Sunday Streets SoMa
August 23rd, 2020 | 11:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday Streets is excited to return to SoMa this August, spanning Folsom Street from Spear to 9th Street to and creating 1.3 miles of temporary open space for all to enjoy. The SoMa route was established in 2018.
Home to the Leather & LGBTQ and SOMA Pilipinas Cultural Districts, as well as the East Cut, SoMa West and Yerba Buena Community Benefit Districts, South of Market borders Potrero Hill and the Mission and contains many smaller neighborhoods, including South Park, South Beach and Financial District South.
On Sunday, get to know SoMa! Visit Activity Hubs at:
- Spear Street
- 4th Street
- 6th Street
- 9th Street
Pick up an Explore Local Map and Common Cents Passport at Sunday Streets info booths for local businesses and resources.
After the 1906 earthquake destroyed the area, SoMa was rebuilt with wider streets (many of which, like Folsom, are one-way) to accommodate industrial development. Today, SoMa is still home to factories and light industry, as well as SROs, tech offices, arts incubators, nightclubs and new housing developments. This mixed-use neighborhood blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional and entertainment uses and is known for its live-work spaces, design and art production.
Dance the night away at a club, visit the collection at the Prelinger Library and tour world-class museums and arts centers. Enjoy a meal at SoMa Streat Food Park. Support community organizations like United Playaz and the Pilipino Senior Resource Center. And don’t forget to explore the area’s tucked-away alleys, expansive murals, small businesses and turn-of-the-century industrial architecture.
TRANSIT + LIVABILITY
In an urban neighborhood with lots of one-way streets and freeway connections (and little open space), Sunday Streets transforms a dangerous roadway into a safe, temporary park for the community.
Many of the blocks of Folsom Street (especially the eastern blocks) are unfriendly to pedestrians on a regular day due to large construction projects, multiple closed sidewalks and heavy traffic, and are identified in Vision Zero’s High Injury Network list.
The newly-built Salesforce Transit Center is a regional transportation hub containing more than one million square feet, serving 11 transportation systems and featuring City Park, a 1400-foot-long, 5.4-acre rooftop public park.
DID YOU KNOW?
Before it was known as “South of Market”, the area was called “South of the Slot.” The Slot refers to the iron cable car track that cut through the center of Market Street and divided the wealthier downtown from the working-class eastern side.
SoMa has been home to a large Filipino community since the early 1900s. The streets around the Dimas Alang Retirement Home are named for Filipino heroes, such as Lapu-lapu, Bonifacio, Mabini, and Rizal. Visit Mission Street’s Bayanihan Community Center for more on Filipino history, culture and thriving community resources nearby.
SoMa’s first leather bar, the Tool Box, opened at 4th and Harrison in 1962. In the 70s, the scene moved further south, and Folsom Street became the epicenter of the leather community. Explore local landmark Ringold Alley for more history of the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District.