San Francisco Haight Street sign

Description

The neighborhood surrounding the intersection of Haight Street and Ashbury Street in San Francisco is widely considered the birthplace of the 1960s counterculture movement. Lured to the district by plentiful vacancies and low rents, hippies from across the country converged on the district in 1966 and 1967. The area was immortalized in the works of Hunter S. Thompson and numerous singers and songwriters of the era. Later, Upper Haight was home to the San Francisco comedy scene. Comedians including Dana Carvey, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robin Williams started their careers in the Haight-Ashbury district.

We’ve made two versions of the famous Haight Street sign. One is made according to the 1946 specification, which was still in service during the heyday of the hippie era. We also offer the newer 1965 specification used by the City of San Francisco on later issues. (This was the last style of all-capitals signage, before they went to mixed case in 2009.) It carries the block number 1500, where the intersection with Ashbury Street is located.

This sign is a high-quality, heavy steel remake. The 1946 version is available in two sizes: the original 33 by 11½ inch size, and a scaled-down 20 by 7 inch version. The 1965 version is available in three sizes: the original 36 by 12 inch as seen in the field, and smaller 30 by 10 and 21 by 7 rescalings for more convenient display. Both versions are available either single or double-sided. The double-sided sign features a complementary legend on each side;  the arrows point in the same direction on the physical sign.

Would you like a street name or block number not seen here? Or perhaps an older or newer style? We can of course make these signs with any street name or block number of your choice. Just contact Jake to get started customizing your sign.