23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
The San Francisco street where Jerry Garcia grew up now bears his name
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted this week to rename a stretch of Harrington Street in the Excelsior District as ' Jerry Garcia Street ' paying tribute to the late Grateful Dead guitarist who spent part of his childhood in a home on the block.
The commemorative designation, approved on Tuesday, April 22, applies to the portion of Harrington Street between Alemany Boulevard and Mission Street — where Garcia lived with his grandparents after the death of his father and attended nearby Monroe Elementary School.
'Jerry Garcia's memory brings music, joy, and inspiration to the current residents of the Excelsior and San Francisco,' reads the resolution introduced by Supervisor Chyanne Chen. 'His memory still brings the neighborhood pride and a sense of camaraderie.'
The local news outlet SFist was the first to report on the measure.
Born on August 1, 1942, Garcia co-founded the Grateful Dead in 1965, helping to shape the sound and spirit of 60s counterculture. The band cultivated one of the most devoted fan bases in music history and remains a cultural touchstone in the Bay Area and beyond.
The renaming coincides with this year's 23rd Annual Jerry Day celebration, set for August 2 at the Jerry Garcia Amphitheater in McLaren Park.
The free event will mark several key milestones: the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead, the 30th anniversary of Garcia's passing in 1995, and the 20th anniversary of the amphitheater's naming.
This year's lineup includes Melvin Seals and JGB, Grammy-winning fiddler Mads Tolling, and Stu Allen & Mars Hotel. The festivities will continue into the night with 'Jerry Night' after-parties throughout the Excelsior Corridor.
'By uniting the diverse communities of San Francisco through Garcia's music, we are creating something extraordinary for Jerry's childhood neighborhood, the Excelsior District, McLaren Park, and the City and County of San Francisco,' said Tom Murphy, founder of Jerry Day.
Meanwhile, Deadheads are preparing for the release of ' Enjoying the Ride,' a 60-disc Grateful Dead box set due out May 30, capturing two decades of live performances from revered venues.
David Lemieux, the band's archivist, calls it 'a significant piece of the Grateful Dead's legacy.'
