Playland At The Beach - San Francisco, California
Posted by: 
hotshoe
N 37° 46.390 W 122° 30.610
10S E 543138 N 4180760
A holiday destination for half a century, Playland was closed and sold in 1972 for the value of the underlying land, which was quickly turned into ocean-view condominiums
Waymark Code: WM4Q84
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 09/19/2008
Views: 50
The first ride at the beach was built in 1884. When the trolley route was extended to the western end of San Francisco, at Ocean Beach, large numbers of visitors arrived looking for fun, and various concession stands sprang up to serve them. In 1926, the varied play areas were united under one manager, George Whitney, and united under one name, Playland at the Beach. Playland was a beloved feature of San Francisco life for decades, especially for working class families, since tickets to each attraction were sold individually and sightseeing was always free. Eventually, the value of the last large undeveloped parcel of land in crowded San Francisco became too much to resist, and it was sold to developers. Playland closed in September, 1972.
For a link to a history project about local memories of Playland: (
visit link)
One innovation which outlasted Playland is the "It's It" (tm) ice cream sandwich, which used to be sold there exclusively, but which is now distributed by grocers west of the Rocky Mtns.