San Francisco's "Dove Cove"

Last night a nice crowd in SFPL's Koret Auditorium enjoyed watching Trina Lopez's A Second Final Rest: The History of San Francisco's Lost Cemeteries , her documentary about "the hidden history of how this modern metropolis managed to systematically relocate nearly all of its burial grounds to make room for the living."

Trina got some terrific stories on tape from native San Franciscans with childhood memories of playing in the graveyards. One of the most compelling and charming characters in her documentary is Emmitt Watson, caretaker and unofficial historian of the SF Columbarium, now owned and operated by the Neptune Society.

Here is a "Finding My Religion" interview with Watson by David Ian Miller on sfgate from 2006, definitely worth a read. My favorite question/answer:

"Where do you want to go as your final resting place?

In a paint bucket inside the house. I got the idea from some of these families here. They put objects in their apartments, whatever their loved ones treasured. I want to be in a paint bucket because I'm a painter. That's what I do. Besides, my loved ones need the money. I don't need no $5,000 casket."

Here are a few links with information about the Columbarium, which is open to visitors Monday through Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM – Saturday and Sunday from 10:00AM to 3:00PM:

San Francisco Reader essay
Broke-ass Stuart on the Columbarium
SF Oddities: The Roman Columbarium: House of the Living Dead

Also Known As: Locations in Alive in Necropolis

Doug Dorst has provided handy notes to help you place some of the spots whose names have been changed in the book...to protect the innocent. *Spoiler Alert - You may want to finish the book before you read these!*

Fern Grotto is in Cypress Lawn Cemetery, on the east side. Go in the main entrance (under the archway, where Featherstone was found), head up the hill to your right, and you’ll see it on your right after a couple hundred yards or so.

The Death’s Door Tavern is loosely based on the Globe Tavern, 379 Mission St. in Daly City.

The Hard Ten is based on The Page (formerly Chances, and before that, another name that I’ve since forgotten). 298 Divisadero (@ Page). (ed. note - did you know we're having One City One Book One Bar at The Page on 10/12/09? More info if you scroll down here.)

Mia’s apartment is on Grove Street, near Broderick. I used to live on Baker between Grove and Fulton, and I’d walk down Grove with my dog twice a day (en route to Alamo Square Park).

The DiMaio house is at a nonexistent address on Buena Vista Park Ave. West. Interesting thing about Buena Vista Park itself - if you look closely at the stones that line the walking paths, you can find some with letters and numbers. These are pieces of old tombstones that were “repurposed” after the cemeteries were taken out. I’m told that old stones were also used in the retaining wall at Fort Point.

Neptune, where Mercer’s gang gathers, is loosely based on Mars (798 Brannan @ 7th St.). The SF Writers’ Grotto folks used to gather here for a weekly happy hour. This was back when I was working as a lawyer, and I really enjoyed having this social connection to other writers in town.

The Tonga Room, where Toronto proposes to Mia, is at 950 Mason (bottom floor of Fairmont Hotel).

The San Francisco Zen Center, where Toronto has a moment of grace, is at 300 Page (@ Laguna).