The San Francisco You Should Know

I recently came across a mural located around the corner of Central Drug Store at 4494 Mission St. Named "The San Francisco You Should Know," it was funded by the San Francisco Clean City and Community Challenge program and was completed in time for the Nov. 21 Block Party and Celebration, which was held at Santa Rosa Avenue.

The mural presents a brief history of the neighborhood, culminating with what many hope will be the future of Excelsior. Some notable figures are featured, such as boxer Llewellyn "Lew" Powell, a former lightweight champion.


According to my "San Francisco's Excelsior District" book, Powell was the first to fight following the 1906 earthquake. In fact, his victory over Willie Wolfe in July 1906 served as a great morale boost to the city as it recovered from the quake.

Also featured is musician Jerry Garcia, who lived on Harrington Street. Every year, the late singer is honored at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park with an event known as Jerry Day, which originally began in 2002 as a fundraiser for Crocker Amazon Park.

One contributing partner was the Precita Eyes Mural Arts and Vistors Center which, since 1977, has taken pride in enriching and beautifying urban communities and educating communities about the process and history of mural art.