Neon-laden video clip of San Francisco’s lower Market Street in 1960s. This clip shows that every business on this strip was aglow with neon, even dentists! A bit of neon nirvana on Market Street. All of these neon signs have disappeared, except the Golden Gate Theatre and the Odd Fellows Temple. Source: Petrified Films/Getty Images.

Since 2009, SF Shines, a facade and tenant improvement program, has supported businesses, hotels, and restaurants throughout the city. But in a new development, the program has been collaborating with SF Neon and the Tenderloin Museum to restore vintage neon signs. These neon signs promote family-owned businesses: watch how the program is helping SF’s streets shine and glow again!

Video by SFGovTV WNSF, Segment Producer: Aracelli Frias, Drone Footage: Chris Michaels, Archival Footage: Petrified Films/Getty Images.

San Francisco Was Once Aglow with Neon Lights

This KQED podcast video features lots of great neon footage San Francisco plus interviews with us on SF Neon book/tours and Shawna Peterson, neon artist deluxe. Bravo to video journalist Serginho Roosblad for doing such a great job on this featurette!

The 14th Annual Noir City film fest was hosted at the historic Castro Theatre in San Francisco. We are thrilled that Film Noir Foundation founder, Eddie Muller, invited us to be part of Noir City and screen our video essay “Stolen Moments”—a cinematic homage to neon and noir. Research and editing by Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan.

Neon-focused footage from the Prelinger Archive, home movies and short films now in the public domain reveal the city’s lost neon landscape in neighborhoods from Union Square to Playland. Research and editing by Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan.

Neon-focused footage from the Prelinger Archive, that focuses on the corridor of neon when Chinatown was full of nightlife for locals and tourists.