Mission Dolores Park - A History

Of the 230 properties administered by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, Mission Dolores Park has one of the more storied pasts with many different cultural layers. Presenter Christopher Pollock, the department’s Historian-in- Residence will trace the property’s origins from its use by its indigenous people, followed as a pair of Jewish Cemeteries, and finally as a place of recreation.

Biography for Christopher Pollock:

In 2016 Chris was tapped by the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to be their first Historian-in-Residence for all the city’s parks. With this, Chris brought a layer of history to the department. His initial project was to research and record the history of the department’s 230 real estate assets.

His most recent book, published in 2023, is San Francisco’s Parks, a pictorial record of many of the city’s recreation spots. It is the first illustrated publication to bring together the full breadth of public parks administered by the city’s Recreation and Park Department. With the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park in 2020, he launched the latest version of his 2001 book, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park: A Thousand and Seventeen Acres of Stories. This was preceded by another publication, Reel San Francisco Stories: An Annotated Filmography of the Bay Area, published in 2013, which is about the some 650 movies filmed in the Bay Area since the beginning of talkies.

Chris started his career as a designer specializing in interior architecture. With this experience he changed gears to focus on historic preservation, specializing in historic research. A native of Connecticut, Chris has resided in San Francisco since 1979.

Manny’s never turns away anyone for lack of funds. If you need a free ticket, just email "grapefruit" along with the event title to .

Want to help others attend? Buy a "Pay It Forward" ticket to cover the cost for someone who can’t afford it. Your support helps us keep our events accessible and ensure a diverse audience that reflects San Francisco.

Also check out other Arts events in San Francisco, Entertainment events in San Francisco.