Stern Grove is a 33-acre park along Sloat between 19th and 34th. It was originally comprised of marshes and sand dunes but in the early 1800s it was drained and turned into agricultural land. In 1847 the land was purchased by George Green and his brothers. The family house, which was transported from their hometown in Maine, was located at the corner of Sloat and 19th. Green’s son planted eucalyptus trees as windbreaks and grass on the sand dunes to hold them in place. In 1892 he opened a hotel called the Trocadero. It became a rendezvous spot for the elite with cabins around the hotel for privacy. Under the management of Hiram Cook, the hotel expanded to include a deer park, a beer garden, a dance pavilion and a trout farm. 

With Prohibition^[1] came the end of the Trocadero. While Mayor James Rolph turned a blind eye to the sale of alcohol, it had to be done in secret rooms known as speakeasies. The Trocadero had no such space. In 1931 Rosalie Meyer Stern, president of the San Francisco Recreation Commission, bought the land from the Green family and donated it to the City in memory of her late husband, Sigmund Stern with the stipulation that the land be used as a public park for music and performing arts. It was dedicated on June 4, 1932 and 15 days later, the San Francisco Symphony gave its first performance in the eucalyptus enshrouded outdoor amphitheater. 

The Stern Grove Festival^[2] began in 1938 and is a ten week series of free Sunday concerts and performances. Crowds have often exceeded 20,000. Past performers include the San Francisco Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet, Negrito, Death Cab for Cutie, Bonnie Raitt and Con Brio.

Often ignored, the park also contains Pine Lake, one of the three remaining natural lakes in the City. It is a bird sanctuary for many local varieties of birds and ducks. 

^[1] James “Sunny Jim” Rolph and Prohibition: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5365