by Frank Dunnigan

November is a pleasant time each year, with good weather, outdoor public events, and some important civic events. Here we have a sample of photos from the OpenSFHistory archive from Novembers past.

United Artists Theatre, November 1938. (wnp5.50606; Courtesy of Jack Tillmany)

Graumann’s Imperial Theatre opened at 1077 Market Street in 1912 and was renamed the Premier in 1929, before becoming United Artists in 1931. Shown here in November 1938, it was remodeled in 1959 and later rebranded as Loew’s Market Street Cinema in 1969, and finally named Market Street Cinema in 1972. In later years, it evolved into showing XXX adult films, and finally into an adult live entertainment venue. It closed in 2013 and was demolished in 2016 and replaced with a multi-story office building.

Lisbon near Geneva, September 1927. (wnp27.4189; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

November was a popular time for outdoor activities before the arrival of winter rains. This group is enjoying a ball game on Lisbon near Geneva Avenue in the Excelsior District, nearly 100 years ago in November 1927.

Webster near Bush, November 1975. (wnp25.11946; photo by Judith Lynch / Courtesy of Victorian Alliance)

After mass demolitions of Victorian structures in the 1950s and 1960s, there was a new spirit of preservation emerging by the mid-1970s. In November 1974, a young organization known today as San Francisco Heritage successfully saved and relocated 12 Victorians, including the Eastlake House seen above. Read Christopher VerPlanck’s short history of the effort.

Civic Center, November 11, 1921. (wnp26.1808; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Shown here is a public ceremony celebrating Armistice Day in 1921—just three years after the end of World War I. Now known as Veterans Day, the event drew large crowds to Civic Center Plaza. Note the changes in the plaza, including the removal of the WELCOME HOME VICTORY MONUMENT that was in place only from 1919-1924, and the removal of the two round fountains in the late 1950s.

Alhambra Theater, November 1926. (wnp14.10101; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By the mid-1920s, there were many neighborhood movie houses opening across San Francisco. Here, the Alhambra is shown at its completion in November 1926. In 1974, it was “twinned” but then restored to a single screen in 1988. The theatre closed in 1997, and from 2006 until the present, the building has been home to a gym that also shows movies in the background.

Coso & Montezuma, November 10, 1947. (wnp27.1201; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

A young lady poses on a pleasant autumn day in the Bernal Heights neighborhood in 1947.

McKinley School, November 6, 1910. (wnp13.002; Turrill & Miller / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The dedication of McKinley School on Castro Street near 14th Street featured Mayor P.H. McCarthy and a large crowd in November 1910.

Bay Bridge, November 12, 1936. (wnp37.01735; photo by Zan Stark; Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The completion of the long-awaited Bay Bridge in November 1936—just 6 months before the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge—marked a high point in San Francisco’s emergence from the years of the Great Depression.

Fairmount School, November 22, 1957. (wnp27.7659; photo by Douglas Mack; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Fall was often a favored time for school photos, including this Sixth Grade class image taken on November 22, 1957 at Fairmount School, located on Chenery Street near San Jose Avenue.