21st Century Barn Raising

They raised the first steel posts and roof beams yesterday for the new Geneva Canopy. This is the culmination of more than a dozen years of advocacy by Market Street Railway to give the irreplaceable historic streetcar fleet protection from the elements when the vintage streetcars are not on the streets. (We have a major article on this in the new issue of our newsletter, Inside Track, which will be mailed to our members next week.)

Muni’s most valuable preserved streetcars, from its original 1912-1914 fleet, all enjoyed covered storage throughout their original service lives. But the last remaining streetcar storage sheds, at this same location, Geneva Division (at Geneva and San Jose Avenues across from Balboa Park BART), were torn down in the 1980s (just in time to keep them from falling down). Wood-and-canvas roofed streetcars that sit in the salt air, fog, and rain all winter at Geneva deteriorate quickly.

The new, simply designed shed will cover up to 30 vintage streetcars. It is expected to be finished by October. We’ll keep you up to date on progress here.