201: 100 Years of St. Cecilia Catholic Parish (Repodcast)
St. Cecilia's Parish was established 105 years ago. Frank Dunnigan guested on the Podcast five years ago to talk about it's first century.
Jan 07, 2023•22 min
Outside Lands San Francisco
Nicole Meldahl and a rotating cast of hosts from the Western Neighborhoods Project (outsidelands.org / OpenSFHistory.org) share San Francisco west side neighborhood history with humor, a real fact or two, and much-better-informed occasional guests.
Episodes
487: Third World Liberation Strike
Guest David Friedlander joins Nicole and Arnold to recount the Third World Liberation Strike. SF State students and faculty went on strike in 1968-69 to protest racism in both admissions and curriculum, resulting in the creation of the Departments of Black Studies and Ethnic Studies.
Dec 31, 2022•55 min
486: 18th Avenue Christmas
One block in the Sunset used to go all out for the holidays. Nicole & Arnold talk with Frank Dunnigan about the 18th Avenue Christmas.
Dec 24, 2022•59 min
485: Angus Macfarlane
Longtime friend of WNP and historian Angus Macfarlane visits the podcast to chat about his personal history in San Francisco and some of the big local history topics he's researching.
Dec 16, 2022•58 min
484: MacArthur Tunnel
Nicole and Arnold dig into the history of the MacArthur Tunnel, which connects the west side to the Golden Gate Bridge by running through the Presidio.
Dec 09, 2022•40 min
307: Snow in San Francisco (Repodcast)
Winter rains have arrived, but we're hoping for something different. So we're repodcasting this week with this classic episode about the times when snow has fallen in San Francisco.
Dec 03, 2022•30 min
483: Director of Programs
Meet (or re-meet) Chelsea Sellin, WNP's Director of Programs and newest employee. Chelsea chats with Nicole about her background, their origin story, what's going on right now at WNP, and what they're looking forward to in 2023.
Nov 25, 2022•57 min
482: San Francisco National Cemetery
Nicole and Arnold explore the long history of San Francisco National Cemetery. Located in the Presidio, it is one of only two final resting places still active on the west side.
Nov 19, 2022•41 min
481: The Great Highway - Part 4
It's time for the fourth (and final) installment in our history of the Great Highway. Join Nicole and Arnold for the journey from WWII to today. And if you need to catch up with Parts 1-3, check out Podcasts #468, #470, and #475.
Nov 12, 2022•55 min
480: New(ish) West Side Landmarks
Arnold Woods chats with Woody LaBounty about the process of creating a historical landmark; then they go over some recently-designated west side landmarks: City Cemetery, Trocadero Clubhouse, and the Ingleside Terraces Sundial.
Nov 05, 2022•52 min
479: 46 Cook Street
Buckle up as Nicole and Arnold unpack the fascinating history of 46 Cook Street and the lives of the people who called it home.
Oct 28, 2022•52 min
478: Alvord Lake & Bridge
Nicole & Arnold deep-dive into one of Golden Gate Park's earliest man-made water features, Alvord Lake, and the nearby and quite unique Alvord Bridge.
Oct 22, 2022•34 min
477: Lloyd Kahn
Special guest and author Lloyd Kahn joins the podcast this week to talk about growing up in West Portal.
Oct 14, 2022•57 min
476: Pan American Unity
We previously told the story of the GGIE's Art in Action, now Nicole and Arnold dig a little deeper into Diego Rivera's masterpiece, Pan American Unity.
Oct 08, 2022•42 min
475: The Great Highway - Part 3
Nicole and Arnold dive in to our third installment on the history of the Great Highway, taking us from the 1910s into midcentury. For Parts One and Two, see Podcast #468 and Podcast #470.
Oct 01, 2022•41 min
88: Broderick-Terry Duel (Repodcast)
Since we just had the anniversary of the Broderick-Terry Duel on September 13, we're repodcasting this classic episode. In 1859, a California State Supreme Court Judge and a United States Senator fought a duel beside Lake Merced. Here's the story, and its importance to local and national politics.
Sep 23, 2022•26 min
474: Reino Niemela Jr.
We welcome special guest Reino Niemela, Jr. His father was the artist and designer responsible for all the hand-painted signage at Playland at the Beach from the 1930s until it closed in 1972.
Sep 17, 2022•1 hr 1 min
473: Playland Memories Part 2
Part 2 of Nicole & Arnold's conversation with people who visited Playland before it was town down in 1972.
Sep 10, 2022•1 hr 12 min
472: Playland Memories Part 1
Playland closed 50 years ago this weekend, so Nicole & Arnold talk with people who visited there in their youth. Part 1 of a two-part Podcast.
Sep 03, 2022•1 hr 4 min
471: The Heavyweight Champ at Ocean Beach
The first African-American heavyweight boxing champion made Ocean Beach his headquarters for a few years, including while training for the "Fight of the Century."
Aug 27, 2022•50 min
470: The Great Highway - Part 2
We resume our Great Highway story, covering the 1890s into the first two decades of the 20th century. You could say this period was when the Great Highway really came into its own. It was during this time, that several iconic landmarks made their first appearances, including the rise of Carville.
Aug 20, 2022•42 min
469: Robert Thomson of the Presidio Trust
Special guest, Robert Thomson joins Nicole in conversation about his responsibilities as Federal Preservation Officer and that of his organization, the Presidio Trust.
Aug 12, 2022•58 min
468: The Great Highway - The Beginning
Eight (eight!) years ago, in episode #77, we did our first podcast on the Great Highway. Now we're back and chock-full of even more history. This week, Nicole and Arnold take a deeper look at the Great Highway and its early beginnings.
Aug 06, 2022•46 min
467: Chet Helms & the Family Dog
In 1969, Chet Helms opened a new music venue called the Family Dog. Located in the building formerly known as the Ocean Beach Pavilion and later, Topsy's Roost, the Family Dog featured performances by bands that epitomized the late 60s/early 70s like the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and more.
Jul 30, 2022•58 min
466: A conversation with Woody LaBounty
This week, Woody LaBounty makes a glorious return to the pod to talk about his origin story and time since handing over the reins nearly two years ago, to current WNP Executive Director and your podcast host, Nicole Meldahl.
Jul 23, 2022•56 min
465: Pacific Coast Swimming Championships
In 1913, the Pacific Coast Swimming Championships were held on the West Side. Can you guess who was the superstar athlete and toast of the 1912 Olympics who dominated the meet? This week, Nicole and Arnold describe the exciting competition at, surprise, the Sutro Baths.
Jul 16, 2022•47 min
464: The 1876 Centennial in San Francisco
To celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, post-Civil War San Francisco in 1876 was ready to party. Celebration events were held throughout the young City and even on the West Side.
Jul 09, 2022•48 min
463: Museum at the Cliff Reopens
The Museum at the Cliff has reopened! There's even more Cliff House and Sutro Baths ephemera on display and has expanded beyond its Gift Shop exhibit space and into former restaurant. John Lindsey of The Great Highway Gallery, joins the pod along with photographers, Dave Glass and Rob Brodman, to talk about the new photography exhibition in the Cliff House restaurant.
Jul 02, 2022•1 hr 8 min
462: John Harris v. the Sutro Baths
In 1897, John Harris filed suit against the Sutro Baths for race discrimination. Learn about this early case that happened decades before the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Jun 25, 2022•49 min
461: General John J. Pershing Monument
Who was General John J. Pershing and why is there a statue of him in Golden Gate Park? And what is his connection to San Francisco? Find out as Nicole and Arnold discuss the man and how the Pershing statue came to be.
Jun 18, 2022•38 min
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