San Francisco Neighborhoods · Dogpatch
Dogpatch
also Central WaterfrontSun zoneA sun-warmed slice of the central waterfront where 19th-century shipyards and workers' cottages have been reborn as breweries, art galleries and some of the city's most beloved restaurants.
- Historic maker district
- Galleries & breweries
- Sunny waterfront pocket
- T-Third light rail
On the map
Open Dogpatch on the map →The story
Dogpatch grew up in the 1870s as an informal company town for the ironworks, refineries and shipyards along the bay's edge. Three-quarters of its households worked for big employers like the Union Iron Works (later Bethlehem Steel) at Pier 70, and developers threw up rows of cheap Victorian and Edwardian cottages, including a cluster of identical Eastlake-style homes built to plans by architect John Cotter Pelton, Jr. Spared by the 1906 earthquake and fire, much of that worker housing survives, making Dogpatch one of the city's most intact pre-1910 neighborhoods. Shipbuilding faded after World War II, and in recent decades the old industrial blocks have been reborn as an arts, maker and dining district anchored by the Minnesota Street Project galleries.
Things most people don’t know
Birthplace of warships
The Union Iron Works, founded 1883, built vessels like the battleship USS Oregon along this waterfront.
Survived 1906
Much of Dogpatch escaped the earthquake and fire, leaving a rare intact district of 1870s–1910 workers' cottages.
Pelton cottages
Clusters of identical Eastlake-style cottages were built to plans by architect John Cotter Pelton, Jr.
An arts hub
The Minnesota Street Project at 1275 Minnesota St houses more than a dozen independent fine-art galleries.
A name nobody agrees on
Theories trace 'Dogpatch' to dogfennel weed, packs of stray dogs, or the Li'l Abner comic strip.
Eating and drinking
Restaurants
- Piccino · 1001 Minnesota St
- Long Bridge Pizza Co. · 2347 3rd St
- Wolfsbane · 2495 3rd St
Bars
- The Sea Star · 2289 3rd St
- Third Rail · 628 20th St
- Dogpatch Saloon · 2496 3rd St
Getting around and getting care
Transit. T-Third Muni Metro light rail runs the length of Third St with stops at 20th St and 23rd St. Buses 22 Fillmore, 48 Quintara/24th St and 55 Dogpatch also serve the neighborhood.
Nearest hospital. Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center, 1001 Potrero Ave (about 1.3 mi)
Thinking about Dogpatch?
Send me an address and I will come back with its sun, wind and fog, what is under it, and what has closed on the block.