Comments on: Cistern Circles of San Francisco

By: Joma

Joma — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:49:00 +0000

fascinating, the second paragraph is kind of irrelevant to the Cistern circles.

By: Secret San Francisco: Fact the First « Last Call, San Francisco

Secret San Francisco: Fact the First « Last Call, San Francisco — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:37:28 +0000

[...] I went in search of the truth and I found it, and well, I’ll tell ya, it’s not what you’d [...]

By: SF cistern circles « something new every day

SF cistern circles « something new every day — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:58:12 +0000

[...] + Long Now Blog [...]

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:24:17 +0000

Oh my gosh! I’ve seen these brick circles all over SF. I ride a scooter and see them in the oddest areas, in high concentration around Division Street and then sprinkled throughout the neighborhoods including at 14th and Castro. I always thought they had something to do with old cable car lines or perhaps old “rond-points” that became 4-way intersections or lost to causeways at a later date. I’m so glad you posted this. I have been looking all over to figure out what they were!!! I’d love to know if the water from the cisterns has been refreshed or if it is 100 year old dirty-*ss water… or even dried up? Who maintains them… interesting :) :) Thank you so much! Isn’t San Francisco awesome!!! I love this city :)

By: Waldo Jaquith

Waldo Jaquith — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 20:44:06 +0000

This is San Francisco's "Auxiliary Water Supply System" (AWSS), which resulted from a 1908 study about how to avoid the fires after the earthquake. Here's a history, and here's a study. You can find lots more by googling for its name.