor for Thanksgiving. So they decided to go out with a bang and they put on a massive feast which staff and guests alike enjoyed tremendously. During the celebration a mysterious biker came through the front door and dumped a big bag full of joints out on the floor and the party took another interesting turn.

The 1980s brought the short-lived, upscale Yellow Rose restaurant followed quickly by Dish, the venerable institution that had a seventeen year run in the space. Although it declined in the 1990s, it was indeed a neighborhood fixture for nearly two decades.

The Neighborhood's First Brewery

The 95-year-old building was in need of serious repair when we arrived. Not only that, but the little-used basement needed to be converted into a working brewery. Construction consisted of overhauling the kitchen, painstakingly restoring many of the historic dining room features, and building a modern brewery beneath it all. And now Magnolia Pub and Brewery picks up where many have left off, continuing to make history in the Haight while maintaining a proud link to all that has gone down before us in this special neighborhood. Come have a pint for Tommy Hurley, Dick Windrow and Chris Madison. Drink a toast to Hugh Keenan for building our home and one to Magnolia Thunderpussy for having some fun in it. Take in the magic of the place and leave some of your own. Cheers!