Playland Revisited

Many people come to San Francisco and head to the Musee Mecanique.  There the first person you encounter, either with your ears or with your eyes is “Laughing Sal.”  Well she wasn’t always in a museum.

Laughing Sal was originally at “Playland”.  Playland (also known as Playland at the Beach and Whitney’s Playland beginning in 1928) was a 10-acre seaside amusement park located next to Ocean Beach at the western edge of San Francisco, along the Great Highway where Cabrillo and Balboa streets are now.  It began as a collection of amusement rides and concessions in the late 19th century, and was known as Chutes At The Beach as early as 1913. It closed Labor Day weekend in 1972.

This art installation is entitled Playland Revisited, by Ray Beldner.  Born in San Francisco, Beldner received a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute and an MFA from Mills College.  The sculptures are 10-foot-high perforated stainless steel.

The history that is associated with Playland and this area would fill a book.  The symbols that Beldner has chosen are iconic for Playland.

The cable cars were vital to the development of this area, and their history is tied in with Mr. Sutro and the Sutro Baths.  In 1883 they began delivering patrons to the ocean area of San Francisco.