Locations
The Streets of San Francisco was filmed entirely on location in San Francisco and the Bay Area, giving an additional authenticity to the series while the city itself definitely was kind of a 'co-star' to the actors. Certain areas of San Francisco have changed very much since then and are still in this process (especially South of Market, South Beach, and the almost completely re-built Mission Bay) but many locations are still cognizable or even remain unchanged. It is my goal to publish a detailed catalog comprising any single filming location for each episode in the future, so until then I hope you can be satisfied with the locations info given in each episode's summary.
While it is a challenging pleasure to search and identify the filming locations of the series - and an even more interesting opportunity to proudly present this kind of information to all of you fans out there - I would like to ask you to respect people's privacy under any circumstance. Taking aerial pictures of buildings and places is probably not a problem at all, but if you are going to visit one or another original filming location of The Streets of San Francisco in the future, please help to protect the people's privacy. All actual location photos were taken by the site owner over the past couple of years. If you are interested in using any actual location photo for your own website or other purposes, please ask me first and give credits to www.thestreetsofsanfrancisco.net.
That being said, here we go.
STEVE KELLER'S HOUSE
Thanks to some detective work and the help of some fantastic fans, I can detail the filming locations of both Steve's and Mike's houses in the show. When Mike drives to Steve's house in the Pilot episode it gives us a great view of the surrounding streets and area, plus the house itself:
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Fellow fan and veritable fountain-of-knowledge on San Francisco, Greg Dewar, along with the help of his brother and a friend, managed to locate Steve's house based on those screencaps. In the show, the number on the door Mike knocks on is 287, and the street was finally identified. Below, you can see pictures of 287 Union Street in its current purple colour scheme:
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MIKE STONE'S HOUSE
A french fan located information on the internet about the location of Mike's house, at the address 768 De Haro Street. You can see the house in question (it is the yellow house in the center) in season 2 episodes 'Harem' and 'Commitment' - among others - plus a great view from Potrero Hill towards the downtown skyline:
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Similar perspectives, some 40 years later. When I took these pictures I was identified as being a fan of the series by a neighbour who lived right beside Mike Stone's house; had a nice talk that day. The first picture shows the neighbouring house to the left of Mike Stone's home, taken from the corner of 20th and DeHaro Streets (you can identify the partial view of its unique facade in the first screencap above). The second photo shows Mike's house today in a frontal view; the colours have changed again, but everything else remains as it was when Stone and Keller kept the streets safe and clean.
(click on thumbnails for larger images)
PILOT EPISODE - St. Francis Yacht Club
In the opening sequence of the pilot movie, a man jogging on a small beach notices the lifeless body of Holly Jean Berry in the Bay. In the background, we can see a building right at the waterfront, and - in a distance - Alcatraz Island. I found the location on a walk from Fort Mason towards Crissy Field, passing along Marina Boulevard. It is the St. Francis Yacht Club and adjacent beach strip.
PILOT EPISODE - David Farr's Apartment
While investigating the murder of Holly Jean Berry, Stone and Keller have several questionings with lawyer David Farr - who saw her last - on different occasions and locations. Several sequences were filmed inside David Farr's apartment, and we also get an impression of the building's exterior. This was another accidental discovery, while walking between Lafayette Park and Alta Vista Park, west of Nob Hill. The apartment building is located at 2192 Washington Street. You can easily recognize the typical entrance area as well as the building's facade. By the way, we will come back to this location later for another episode of the series.
PILOT EPISODE - Gregory Praxas' Mansion
The killer of Holly Jean Berry is living in a decadent mansion on a dead end street with a beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge in background. Due to the camera's perspective, the location had to be west of the Golden Gate and at the southern end of Baker Beach. The exact location was a tough find, to be honest. The mansion actually is one of the exclusive cliff houses with private stairways (on the rear side) down to the beach, and is located in the Sea Cliff estate on 25th Avenue.
BITTER WINE (Season 1, Episode 12) - 'Greek Taverna' Restaurant
After being released from St. Quentin, Jason Kampacalas (Paul Michael Glaser) arrives in San Francisco and gets off the bus just a few feet away from his family's restaurant. The location - Columbus Avenue - was quite easy to identify, with the Transamerica Pyramid in background, at 256 Columbus Avenue. Liz took absolutely terrific matching photos for the screenscaps, the first one with Jason walking down Columbus towards the restaurant, and the second one when he arrives in front of the entrance door (where he recognizes the sign 'Kampacalas and Son').
BITTER WINE (Season 1, Episode 12) - Former Kampacalas House
Following the frustrating confrontation with his embittered father, Jason Kampacalas visits his family's former home on Potrero Hill. There is an adress given on a form Mike holds in his hands but the house number is way off. The actual house is located on a small hill of upper De Haro Street. The house was modified in certain details over the decades (just look at the former entrance door and the staircase which have been removed completely) but the overall condition of the building seems to be pretty much the same (again). Liz also took a matching photo downhill with 24th Street to the right and the mountain crests in background; the emtpy land on the other curb of De Haro Street has been built-up in the meantime.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW (Season 1, Episode 18) - Informer's Hide-Out
Most of this episode takes place in the Mission District and inside Mary Rae Dortmunder's apartment just across the street from the informer's hide-out. Interestingly, the screenplay writers used a real address for the hide-out (which was also visualized when hitman Art Styles got it on a notepad), at 933 Church Street. The screencap was taken from above, right through the oriel window of Mary Rae's apartment, so we got a completely realistic perspective here. By the way, I took the pictures of the real buildings in 2010.
A ROOM WITH A VIEW (Season 1, Episode 18) - Mary Rae Dortmunder's Apartment
Same location, just across the street - and the origin of the hitman's perspective. The house in which Mary Rae Dortmunder's apartment is located sits on top of a hill, hence the elevated perspective. Things in this section of Church Street are pretty much the same as 40 years ago - apart from the fact that the green estate to the left is built-up now.
TRAIL OF THE SERPENT (Season 1, Episode 20) - Opening Scene
In the opening sequence of this episode, the 'Cobras' are leaving famous 'New Potrero Theatre', ready to start their nightly raid. The scene was filmed from an elevated camera position, however, you can recognize the white brickstone column structure in the screencapture. The cinema is long gone (even before the episode was filmed) but the building at 312 Connecticut continued to serve as a practice studio for many musicians and bands of the San Francisco rock and folk-rock scene (one of the most famous, The Grateful Dead, used it in 1968). Later on, the remarkable marquee was also removed. Today, the building serves as office space (the actual photo was taken in 2014).
TRAIL OF THE SERPENT (Season 1, Episode 20) - Grocery Store Crime Scene
Soon after leaving the cinema, the 'Cobras' are attacking a local grocery store a few blocks away. The screencap was taken moments before the 'Cobras' enter the store. It was quite a tricky task to identify the exact location of the store due to the night scenes and limited number of perspectives. However, I finally located the store at 20th and Connecticut Streets, and lucky enough, Liz was able to take a night shot from almost the same perspective as used by the filming crew some 40 years before. The second picture shows the matching perspective to the screencap, and the third one was taken from the opposite corner of the intersection for a total view of the building nowadays.
TRAIL OF THE SERPENT (Season 1, Episode 20) - The 'Cobras' Hideout
Following the bungled bust in the grocery store, the 'Cobras' are trying to get to their hideout - an allegedly condemned brickstone building with number '650' on a small entrance door; later on, they are taking Mike Stone hostage here. Luckily, the building was identified and is still existing. It is close to Potrero Hill, i.e. located at the Potrero/South of Market border. Almost everything has changed in this part of South of Market over the past 40 years, but 650 7th Street is still standing upright. The remarkable upper construction has been removed since then, and so the entrance door that was located in the lower right archway (Mike entered the building through that door).
TRAIL OF THE SERPENT (Season 1, Episode 20) - Billiard Bar
During their investigations, Steve and Lt. Devitt get to know about a meeting point of the 'Cobras' - a local billiard bar. I located the building which was painted in deep red colour back in the 1970's to be on Mississippi Street, right at the corner of Mariposa. Again, Liz took absolutely fantastic matching photos of the building as well as the cameraman's perspective after Steve and Lt. Devitt left the bar.
TRAIL OF THE SERPENT (Season 1, Episode 20) - Vermont Street
Steve and Lt. Devitt are driving up Vermont Street - apart from the well-known Lombard Street it is the actual 'most crooked street' in the United States - and are questioning a newspaper driver who ought to know certain details about the 'Cobras' hideout. Vermont Street is much 'greener' these days, but you can still recognize parts of the red brick buildings of SF General Hospital in background as well as the concrete steps to the right in both pictures, confirming the matching perspective of the location photo.
HOUSE ON HYDE STREET (Season 1, Episode 21) - Opening Scene
In the opening scene of this episode, Billy (Clint Howard) is turning on his skateboard onto Pennsylvania Avenue from 19th Street, heading north towards the downtown skyline. He comes to a hold in front of what is supposed to be the 'House on Hyde Street' - but actually is 300 Pennsylvania Avenue. I extracted two screencaps when Billy is looking at the house, the first one taken on Pennsylvania Ave., the other one at 18th/Pennsylvania intersection where the three boys meet and observe Harlan Edgerton leaving his home. The actual location photos were taken in 2014, illustrating the excellent condition of this filming location.
HOUSE ON HYDE STREET (Season 1, Episode 21) - Opening Scene Follow-up
The three boys meet at 18th and Pennsylvania Avenue (we can see the MUNI bus arriving at the bus stop on 18th Street, heading east. Even 40 years on, MUNI is still serving this bus stop on its 22-Line (Fillmore-Potrero Hill) as we can see in the actual location photo.
HOUSE ON HYDE STREET (Season 1, Episode 21) - Grocery Store
After Harlan Edgerton has left his house, he drives his old Ford T Model to a little store in order to buy some groceries. This was a tough find, to be honest. I cruised Potrero Hill around the main filming location, and finally identified the shop at 1301 18th Street which was just two blocks away from 300 Pennsylvania. Interestingly, there still is a local grocery store at this location, named 'New Potrero Market'. The key scene for the identification was Harlan Edgerton entering the shop which delivered a remarkable view of the opposite curb and building. Liz was able to take a very similar location photo from inside the grocery store, so here we go:
HOUSE ON HYDE STREET (Season 1, Episode 21) - Confronting the Boys
Towards the end of this episode, Mike and Steve confront the boys with the Edgerton brother's fate and appeal to their conscience. They pick them them up at the corner of 20th and Mississippi (another tough find), and the location photo - taken in 2014 - is pretty much matching again. Even the wooden telephone/power pole is still there. One of the main things that changed over the decades is the trees obscuring buildings and places now; these have been no higher than two feet back in the mid-1970's.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - 'The Cannery' Crime Scene
A nightly scene at 'The Cannery' shopping center is the opening of this episode. A group of youngsters break into a shop, stealing electronics and the likes. When police arrives, the boys try to get away, two of them - the Davies brothers - are chased by Steve, and the younger brother is shot to death after Steve saw someone pulling a gun. The gun, however, disappears and Steve is temporarily dismissed from duty, but he is concerned about his own judgement and tries to locate the important proof - the gun he had seen. He returns to The Cannery and searches the corners around the stair where one of the suspects as well as the gun had disappeared. The stair leading towards Bay Street and Columbus Avenue is still intact today as you can see in this picture taken on The Cannery courtyard back in 2010; it actually remains unchanged, even the ceiling and safety bars look like the same. By the way, the Davies boys ran into the archway which can be seen behind the stair in the actual location photo, and that is where the younger of the Davies brothers was shot.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Al Davies' House
The Davies house is shown a few times, the most illuminating scene occured when Elaine Russo (Ina Balin) crossed an adjacent intersection in her car, offering a view of Sutro Tower in the background. This made it easier to identify the location which can be found at 806 Noe Street, quite close to the intersection of 21st and Noe Streets. The house's entrance was slightly modified but even the open space to the right is still there.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Lonnie Carter's High School
When police receives a description of the suspects, Mike drives up to a high school and interviews of group of basketball-playing guys. He spots Lonnie Carter in a distance but he finally loses him in the following chase. This sequence was obviously filmed on Potrero Hill, and the final scene of the chase (with Mike standing on a rooftop and Carter running away right over the intersection, almost colliding with a driving car) delivered the decisive sightings: the intersection is of 19th and Vermont Streets, and the schoolyard belongs to Downtown High School at 693 Vermont. Again, Liz took absolutely fantastic matching photos of both, the playground perspective as well as Mike's last sighting of Lonnie Carter on the intersection.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Mrs. Carter's Apartment
Following the chase at Lonnie Carter's former high school, Mike drives up one of San Francisco's hills in order to interview Lonnie's mother. There is little indication of the exact location of the house other than the view towards Bay Bridge, and a few buildings in background when Mrs. Carter is shown in close-ups. Telling from these perspectives, the filming location had to be in quite a distance from the Bay and Interstate 280 but still east of US Highway 1. I finally identified the background buildings to be on Carolina Street, however, there was no match for the house where Mikes knocks on apartment door number '2' - but note that concrete stair Mrs. Carter is leaning on. The apartment building obviously used to sit where Southern Heights Avenue branches off Carolina (hence the elevated perspective onto Carolina Street), and the concrete stair is still there, but the apartment house itself was either substantially modified or completely re-built. None of its architectural structures can be compared or identified, so I am concentrating on matching views of the background. But make sure you also check out the last picture showing the building with the concrete stair to its right.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Ripley's Believe It Or Not
After having talked to Lonnie Carter's mother who said her son had a job at famous Ripley's, Mike immediately drives to Fishermans Wharf where Ripley's is still located at 175 Jefferson Street. The entrance area of the 1960's Art Deco building has been updated over the past years, of course, but the remarkable architecture at Jefferson and Taylor Streets is still the same. Mike approaches Ripley's on Jefferson from the west which is not possible anymore since Jefferson Street was converted into a one-way street several years ago. Actual photo was taken on an early Sunday morning in 2011, hence less traffic on both, the street as well as on the sidewalk.
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Jack Davies meets his drug dealer
Drug-addicted Jack Davies meets his dealer at Fishermans Wharf, between Taylor and Jones Streets, which is actually less than a block away from Ripley's. You can see Tarantino's is still serving some fine 'frutti di mare', and so is adjacent Alioto's which is not pictured in the actual location photo taken in 2011. Famous 'Fishermans Wharf' sign in far right background (on both, the screencap as well as the actual picture).
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Hyde Street Pier
The climax takes us a bit more to the west on Jefferson Street, to what is today known as 'San Francisco Maritime National Park' which includes a number of historical ships at Hyde Street Pier. Mike is watching as Al and Jack Davies are finally overcoming their father-and-son conflicts and concluding peace. You can see Transamerica Pyramid and Bank of America to the left of Mike, and some Nob Hill skyscrapers to the right. The actual photo was taken on the pier just a bit more away from Mike's position so you can also see historic ship 'Balclutha' moored on the right side. Anyone spotting Mike some 50 feet in the distance? :)
A WRONGFUL DEATH (Season 2, Episode 1) - Pastine's Dugout
In the epilogue, Steve talks to Al Davies in his bar named 'Pastine's Dugout' in order to ask for how he and Jack have been (Jack had been transfered to rehab in the meantime). When Steve leaves the bar, Mike is waiting for him in their car. Only when they are driving away, there are some indications concerning the location of this place. It is actually located downtown, just off Market at 15 Kearny Street. Although the front has been rebuilt for retail requirements, the upper facade is still the same (including the ventilation louvers on the right). Taking pictures on this busy part of Kearny is quite tough today due to the heavy traffic, so thanks much to Liz for her terrific work.
BETRAYED (Season 2, Episode 2) - Crime Scene
This episodes starts in a cab, running down California Street from Nob Hill towards Market, with Martin Sheen (as Dean Knox) in the back seat. They make a u-turn abreast the Bank of America building, Martin Sheen gets off and enters the 'Howard Hotel' which actually is 580 California. There are only close-up scenes of the building's facade in this episode, but you can pretty much imagine the scenery. The actual location photo shows 580 California in a complete view (the facade was slightly modified since then); the 'Bay Bank' was located in the building on the right, just across small Spring Street.
BETRAYED (Season 2, Episode 2) - Kate Evans' House
Following the robbery and a visit to his actual wealthy girl friend outside San Francisco, Dean Knox returns to the house of Kate Evans, the one he has a 'useful relationship' with. We can see him entering the house through the front door after he has parked his yellow sports car in front of it. Note the background pointing at Russian Hill, and we also got to see the great terrace view from Kate Evans' balcony. This house is located in the western part of Cow Hollow, at 2480 Union Street. It has been modified in some details - note the ballustrade and columns added to the top of the entrance marquee plus the massive 'handrails' added to the entrance stair itself - but otherwise it remains unchanged.
BETRAYED (Season 2, Episode 2) - Suspect's Shabby Apartment
During their investigations, Mike and Steve receive a hint leading to another suspect living in a house in quite shabby condition. We can see them approaching the place eastbound on 23rd Street, with Mike knocking on the front door and Steve securing the back side. We can even see the house number '2019' on the suspect's entrance door. As you can see in the actual location photos, 2019 23rd Street is still sitting in its place - and in opposite to most of the other locations, it obviously remains in its poor condition as the 'ugly duckling' like it did some 40 years ago. The house numbers have not changed either but at least the entrance area received some new paint in the meantime.
BETRAYED (Season 2, Episode 2) - Alta Mira Hotel & Restaurant
With Mike and Steve already on his trail, Knox picks-up his girlfriend and takes her to the "Pinewood Lodge". The actual location, however, was in Sausalito, namely the then famous Alta Mira Hotel & Restaurant, which offered that great terrace cafe with a view of the bay and the San Francisco skyline in background. The screencap shows Mike and Steve meeting up with the Sheriff at the Alta Mira parking lot, the actual location photo was taken in 2014, when the exclusive hotel was long gone and the facility re-opened to a privately-owned healthcare project. You can identify the building right behind Mike and Steve to be the house on the left in the actual location photo; the complex next to it is the former Alta Mira Hotel & Restaurant gateway, with its great terrace cafe on top.
BETRAYED (Season 2, Episode 2) - Battery Spencer & Golden Gate Bridge
In order to get rid of his girlfriend and eye-witness of the holdup murder, Knox persuades her to go and enjoy the great sunset view over the Golden Bridge from a viewpoint. They allegedly use a trail from the Alta Mira compound to that vista point, which actually takes them to Battery Spencer for the episode's climax. You can see that Battery Spencer has not changed that much over the past 40 years, although it was officially opened to the public as part of the Golden Gate National Parks - which was quite uncommon for all the Batteries in the San Francisco area back in the 1970's.
Steve finally books Knox at the edge of a rock spur high above the Golden Gate, offering a great view over the bridge and the bay. Before, they have to pass a fence that separates the precipitous part from the publicly accessible area; that fence is still there (albeit not shown in the pictures). The actual photo was taken with a wide-angle lens in order to catch the great view of the Golden Gate and the City; the photographer was actually standing in the same position as Martin Sheen did (which was forbidden, to say the least).
HAREM (Season 2, Episode 7) - Opening Scene
Act I starts out with a nightly scene where the camera swings on an intersection from one street with illuminated high-rise buildings in background to the left onto another street's curb. The initial view is heading west on Mission St (first screencap), and after swinging to the left we are looking south on The Embarcadero (second screencap). Located right beneath the elevated Embarcadero Freeway back then - which seperated the city from the waterfront - this section was known as the 'skid-row part' of The Emcardero, a rather dirty and shabby area, to say the least. This block between Mission and Howard Streets was also used in Hollywood blockbuster movies 'Dirty Harry' starring Clint Eastwood, and the adjacent block between Howard and Folsom Streets in 'Bullitt' starring Steve McQueen. Today, the remodelling of San Francisco's waterfront, particularly of The Embarcadero between Washington and 3rd Street (covering the whole waterfront of the Financial District and South Beach), offers a completely different atmosphere - but some buildings are still extant, particularly in the block we are focusing on here. The remarkable facade of 'The Audiffred Building' at the corner of Mission & Embarcadero can easily be identified, the adjacent building remains the same, although the huge neon sign was removed and windows were remodelled. The former gap was built up over the decades and adjacent buildings were just modified and refurbished but not replaced by new ones. The large neon letters on the screencap depict the former 'YMCA Building' which houses the 'Harbor Court Hotel' these days (you can recognize the hotel's lettering on the actual location photo in place of the illuminated YMCA sign now). It's the area where Billy Jeffers' hookers are supposed to see their clients.
Harem (Season 2, Episode 7) - Jeffers Playing the Flute at Water Fountain
We are taken to Ghirardelli Square where smart and charming Billy Jeffers uses to play his flute for tips. Although famous Ghirardelli Square has been renovated again and again, the water fountain as well as most of the buildings and installations are still there. I tried to take a matching photo by night back in 2011, with some success. Somehow, I missed out on one of Jeffers' shows.
Harem (Season 2, Episode 7) - Jeffers' House
Billy Jeffers and his hookers all got separate apartments in one and the same house. Following an interview at Homicide, Steve takes Sarah Holt home, and later on, Mike and Steve return to this site for further inspection of her apartment. We can see Steve getting off the car, with a revealing view down the street. There's an elevated freeway in sight, a crossing street which is obviously Market, and we also see the towers of St. Joseph's church in background. This made it easier to identify the location which is in Hayes Valley, precisely on Haight Street just west of Octavia Boulevard (formerly the elevated Octavia Freeway). The first set of pictures illustrates the street view I was talking about, then Liz took perfectly maching photos of Billy Jeffers' house.
Harem (Season 2, Episode 7) - Baker Beach Crime Scene
After Billy Jeffers has raised her hopes to be his 'first', Sarah follows him to Baker Beach, just to discover that he actually killed his former lover and is about to kill her too. This scene was fimled at the eastern edge of Baker Beach where the rocks block the way toward the Golden Gate Bridge. Today, you can find some nudists over there, so don't be surprised if you are going to visit this location yourself. They returned to that location for police's investigation (shown in the screencap).
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - The Saloon
After strolling along the night clubs around Broadway and Columbus, Benjy heads towards a bar in order to meet an informer. The screencap gives the name of the sidebranch, and the actual address in Grant Avenue and Fresno Street. "The Saloon" actually has a rich history of blues music events since the early 1960's and is still existing at 2232 Grant.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - Benjy guiding kids home
When Benjy leaves "The Saloon" he picks up to minors he knows from the neighbourhood and guides them home safely. This scene was taken next to "The Saloon" which can be seen in background. The retail shop has been turned into a restaurant over the decades, actual location photo was taken by Jon in mid-2017. The place is less crowded than in the mid-1970's, at daytimes as well as by night.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - Benjy is shot
Heading for his apartment, Benjy is chased and finally shot in a tleohone booth while trying to forward the latest information to the police. Due to the fact that the whole opening scenes were taken around the former red-light district at Broadway and Columbus, I started my 'filming location search' right there. The illuminated skyscrapers in background as well the obviously pretty narrow street ending on kind of a hill (where Benjy used the telephone booth) finally led me to the place where Vallejo and Romolo Place make up that perspective towards the Financial District. Although the actual location photo was taken at daytime, Liz got it perfectly.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - San Francisco General Hospital - Main Gate
Not that much of a challenge but interesting though. Benjy is treated at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH), and filming was accomplished there for several scenes of this episode. We can see Steve leaving the forecourt and parking area of the former brickstone SFGH main building through the remarkable gate. I took the actual photo of the gate in 2009, when the original main building behind it was long gone already; it actually did not survive too long when the early episodes of The Streets of San Francisco were filmed since groundbreaking for the new Medical Center had taken place in 1971. Today, the open space between the gate (which is still existing) and the concrete building complex (which can partially be seen in background) is occupied by the new San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center building inaugurated in 2016.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - Vi Hoskins' Apartment
Steve really cares for Benjy and tries to convince Hoskins' daughter, Vi, that her assumption on police officers' indifference does not match - at least not for each and every police officer. After talking to her at the SFGH, he gets Vi to her apartment which is located in the western part of Mission District, at 751 Dolores. Recenty, Jon took absolutely fantastic photos as perfect matches of the screencaps.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - San Francisco General Hospital - Emergency Entrance
Today known as 'Building 1', the former emergency entrance of San Francisco General Hospital was located at 22nd Street, just east of Potrero Avenue. Since SFGH was used several times during the early seasons of the series, and many involved gunshot wounds and the likes, the emergency gateway was seen quite often (as early as in episode 1). Some of the SFGH's brock buildings are still existing, and so is the former emergency gateway. Actual location photo was taken back in 2009, but it remains the same today.
NO BADGE FOR BENJY (Season 2, Episode 8) - Hayes' Apartment
Hayes tries to set a trap for Vi. However, Mike and Steve are quite wakeful and can book him before Vi's life is at risk. A decisive hint comes from Hayes' landlady Consuela, a good friend of Benjy Hoskins. The apartment house is located very close to Broadway again, at 1145 Kearny Street, to be precise. Note the many unchanged details including the ceiling at Fresno and Kearny, and at the building itself. Great shots taken by Liz again in 2015, including the street-up perspective following the chase when Steve books Hayes.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - Gas Station Robbery
We see Wade Tillman walking down Filbert Street along Washington Square Park, then crossing Columbus Avenue and approaching the gas station that used to sit right at the northeastern corner of Filbert and Columbus. Just like many - if not most - of San Francisco gas stations, this one was demolished over the decades, and the empty space is now serving as a parking lot for an adjacent Italian restaurant. The buildings' facades, however, are still the same as you can see in this 2010 picture. The large house number '721', for example, has been removed and a door plus small balcony and stairway were added, but the silhouettes and even some pipes on the walls of the buildings can be identified to be the exactly same.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - Walt's Diner
Inspectors 81 are called through the radio while Mike and Steve enjoy a 'cold hot dog' at Walt's Diner. Located at 7th and King Streets, Walt's Diner used to be an actual small diner with the tracks of the Southern Pacific railroad at its back door just south of Market Street. It was closed down and removed in the early 1990's when South of Market changed; however, you can still recognize the adjacent warehouse which the diner was 'attached to', whereas the view of railroad tracks and elevated freeways has been replaced by recent housing projects. The photo was taken in 2015.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - Pacific Haven - Home for Senior Citizens
Following the robbery, Wade Tillman walks uphill where he has got accomodation in the alleged 'Pacific Haven' home for seniors. The overall scenery led me to the assumption that this location was in the Pacific Heights district, and I finally identified the building to be the CoCo Chanel mansion at 1916 Octavia which is part of the San Francisco ArtAcademy housing property today. Liz took really gorgeous matching photos to the screencaps again.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - Home of 'retired' racketeer in wheelchair
Mike and Steve are interviewing a former crook who turns out to be a quite smart guy by talking to our two cops (the one with the wheelchair). The house is still still intact at 1772 Vallejo Street, and is not too far away from Tillman's residence (it was used again in 'Most Feared in The Jungle', by the way). Liz also catched the view behind Mike and Steve showing the buildings across the street.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - 'Regency' Hotel lobby
One of the few hotels actually refered to by its real name and shown from inside at the same time, the (Hyatt) 'Regency' at Embarcadero Center starred for the first time in this episode. I had accomodation there twice in 2011 and 2012, the lobby photo was taken in 2011, and you can see that it looks pretty much the same as it did 40 years ago (parts of the furniture as well as the carpets too). Some elements were re-arranged, including the sculpture which was moved, and the 1970's souterrain bar that we have seen when Tillman talked to his son (to the right in the screencap picture) was replaced by a restaurant and bar on the regular floor level.
WINTERKILL (Season 2, Episode 13) - 'Carl Armstrong Building'
In his effort to get the money for his friend's eye-surgery, Wade Tillman desperately seeks help from Carl Armstrong, a working-class grown business man who made it up into the upper class. While the indoor scenes of Armstrong's penthouse office were obviously filmed in an upper-level bureau of newly-opened Embarcadero Center One (One Maritime Plaza was visible very close through the large-sized windows), the actual building used for exterior filming is located just south of Market, at 77 Beale Street. It was completed in 1971, and serves as Pacific Gas and Electric Company's headquarters. Note the effortful and exclusive 'Carl Armstrong Building' sign designed just for his episode.
THE HARD BREED (Season 2, Episode 21) - Cow Palace
This episode primarily contained interior filming plus a very few exterior sequences. The plot takes place at Cow Palace in Daly City, just south of San Francisco (although almost commonly refered to be part of the city). Cow Palace was built up in the early 1940's as a multi-functional indoor arena, housing basket ball and ice hockey games as well as boxing and, of course, rodeo. Following its inauguration, the annual Grand National Rodeo was held at Cow Palace. I visited the site on a rather rainy day back in 2011, with the parking lot completey vacant and no sports or concerts in progress.
THE HARD BREED (Season 2, Episode 21) - 'China Man Bar'
Following the rodeo and Clint Johnson's death, some members of his crew are gathering together in what appears to be a 'rodeo bar'. Telling from the very short exterior sequence, this location might have been anywhere, however, that remarkable facade is still extant. Located in the heart of China Town, the actual location can be found on Grant Avenue between Union and Green Streets. Jon tooks this fantastic matching shot in mid-2017.
I will add more original filming locations to this page soon, as I gather new screencaps.
