Finding Aid to the Eureka Valley Promotion Association Records, 1926-2008

Finding aid prepared by Wendy Kramer
San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA, 94102
(415) 557-4567
info@sfpl.org
2011


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

 

Series 1 Administrative files, 1926-2004 (bulk 1928-1957)

Physical Description: 20.0 folders
Box 1/1

Constitution and bylaws, 1928-1983

Box 1/2

Board of Directors minutes, 1926-1946

Box 1/3

Minutes, 1929-1930

Box 1/4

Minutes, 1931-1932

Box 1/5

Minutes, 1933

Box 1/6

Minutes, 1934

Box 1/7

Minutes, 1935

Box 1/8

Minutes, 1938

Box 1/9

Minutes, 1978-2002

Box 1/10

Committee reports, 2002

Box 1/11

Treasurer's reports, 1950 and 2001-2002

Box 1/12

Press release, [undated]

Box 1/13

Correspondence, 1978-2001

Box 1/14

Members' dues records, 1936-1946

Box 1/15

Members' dues records, 1952-1957

Box 1/16

Dues receipt books, 1945-1948

Box 1/17

Dues receipt books, 1948-1949

Box 2/1

Membership miscellany, [1970s]-2004

Box 2/2

Bank book, 1942

Box 2/3

Account book, 1942-1952

 

Series 2 Subject files, 1978-2008

Physical Description: 7.0 folders
Box 2/4

EVPA history research, 1996-1998

Box 2/5

Oral history project, 1978-1981

Box 2/6

Proposed Muni #8 trolley loop, 1982-1983

Box 2/7

Zoning issues, 1978-2003

Box 2/8

Projects and events, 1978-2007

Box 2/9

Neighborhood issues, 1978-1988

Box 2/10

Real estate listings, 1981-2008

 

Series 3 Clippings and newsletters, 1975-2008

Physical Description: 4.0 folders
Box 2, Folder 11

Clippings, 1975-2007 (bulk 1980-1989)

Box 2, Folder 12

Golden Eagle Press, 1980

Box 2, Folder 13

San Francisco Beacon, 1981-1982

Box 3, Folder 1

EVPA Newsletter, Oct. 1979-Sept. 1998

Box 3, Folder 2

EVPA/EVPA News/Eureka! 2000-2004

Box 3, Folder 3

Eureka! 2005-2008

Box 3, Folder 4

Eureka! 2009-2011

Box 3, Folder 5

Slides and Snapshot Photograph, ca. 1930s and 1981