Rare unseen downtown San Francisco 1940s in color [60fps, Remastered] w/sound design added 

do you wante to live in 40s era?

I shared this with my 93 year old father. He thoroughly enjoyed the scenery, especially the cars, most of which he identified by year and make. Thank you.

It's the next-best thing to having a time machine. Simply mesmerizing.

I live here and it's unreal how little has changed between these scenes and the very same streets and neighborhoods today. Fashion in clothing, motor vehicles, signage...of course they all have their eras. But physically, the streets, buildings vistas...you have to work really hard to make out anything that's changed. It's a bit of a time capsule, much like the towns and cities of Europe that escaped destruction during the wars. Thanks for your efforts at bringing this to us.

Wonderful, really wonderful. No voiceover, no rubbish music. With the colourisation of the film it gives one a feeling being there. Thank you.

I love the “no cameras” sign at the pier. This gives proof that it was during WW2 when espionage was a concern.

0:11 Intersection of Grant and Washington in Chinatown 1:16 Intersection of Vallejo and Grant (St. Francis of Assisi on right) 1:46 Intersection of Kearny and Green 2:32 Genoa Pl and Union 2:52 Intersection of Kearny and Vallejo 3:15 Intersection of Kearny and Union 4:53 Intersection of Taylor and Jefferson at Fisherman's Wharf 6:40 View from Sutro Heights looking south down Ocean Beach 6:51 US Mint view from Market and Duboce 7:07 Intersection of California and Stockton looking east 7:22 View of City Hall looking west from UN Plaza

I am grateful to those who restored this video. You have done a great job.👍

My grandparents and parents lived in San Francisco during these years. Grandma would bring sailors home from the shipyards for dinner or to stay for the weekend so they could have home cooked meals. Most families opened their homes to sailors which is why they still celebrate with Fleet Week in October every year. I remember riding on the trolley cars when I was little and all the walking. My mom didn't learn to drive until we moved to Sacramento when she was 31 because we walked everywhere or took the bus, trolley, or cable car in the City. I miss SF so much, it is where my soul belongs. Once a fog baby, always a fog baby.

Thank you for this video. My parents lived in the City for years. They were married in 1941. My brother and I were both born there and have great memories of visiting relatives and spending time in Golden Gate Park. My mother and her cousin Glen would roller skate the hills often grabbing the backs of cable cars for fun. Dad served during the war while my mother worked at Butler Brothers. I have old photos of many of the neighborhoods featured in this amazing video. I was looking closely to see if my parents or other family members were in the film. As I watched I felt I was given a glimpse into my parents life. They're gone but the memories and stories will never be forgotten.

Amazing restoration that brings back childhood memories. Very much appreciate the addition of realistic sounds instead of some obnoxious music track. Well done!!!

The clarity is astounding. It feels like I boarded a time machine and traveled back. I feel like I'm there in real time.

The restoration quality is top notch! Awesome work! It’s crazy seeing the city in wartime, knowing that just up the Bay they were churning out ships at Mare Island and in the Presidio all those batteries still had turrets in them.

That nice caddy on kearney Street, I knew the man that owned it. The young woman crossing union at kearney was my mother. Looking up union street on the left side is a brown building, that was a school, 350 union. I remember when they took down all the telephone poles, 1966. I grew up on union and kearney, mid 50's to late 60's.

Incredible footage, and crystal clear. It's as close as we'll get to this period and the people who were living at that time. Thanks for sharing.

fantastic footage of neighborhoods in SF! You really only need a couple of days there to feel a sense of how unique the city is. Mysterious and beautiful town. I walked(dogs), biked(up those hills)and drove on most streets there for years, it feels like another lifetime and era now. There is definitely a piece of my heart there still.

It's wild how few trees there were! When the camera was going around North Beach it looked so different without the greenery we have today.

I am a fourth-generation San Franciscan. I want to thank you for this! Wonderful to see what my father and grandparents saw back then. Glorious city. Still is in so many ways and it still looks a lot like this!

It was a unique and different video this time. That hotrod parked in the right side of the street and that "NO CAMERAS" sign was so amazing to me and Specially that packard limo that crossed by it. Thank you for all these videos!!!!

I am a native San Franciscan. Ty so much for this. Was fascinating to see how SF looked in the 40s! Also, was scanning to see which neighbors and buildings ate still there, looking fairly much the same!! Ty, this was wonderful!

I just past by your channel, and its absolutely awesome to see this yesteryears footage. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏼

Amazing restoration. San Francisco has not changed in many areas from 1947. War is over, but military personel still coming back from overseas. Most people still making do with pre war cars as factories slowly ramp up production. Fine work NASS!

speechless. the quality of this footage is speechless.

So nice to see this! Thank you for making it. During the time of this video, my grandparents were living in the outer Richmond. My mother (born 1926, now deceased) was in her early twenties living in her parents' house, and hadn't met my father yet. Of course I have been in the city many times although I don't live there. It was really good to see the city as they saw it. Thank you.

Looks virtually the same now as it did then :) Just more glamorous looking in the 40s. Thank you for this!

Thanks for the acknowledgement in video that was really nice, I donated cause I just love these restored films and hope you will achieve your goal and getting a new computer / GPU to contue the project of restoring more footage. The men so dapper in there suits and that guy looking down as he walks to the corner (1min 08secs blue/grey jacket) I have feeling he was really intrigued by the camera and wanted to know more I wonder what became of his life he seemed very expressive. Thanks for uploading another great time piece

The cars are different. The people are different, but that section of The City really doesn't look too much different today. I love how those older builders are cared for and maintained.

Those folks navigating those hills must have been experts at double clutching those old three speeds with the non-synchronized low gear. I have never mastered that skill. That is why I have a Muncie four-speed in my '40 Ford coupe. I love these old movies. Thank you.

The mobster looking dude on the right at 0:13 was clearly up to something shady. Saw the camera and turned around.

I've been in most of those areas shown here in modern times last time was 2017 and they look pretty much the same as this footage it is an amazing thing You've done.

For those familiar with cars; consider that almost all of those cars driving, parking and stopped on those steep hills were standard transmission. I used to hate having to stop on a hill when driving a three pedal car. Unless you are very skilled at smoothly shifting gears when stopped, it was fairly common for your car to roll down the hill slightly as you were shifting to get going again. In modern times most people don't grasp that about stick shift cars and they always seem to get right on your @$$ at a stop sign or traffic light.

This is simply fabulous. Damn, the cars were gorgeous and the people so cute and adorable, in their old scruffy clothes. What a gift this film is. Good audio, too. Don't know if it's real or created but the audio really works, too. Great video.

What a fantastic video, and in color! Reminiscing these old streets. Lived in S.F. all my life till I got married and moved to Sonoma Co. Lived on Union St., which I'm pretty sure the bldg at 402 A Union St. is pictured in this video. My Aunt Lina and Uncle Aurelio lived in Northbeach near Columbus/Stockton, and we kids all grew up there. Love this video so much! Thank you to whoever shared this video and remastered it in color. Great job!!! Now, I'll share it with my siblings and a few of my favorite cousins, who I know will love it, as I do! Love and thanks for the memories!

Thank you for posting this.. Amazing! This is really special to see, having grown up in SF and recognizing every little detail. Great job!

Wow! This is so relaxing to watch. The first scene is Washington & Grant looking north. Incredible that things like the "THE ART Co" sign on the wall are still there after 80 years.

This was absolutely magical to watch. I am mesmerized!!! Such great restoration and such beautiful work.

Awesome really enjoy these videos! Great job at restoration. Love getting in the Time Machine( my phone , your channel and off I go)! Thank you .

Makes you realise that by a chance of nature, you could have lived in very different times.

I remember the store on Washington Street in Chinatown when I was growing up in the early 50's. Chinatown has changed so much. It's nice to reminiscence. Loved watching the old cars and clothes. I remember my father wore a hat and suit like that. Women wore hats and I used to wear white gloves to go outside the house.

Beautiful film, nicely restored. SF looks/looked a decent sort of place. It’s a pity that no can afford to live there from what I’ve heard!

Loved this! Being born and raised in SF, I recognized almost all of the places, but wished some of the street names had been clearer (near Coit Tower). Thank you!

Thank you for this incredible work. I was transported back to my early childhood and I could almost smell our brand new 1947 Dodge as we went tooling around on a drive. I fell out of my seat when (for the first time in my life) I saw a shot of one of those old Bordens Milk Trucks with the milk sitting in the outside beds of ice! I have been trying to explain that Truck to people for 70 years. Such fantastic beautiful work-what a fantastic addition to our historical past!

The lady crossing Kearny on Union (3:23) looks like my grandmother, Anita Conti. My family owned a triplex, four blocks away, at 400/402/404 Lombard, at the cross of Grant. Most of this video is taken in North Beach, Chinatown (Washington & Grant), and Fisherman's Wharf (Taylor & Jefferson). In Chinatown, you can see a sign on the building that says, The Art Co. That sign is still there today! I'm born-and-raised, third generation, and still living in.

Thanks for the good work! I can immediately tell the difference between now and then from the integrity of the cars’ window glass

Thank you for posting this! Will be showing this to my 96 year old grandmother (she’s currently dealing with Alzheimer’s dementia) very soon! 🙏🏻

Stunning pictures and sound of my (once) favorite city! So much of the charm is no more. Thank you for your wonderful restoration! I got goosebumps! and a wave of nostalgia....

Oh my gosh!!!! Thank you so much!!! What a gorgeous, relatable view of my town, and what a thorough and satisfying view of many of the neighborhoods... I am likely to rewatch it for more enjoyable details... The women's fashion is covetable and I picked out what I am pretty sure is every location... I might need to rewatch to be absolutely sure.. Oh my gosh I enjoyed this...the corner of Kearny and Green is just where I was today! 🏆

This video is incredible...a real rare gem...a true treasure! THANK YOU!!!

Thank you soo much for this made my day!❤

feels like time travel!

Every video is a "Time Machine." So cool.

Astonishing, simple marvelous video. Fabulous job !

Lived here all my life. The cars have changed, but the houses and apartments remained the same. Great upload. Thanks.

My dad said he visited San Francisco when he was in the army in WW2. Now I can see what he saw. Thanks for the video!

Great video, thanks so much. This was the San Francisco of my youth, with the video mainly showing merchant and residential areas, (Chinatown, North Beach, Western Addition) rather than downtown. I recognize it all. I can also see the development of 1940;s movies set in San Francisco using footage much like this, such as Dark Passage, Lady from Shanghai, Lady on the Run,. The video also has a definite flow from the older residential neighborhoods close to the Bay to the development of new postwar residential neighborhoods.by the Pacific Ocean. Thanks for the memories

these are my favorite videos to watch Awesome how nicely these are restored

This is great! I love the sign at the Fishermens Grado on the corner that says no cameras… Makes me smile thank you so much this is really nice

California Street hasn't changed one bit in 80 years! Loved the beach shot with the statues. Is that the old Cliff House?

This is amazing! I grew up in SF in the 60-70's. I remember a lot of this even then. Thank you for doing this!

thank you for uploading my city of san francisco. gave you a thumb up rating for you posting this. also i hit the subscribed button.

Just breath taking ! Thank you so much ! This is so cool !

Congratulations amazing restoration i feel i can travel in time the old cars people dressed that way thank you for this films

This definitely looks to be early 40’s,since there were many 30’s vehicles shown as well.The magnificent video quality still amazes me.Looks as if it could be today other than the well taken care of clean streets and original homes before they wrapped them in ugly aluminum siding.

Sometime I forget how elderly my dad is. He is so youthful in spirit, but was born in 1940 and lived in the area. He could be in this footage for all I know. Even stranger to think of my great grandmother, who was alive in the 1980s and I was able to speak to her as a teenager, was born in 1885.

Thank you for these wonderful restored films! The color really brings them alive! Could you please tell me what the original purpose was for this and the other city scene footage, from your other videos?

I love this kind of footage. Thank you!

Spectacular! Thanks for the amazing video. So many familiar scenes.

Beautiful work tastefully done. Bravo!

I love the box car sitting on a random street next to residential houses.

Тяжело осознавать что всех этих людей уже нет и нас тоже не станет лет через 60-70 но такова жизнь надо радоваться каждому прожитому дню

Awesome video! I've visited San Francisco, but this was long before I, or my parents were born. It's awesome to see old pics and videos in living colour. :)

0:11 Practically all of these buildings are still standing to this day. The black tile design under the window at Washington and Grant is still there. Even the lamp post remains. A traffic light is now where the street sign post is located. 1:16 Driving east on Vallejo Street away from Columbus Avenue. National Shrine of St. Francis of Assisi on the right is still standing. 1:34 Driving north on Kearny St. away from Vallejo St. 1:56 Driving west on Union St. away from Kearny St. 2:37 Driving east on Vallejo Street away from Grant Avenue. 2:57 Driving north on Kearny St. away from Vallejo St. 3:19 Driving west on Union St. away from Kearny St. 3:32 Driving east on Francisco St. and Mason St. 3:23 Looking north on Kearny St. and Union St. 3:57 Driving east on Ellis St. away from Divisadero St. 4:18 Driving south on Scott St. away from Ellis St. 4:33 Driving west on Eddy St. away from Scott St. 4:53 Looking northwest on Taylor St. and Jefferson St. 6:39 Overlooking Ocean Beach, Playland, and Golden Gate Park from the former "Sutro Heights" estate of Adolph Sutro, a Comstock Lode silver baron, and a major land owner/developer in and mayor of San Francisco. The Sunset District in the distance is partially sand dunes. My house located there has not been built yet. 6:52 United States Mint at Buchanan St. and Duboce Avenue 6:59 Looking north on Powell St. and Pine St. 7:07 Looking east on California St. and Stockton St. 7:23 Looking west at San Francisco City Hall, SF Main Public LIbrary, and United Nations Plaza Federal Building

My favorite city on earth!!! Thank you for sharing this!!!💗💗💗

Another wonderful job, Nass! Really interesting. I actually thought I saw my dad in one scene, but the man, though tall and handsome, was younger than dad who was in his mid to late thirties then. There were a number of movies filmed in SF during the late 40s, such as "Dark Passage," set mainly on Telegraph Hill where several of these scenes were filmed. My parents lived on Telegraph Hill in the late 40s to early 50s. I was born in 1950 in old Mt. Zion Hospital. Thanks again for this trip back in time!

I've always agreed that B/W film should never be colorized, but this film--and with sound added, no less!--has absolutely converted me. Also, the images--all those streets and streets of beautiful bay windows! Wonderful old cars! The familiar sound of the cable car! The view of Playland and the beach! This is a magical piece of film, beautifully and sensitively augmented. Thank you to the artist!

Incredible footage, thank you for sharing.

Great realism to this. Nice work! I even feel fatigue when heading uphill!

Beautiful, looks Amazing the detail is so NOW hard to imagine it was before all the Tech we have today. God Keep Blessing you and thank you for your work.

wow, so very cool! I grew up in Southern California, but loved to stroll about San Francisco on occasional trips. Now I live in Virginia and sometimes miss the great state of CA. Thanks for the tour back in time, great work!

I think it passed by the house I am living in right now.. this is so cool, it's amazing to see how sf still basically look like in these footages from 80 years ago

I love the 1940's.My dad grew up during WWII and he told me so many stories. These are so wonderful.

amazing glimpse back into the distant past ....thank you and please keep these coming theyre sooooo cool!

Wonderful video ! It's like travelling back in time in San Francisco before World War II. This archival film must be preserved for posterity ! Thank you and more success to you guys in your personal & professional endeavors.

This was my grandma's middle school years. This is fascinating,it is so vivid

I was there till 2020 and those Metal Street lamps are still there and a beauty Thanks for Sharing and Good work!!

It’s amazing that some areas are changed very little if any, at present time.

I think this is a composite. Early in the film, I spotted at least three 1950 Studebakers, and a few 1949 GMC models. The Fishermans Wharf cut, appears to be wartime.

His brother, Jerry Miller, was in Moby Grape, one of the most underrated San Francisco bands of the 60s

This is amazing thanks for sharing

Great video of old San Francisco in the 40’s! Many of houses still are around and amazing to see when they were newer and the look they were going for. And what we now consider classic cars when they were everywhere and common.

That elderly gentleman crossing the road at 1:00 must be in his late 80,s at the time, so he would have been born around the 1850,s, before the civil War, amazing

Wow, the quality of the video is amazing!

San Francisco is such a special and lovely city! It is such a shame that it has deteriorated so greatly. Hopefully it can return to it’s glory some day.

NASS, please do ever stop and thank you for the time travel!

Absolutely stunning footage, a sort of trip time warp journey,love the old motors…

Great video! Would like to see more videos like this. It would be nice if you or someone else had a video of the Jones Street cable car which I ran from Hyde and California for a few blocks on Pine Street and then down Jones.

I'm a big fan of San Francisco, especially its history and I enjoyed this very much! Thank you for sharing!

Ohmigod! Born in 1936. This is an amazing blast from the past! Wooden buildings! People not used to being filmed! And then there is the cars: wow! Best of the best!

Great footage! Telegraph Hill in those days was still largely a working-class area, with Italian immigrants, artists, writers, and bohemians. It gentrified, beginning in the 1980s, and lost lost some of its friendliness and coolness. The Images of America book series has a great volume on Telegraph Hill, with lots of photos of its colorful history. Thanks for showing us this intimate glimpse of it.

I went to high school in SF and remember it well. Very fond memories of that beautiful city.