San Francisco’s Street Signs: A Visual History

A Detailed & Illustrated Compendium of Recent Designs (1921-present)

The Cable Car Museum’s gift shop, wall full of decommissioned signs, c. 2019.

San Francisco’s signature street signs have gone through a number of subtle revisions in design and typography. I’ve written at length about the complete history of street signage in the city going all the way back to the Gold Rush era, and even created a font based on my favorite sign lettering style.