17 Reasons Why!
In June of 2002, the historic "17 Reasons Why!" sign at the corner of 17th and Mission was removed and replaced with a giant billboard advertising Miller Genuine Draft Beer. In response to this action, a group of Mission residents and concerned San Franciscans organized to advocate for the removal of the beer billboard and the re-installation of the 17 Reasons Why! sign. The Friends of 1800 supported this effort and wrote the San Francisco Planning Department Board of Appeals commissioners on behalf of retaining the 17 Reasons Why! sign.
Despite wide, high-profile public support for the sign's restoration, in February 2003, a rescheduled hearing at the Board of Appeals was cancelled.
Foster Media, Inc. was issued a permit allowing it continued use of the billboard that now stands where !7 Reasons Why! had stood since the Depression.
Friends of 1800 Letter to Planning Department
Commissioners
Planning Department Board of Appeals
City and County of San Francisco
Dear Commissioners:
The Friends of 1800 is a local organization primarily interested in the preservation of significant San Francisco historical, architectural and cultural properties.
Recently, was have noticed that the Mission District's original 17 Reasons Why sign was removed. For more than sixty years this sign served as an important local monument and landmark to define the area. This sign was a spectacular example of electrified signage from the Depression era in both its graphic design and means of illumination. It is not something that can be reproduced or duplicated in our time.
A large part of America's historical commercial culture is rapidly being replaced or destroyed. It is incumbent on us to find ways to save and preserve these monuments, especially those from a period as different from our own as the Depression. As one of San Francisco's few surviving signs (and probably the largest) from the 30's, it is an important link to, and a reminder of, our past.
We urge you to consider the retention and replacement of the 17 Reasons Why sign.
Sincerely,
Gerry Takano
President Friends of 1800 Market