Standing outside his Tae Kwon Do studio on Noriega Street between 24th and 25th avenues, Yang Park said his Central Sunset neighborhood has hardly changed since he opened his doors 30 years ago.

“It’s exactly the same,” Park said, chuckling. 

What’s also remained the same is a weed-ridden patch of sand at 1801 Noriega St. that has been mostly empty forever, or at least empty since 1948, which is as far back as city records for the site go. In 1940, half the almost 9,000-square-foot plot appeared to be covered by a structure, according to a model the city made of the street which was photographed. Apparently, they didn’t want to pay for proper aerial photos that year.