Woodward's Gardens

Woodward's Gardens (1866–1891), commonly referred to as The Gardens, was a combination amusement park, museum, art gallery, zoo, and aquarium operating from 1866 to 1891 in the Mission District of San Francisco, California.[1][2] The Gardens covered two city blocks, bounded by Mission, Valencia, 13th, and 15th Streets in San Francisco.[3] The site currently has a brick building at 1700 Mission Street, built after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which features a California Historical Site plaque, and the Crafty Fox Alehouse on the ground floor (formerly a restaurant named Woodward's Garden).[4] The former Gardens site also features the current location of the San Francisco Armory, completed in 1914.

Woodward's Gardens
Woodward's Gardens in San Francisco, California circa 1880s showing Gus Buisley’s balloon ascending.
LocationSan Francisco, California
Coordinates37.768°N 122.421°W / 37.768; -122.421
OwnerRobert B. Woodward
Opened1866
Closed1891
StatusClosed
Woodward's Garden showing portion containing animal attractions across street from main part of Gardens in 1889 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of San Francisco
Woodward's Gardens, 1877

History
"Scene in park and pleasure grounds at Oak Knoll, Napa Valley, California. - Residence of R.B. Woodward." from 1877 travel guide

Woodward's Gardens was owned and operated by Robert B. Woodward (1824–1879), who became wealthy during the Gold Rush of 1849 and through his ownership the What Cheer House, a hotel and inn at 527-531 Sacramento Street at Leidesdorff Alley in San Francisco.[5][6] Woodward opened the Gardens on the site of his four-acre estate after moving to Napa, California with his wife and four children (Napa home pictured). Early in his career, photographer Eadweard Muybridge took many photographs of the Gardens.[7] Woodward had bought the property from U.S. Senator John C. Fremont.[8]

In 1871, there was a series of "haunted windows" in San Francisco that made the news and were collected by Woodward and displayed in the museum.[1] The first "haunted window" was reported on 2119 Mason Street in San Francisco, which brought crowds of spectators.[1] An unexplained sad male face with baggy eyes was appearing for more than five days in the window, and rumors spread that it was the ghost of the home owners deceased husband.[1] Days later, nearby on 708 Lombard Street, another house had an older male ghost in profile in the window, which also drew a crowd of onlookers.[1]

View of Woodward's Gardens

In 1877, Miriam Leslie described Woodward's Gardens as "open to the public, who, for twenty-five cents each soul, may spend the day in rambling among shady groves, verdant lawns, flowery bosquets, lakes, streams and waterfalls, conservatories, ferneries, using the swings, the trapezes, the merry-go-rounds at will" [9]

In November 1889, Woodward's Gardens housed Monarch, a bear that later was memorialized on the Flag of California.[10] Monarch was one of the last known wild grizzly bears captured in California and more than 20,000 people attended the opening day on November 10, 1889.[11]

The venue attracted up to 10,000 people on major holidays such as May Day. The facility lost popularity after Woodward's death in 1879 and closed in 1891. When the Woodward family auctioned the 75,000 objects in the collection in 1894, much of it was purchased by San Francisco philanthropist and politician Adolph Sutro.[1] Sutro displayed some of the Woodward's Gardens collection at his Cliff House beginning in 1896 and at his Sutro Baths in the early part of the 20th century.[8]

San Francisciana Photographs of Woodward's Gardens, a book by Marilyn Blaisdell published in October 2012, includes 100 photos of the site.[8]

See also

References
  1. "For One Week in 1871, San Francisco Went Loopy Over 'Haunted' Windows". KQED. August 10, 2020. Retrieved 2020-11-01. The same day the Chronicle’s first report came out, the window was purchased for $250 by Robert B. Woodward, the owner of Woodward’s Gardens. “The Gardens,” as it was commonly referred to at the time, was a popular amusement park that was open between 1866 and 1891. It occupied the block bounded by Mission, Duboce, Valencia and 14th Streets, and it squeezed a lot into that space—including a museum, art gallery, zoo, aquarium, botanical gardens and—as of 1871—a haunted window section.
  2. Bragman, Bob (2019-06-23). "The Mission District once housed a circus-like amusement park. Take a look inside". SFGATE. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  3. Beebe Turrill, Charles (1876). "Woodward's Gardens - 1876". www.sfmuseum.net. San Francisco, CA: California Notes, E. Bosqui & Co. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  4. Bevk, Alex (2012-04-23). "Hidden Histories: Woodward's Gardens". Curbed SF. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  5. "Early Resorts, Where the "Old Town" Frolicked". San Francisco History. San Francisco Chronicle. 9 November 1913. Retrieved 2019-06-17.
  6. Kamiya, Gary (2015-12-19). "City's top 'pleasure garden' created by hotelier who banned women". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  7. Woodward's Gardens entry at San Francisco Memories
  8. Hartlaub, Peter (2012-10-29). "Woodward's Gardens comes to life in book". SFGATE. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  9. Leslie, Mrs Frank (1877). California: a pleasure trip from Gotham to the Golden Gate, April, May, June, 1877. New York: G.W.Carleton & Co. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  10. Herrick, Lisa Lee (2020-09-18). "The Sad Story of the Bear on California's State Flag". Medium. Bold Italic. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  11. "The Monarch Bear Institute". Retrieved Nov 4, 2013.
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