Thurs., July 20, 2017 in O.B.- The Ocean Beach Historical Society presented: Watch Your Step! The Sidewalks of Ocean Beach & Point Loma– By Eric DuVall,
Little did we know Sidewalks were so fascinating!
Eric DuVall explained his 45 year fascination with the sidewalks of Ocean Beach and Point Loma. This is a path upon which entire streets appear and disappear, and where the passage of time and the physical history of our community are literally written in concrete. No, really! Would anyone have thought that something so ubiquitous and ordinary, something so obviously hard, if not always cold, as common sidewalks, could be even remotely interesting? Or that the very sidewalk beneath your feet might be steeped in mystery and controversy? Well it sure is.
Eric’s occasional Facebook Feature, Sidewalk Sunday, proved – against all odds – to be popular. And our presentation on the 50th Anniversary of the Ocean Beach Pier showed the world that people will turn out to hear a man talk about concrete. In this case our presenter was not an expert on the subject, but merely an observer. An observer of something that doesn’t move, something that is the same this morning as it was thirty, fifty, or even one hundred years ago. Or is it?
Thanks Eric for a interesting and entertaining program.
Ocean Beach Historical Society 
I will be unable to attend tomorrows Ocean Beach Historical Society presentation but find this topic fascinating. Does Eric have information for the public to view and read? The oldest sidewalk square I’ve found was 1913 on Bacon but there’s a lot more to discover. This is one meeting I’ll really miss!
Hi Jacque, thanks for you interest. Most of my sidewalk material has been on the Facebook Page, Vintage Photos from Point Loma and Ocean Beach. If you are already on Facebook, I can add you to the group. Just take a look at the photos, and photo albums. I used to do something almost every week on there called Sidewalk Sunday. I raided most of that material for the talk I gave tonight. E.D.
There are lots of old sidewalk markers in the Hillcrest/Banker’s Hill area. I found one dated 1897! Lots of others, ’02, ’04, etc. I often see the markers surrounded by new concrete, it is nice to see some people are preserving them when repairing the sidewalks.
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