If you've lived in the Bay Area for any amount of time, chances are good that you've come across someone who lived in this apartment complex. The behemoth — with tall high-rises and short townhome-style structures — sits beside San Francisco State University. Sure, it got a fancy new name, The Villas at Parkmerced, and fancy new rental office a few years ago. But inside these residences, you can still catch a glimpse of the '50s.
A friend of ours recently forwarded a link to the original ParkMerced brochure. Having spent a good amount of time in one of these apartments, we couldn't believe how little has actually changed. And with the renewed interest in mid-century furniture, these images could be straight out of a current tenant's place. (Okay, maybe not the curtains.)
It's fascinating to see the odd mix of styles in these old photos. "colonial" was the most popular style post WWll, every manufacturer had a colonial line and it was a catch-all for any style pre-1900. Modern was the second most popular and here you see the odd modern piece amongst all the "colonial". Just watch any episode of "I Love Lucy" for the comparable schizophrenic colonial/modern home decor. No wonder they all built bomb shelters and practiced "duck and cover" while celebrating the wonders of "clean" atomic power.
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I just used the Consumer Price Index inflation calculator to learn that $79 in 1955 would equal $614 in 2007. And $614 sounds about right for what a 1bd OUGHT to go for in ParkMerced, in a rational world. SF real estate is just utterly out of control. Do *love* those vintage pics, though!
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Oh please don't diss the curtains. That vintage barkcloth is lovely in the right setting and quite collectible today.
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