San Francisco's Mission District is the nucleus of the city's Latino culture, boasting a rich history that began in the 1800s with Mexican land grants and the Gold Rush and continued in the 20th century with the Chicano movement, mural projects and the low-rider culture.

It's also the center of the real estate boom that is sweeping through the city, an economic upswing that is driving up prices and has begun to drive out Latino residents and business owners.

Longtime neighbors want to put a halt to those dramatic changes and make sure the area's cultural, architectural and artistic history is maintained. Taking a page from Japantown, they are working with Supervisor David Campos to designate the area around the 24th Street commercial corridor the Calle 24 Latino Cultural District in hopes of preserving the area's flavor and history. Campos will introduce a resolution at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting to establish the district.

"Things always change, but not this dramatically, this fast," said Erick Arguello, who has lived in the area since his family emigrated from Nicaragua in 1963. "We've been fighting battles (to preserve this area) for a lot of years ... it's exhausting. By creating a Latino cultural district, the city would be recognizing its roots, acknowledging the contributions the Latino community has made and who is here."

Community meetings

In the coming months, Calle 24, the merchants and residents association headed by Arguello, will host a series of meetings to gauge what the community wants to see happen in the area, whether it be protecting its famous murals, encouraging more public art, ensuring Latino-owned businesses maintain a presence, or building more affordable housing.

The San Francisco Latino Historical Society and San Francisco Heritage are also working on two projects to document San Francisco's Latino history, including the creation of the first citywide Latino historic context statement. That statement, "Nuestra Historia: Documenting the Chicano, Latino, and Indígena Contribution to the Development of San Francisco," will not only document the city's physical and cultural Latino history but also offer recommendations on how to preserve it. It is being funded by the city's Historic Preservation Fund Committee.

Another project, Calle 24: Cuentos del Barrio, is a walking tour of the 24th Street area based on oral histories collected by high school and college students completed over the past year.

Reshaping city laws

Eventually, Campos said, ideas generated by the community as well as information from the historic context statement could help inform new city laws such as zoning restrictions and other protections to ensure the area's murals, businesses and community groups stay put.

"It's really about preserving something that is very fragile that could be lost," Campos said. "Calle 24 has become the focal point of Latino identity and culture in the Mission. ... This resolution puts it on the record, recognizing this as a cultural corridor, recognizing the cultural heritage and history with the understanding there has to be a much longer community process where (people) can talk about what that means, what we want to preserve, emphasize and protect."

Many people know about the Mission District's taco shops and murals, said Anne Cervantes, head of the San Francisco Latino Historical Society, but they are unaware of how long and storied San Francisco's Latino history is - starting in the 1830s with the Mexican government's land grants to prominent families, the establishment of Mission Dolores, and up through the 1960s and '70s, when the neighborhood's social justice movement spawned several community organizations that still exist today.

"Nobody knows about the history. ... No one talks about the Latino contributions to the history of the city," she said, adding that the Latino historical context statement "will be the first plan generated by the community."

Harmony between old, new

Arguello said there are already signs of change - condominium projects on 24th Street that displaced longtime tenants, for example - but also signs that the new and old 24th Street can coexist. He pointed toward the restaurant Pig & Pie, at 24th and Harrison streets, which opened in 2012 at the site of the famed, now-shuttered record store Discolandia.

After talking to neighbors, Arguello said, owner Miles Pickering opted to keep the Discolandia signage - an important nod to the area's past and a big tourist attraction.

"We worked with him to preserve it," he said. "A lot of people don't want this to be like Valencia Street or Noe Valley - we want to be who we are. We're not down on anybody else, but we want to keep the character here, keep it special."

Maintaining and encouraging that unique character will also allow the area's businesses to thrive, Arguello and Campos agreed. Calle 24, the neighborhood group, changed its name from Lower 24th Street Merchants and Neighbors Association to let visitors and the rest of the city know what sets them apart.

"I think part of what you see with Calle 24 is a focus on rebranding, highlighting the history," Campos said. "We want to make sure we preserve the murals, make sure some of landmarks that have been there a long time are protected - but it's also about promoting the area, too."

Online extra

Proposal: For details about the area and proposed cultural district, go to

Tour: To learn about the walking tour, go to

Statement: For details about the San Francisco Latino Historic Context Statement, go to
