This week, San Francisco is set to honor a legendary photographer, the late Jim Marshall, by officially commemorating a street in his honor. 

On Friday, officials, including San Francisco Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, will be on hand to reveal a new street sign for the 3600 block of 16th Avenue.  

The tiny stretch becomes a big landmark for music lovers, historians, and photography buffs. This stretch of 16th will also be known as Jim Marshall Way.

“Finally, Jim Marshall gets his name in San Francisco history, ” proclaimed photographer Amelia Davis. 

For years, Davis was the assistant and editor for Marshall.

Marshall documented and photographed San Francisco history – the music scene, social unrest and protests

Included in his portfolio is a rare photograph of Janis Joplin on top of her psychedelic Porsche, a famous portrait of John Coltrane, discussing an imminent change in his music, at the Berkeley home of jazz critic Ralph Gleason;  a very intimate photo of Johnny Cash and June Carter, at their home in Tennessee; Miles Davis in the boxing ring; Bob Dylan kicking a tire down a New York City street; and the final public concert played by the Beatles at Candlestick Park.

Fifteen years ago, when he died, the San Franciscan left his entire portfolio to Davis.  She explained how Marshall, who was childless, called his photographs his children.

“That’s what he loved and protected his whole life,” noted Davis.

Marshall was on hand to capture the Grateful Dead’s last free show on a flatbed truck in the Haight. 

He was also on hand in Times Square in Manhattan to capture the grief following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

His photographs of poverty in Appalachia are part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian.

“Jim Marshall always called himself a reporter with a camera and Jim’s work did document pieces of history, whether it was music, civil rights, or protests,” said Davis.

Marshal had a tumultuous personality and struggled with addiction. 

After his death, he was the subject of an award-winning documentary called “Show Me The Picture.”

He was the first photographer to receive a Grammy.

Now, a street where the photographer lived for 28 years will be named in honor

“Little did they know you have this legend living right in the middle of the street here,” exclaimed Justin Fichelson.

Fichelson grew up a few doors away from the photographer, where his parents still live. 

He says the honor of renaming the street is a reminder that the city was iconoclastic way before tech and the AI flood.   

“The idea of San Francisco, which is a crazy place where people come from all over the world to reinvent themselves, Jim really captured that in an incredible way,” noted Fichelson.

Marshall grew up in the Western Addition, went to Lowell High School, raced fast cars and loved the city. Now, the city is loving him back. 

The ceremony to honor Marshall is on Friday, Dec. 19, at 10 a.m. at the corners of Noe, Market, and 16th. A commemorative sign will be placed beneath the 16th Street sign. Those who wish to attend are asked to bring any old Leica cameras to honor the late photographer. 

Why the dropoff?

With only 12 days before Christmas, San Francisco is ramping up the holiday spirit. On Saturday evening, they kicked off the Union Square Winter Walk, an outdoor space designed to bring life and customers back to the struggling retail center.

It’s hard not to succeed in business when you can get hundreds of Santa Clauses converging on the area. The annual SantaCon has become the city’s most popular pub crawl, with everyone decked out like Saint Nick.

“We started coming here a couple years ago. You know, get some holiday cheer going,” said one SantCon partier named John.  “And it’s just, like, seeing hundreds of Santas on the street, it’s just a sight to see. It’s a fun time, it’s a fun time.”

“I’m very confused,” said his friend Julian Schiano, also in a Santa suit.  “I have no idea how this started. They invited me out.  I requested the day off, so, had a little bit of fun. But, I have no idea about how this started or anything, but it seemed like a good day to get away from everything.”

“It is so much fun,” said Wendy Solorio from San Jose. “You get to mingle and meet a whole bunch of festive people.”  

So, what makes them so festive?  

“It’s actually right here,” she said, holding up her drink.

With so many people coming each year, the Union Square Alliance uses it as the kick-off to its Winter Walk festival, which will continue through Christmas Eve. Two blocks of Stockton Street are decked out in blue outdoor turf, with food trucks, pop-up stores and winter-themed photo ops.

“We have records of Winter Walk from 2016, where it was holiday decor, and the turf was out here,” said Holly Chiao with the Alliance, “but it’s really grown to what it is now in 2025. And we’re so happy with how it turned out.”

It actually started in the 2014 Christmas season when someone got the simple idea of closing off the street and covering it in green artificial turf.  They were amazed at how much fun people were having with just a wide-open place to play.  And now they’ve carried the idea on to become a bona fide holiday tradition.

“Look around,” said Chiao. “I mean, people come down to Union Square to celebrate life’s greatest moments. And for something this big and interactive, for all the friends and family and loved ones to come together, putting this on, year after year, is so important for us for, for overturning that negative narrative around Union Square, around San Francisco.  And that’s what keeps us going.”

The shopping district is still trying to recover from the pandemic and a high-profile rash of retail crime.  Many stores have left, and the flagship Macy’s says it’s on its way out.  But for those still operating, Mayor Daniel Lurie had good news.  Crime is way down, he said, and there is a renewed sense of hope in Union Square and across the City.

“San Francisco, y’all, it’s happening. It is happening,” he said to the cheering crowd.  So, listen, the world is starting to know, and get to know, that we are not only on the way back, but we’re going to be back to our rightful spot of being the greatest city in the world again.  And, I’ll close with this: let’s go, San Francisco.”

Retail still has its challenges, but it can’t hurt for San Francisco’s premier shopping destination to have a few cheerleaders. That, and a couple of hundred Santas.