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Finding Aid to the Eureka Valley Promotion Association Records, 1926-2008
SFH 51  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Provenance
  • Conservation Note
  • Related Materials
  • Administrative History
  • Scope and Contents
  • Arrangement

  • Title: Eureka Valley Promotion Association Records
    Date (inclusive): 1926-2008
    Collection Identifier: SFH 51
    Creator: Eureka Valley Promotion Association.
    Physical Description: 3 boxes (2.25 cubic ft.)
    Contributing Institution: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
    100 Larkin Street
    San Francisco, CA, 94102
    (415)557-4567
    info@sfpl.org
    Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
    Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English.
    Abstract: Constitution and bylaws, minutes, committee and treasurer's reports, membership records, financial records, topical files, clippings, and newsletters of the neighborhood association founded in 1881 for Eureka Valley in San Francisco, also known as the Castro district. Dates of coverage reflect two accessions, with earlier material spanning the years 1926-1957 and later material from 1978-2008.

    Access

    The collection is open for research. Please call the San Francisco History Center for hours and information at 415-557-4567.

    Publication Rights

    All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Eureka Valley Promotion Association Records (SFH 51), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

    Provenance

    Materials from 1978-2008 are a gift of Heide Chipp, Oct. 2008.

    Conservation Note

    During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Some metal staples remain.

    Related Materials

    Researchers are encouraged to see also the San Francisco History Center's vertical files under SF Districts. Castro.

    Administrative History

    Founded in 1881, the Eureka Valley Promotion Association (EVPA) is purportedly the oldest continuously-active neighborhood association in San Francisco. Its geographical area is defined by Dolores Street on the East, Twin Peaks to the West, 22nd Street to the South, and Duboce Street to the North. Its members, consisting of merchants, home owners, and residents, advocate for neighborhood livability and civic betterment by addressing issues such as zoning, transportation, city services, education, community development, and neighborhood beautification.

    Scope and Contents

    Constitution and bylaws, minutes, committee and treasurer's reports, membership records, financial records, topical files, clippings, and newsletters. Dates of coverage reflect two accessions, with earlier material spanning the years 1926-1957 and later material from 1978-2008. The most thorough coverage is in the minutes from the 1930s and newsletters from 1979-2008, with additional substantial material on zoning issues from 1978-2003. Topical highlights from the earlier years include the development of a cross-town divisional highway with a Castro-Divisadero connection; street gradings; establishment and maintenance of utilities, insurance, police and fire; and social events. Later years reflect the influx of gay residents and the development of a gay community; the development of the Castro and Upper Market as commercial districts, and the various names and sub-neighborhoods by which the Eureka Valley as a geographical entity is recognized, such as the Castro, Upper Market, and Twin Peaks. Businesses, transportation lines, social issues, street parades, parks, housing and homelessness, political candidates, and other topics are well represented.

    Arrangement

    The collection is arranged in three series: Series 1: Administrative Files; Series 2: Subject Files; and Series 3: Clippings and Newsletters. Subject files have been created by the archivist, as materials were received in folders whose labels only partially reflected the items inside.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Eureka Valley Promotion Association. -- Archives
    Castro (San Francisco, Calif.)
    Citizens' Associations--California--San Francisco