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A Paper Subdivision in South San Francisco
This map of the Sunny Side Homestead Association was surveyed in April 1871 by Vitus Wackenreuder, in connection with the effort to fund and develop the Sunny Side neighborhood.
While this project was apparently never funded, the Sunnyside neighborhood would later be developed in 1891 by the Sunnyside Land Company, led by German-born Behrend Joost, often called the father of Southwest San Francisco.
The map details the layout of the Sunny Side Homestead, a real estate development in San Mateo County, California. The map shows the subdivision of the land into individual lots, with streets labeled and numbered. The lots, generally sized at 56 x 105.8 feet, were designed for residential purposes. Major streets such as Steinegger, Hoffman, and Martin Streets are prominently marked, along with the proximity to San Bruno Road.
The Sunny Side Homestead Association was formally organized in 1869 (although the original land survey may be dated to 1868), during a period of significant real estate expansion in the San Francisco Bay Area. By September 14, 1871, the association had announced a financial plan to raise capital, as highlighted in the accompanying newspaper notice. This notice indicates that the stockholders were required to pay $58 per share in monthly installments, with payments starting in October 1871.
Sunny Side was part of the broader movement to develop the lands surrounding San Francisco following the Gold Rush. Developers capitalized on the growing population and economic opportunities to create suburban housing developments that would serve the city's burgeoning middle class. While the map clearly shows well-defined lots and streets, the area was still in its early stages of growth and development in 1871, with much of the infrastructure, such as roads, still in the process of being built.
This map and the historical context of Sunny Side provide valuable insight into the real estate dynamics of the region in the late 19th century. The development of such homesteads reflects the expansion of suburban living areas in response to the population boom in San Francisco and the surrounding counties, including San Mateo.
Vitus Wackreuder (1823-1887) was a Germany born civil engineer, who arrived in California in 1849 with the Gold Rush with a carpetbag.
Wackenreuder painted a noteworthy gouache of Mission Santa Barbara in 1852 and made a map of San Francisco in 1861 for the city directory. While in San Francisco he bought and soldproperty on lower Market Street.
The Wackenreuder homestead was on what is now Bayshore Blvd where he lived with his wife Thomasa Eienega and thirteen children. He died in San Francisco on Aug. 15, 1887 of “a shock of paralysis”
![Weber's Map of Santa Clara County, California [cover title]](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/79620.jpg)
