17 reasons to save one sign
Mission neighbors unite to rescue a mysterious advertisement

By Cassi Feldman

Stephen Parr has a lust for Americana. His Capp Street warehouse, home to the San Francisco Media Archive, features an original Taco Bell sign, eight chrome beauty parlor hair dryers, 11 antique irons, two sets of tiki cups, and three boxes of Marshmallow Peeps.

So you can imagine Parr's despair when he saw a crew of men climb up the old "17 Reasons" ad last month and start sawing it down. The giant art deco sign, visible from his window, had stood at the corner of Mission and 17th Streets for more than 70 years. Sure, it was rusty and covered with graffiti. But it also was a cultural landmark – and a mysterious one at that.

The sign once read "17 Reasons Why," though no one remembers exactly what it meant. "Why what?" Parr asks. "It's almost like a haiku or something."

Over the years several theories have circulated. Some say the number 17 relates to Christian numerology. Others think the sign was an ad for the Mission itself. The most accurate guess links it to Redlick's furniture store, which closed in 1975 – as in 17 reasons why you should shop at Redlick's.

Whatever it means, the sign was nothing but a burden to Foster Media, which leases the roof space from the owners of the building below. "We're a small company," vice president Lars Skugstad said. "We have a few signs, and that's one of them." Since San Francisco voters banned new billboards in March, outdoor advertising space is at a premium. Foster Media has already replaced the sign with a Spanish-language ad for Miller Genuine Draft.

In another neighborhood, the change might go unnoticed. But Mission residents say "17 Reasons" is part of local folklore – and they aren't ready to let it go.

Parr asked the work crew if he could have the dismantled sign, but they were under strict orders to trash it. Undeterred, he appealed to Foster Media, and after a month of negotiations, they agreed to give it to him with one caveat. He'd have to retrieve it from a scrap yard in Benicia.

"The sign doesn't look so big when you see it from far away," he said, "but when you have to carry it ..." According to Parr, each number is 22 feet high – it took one trip just to bring back half of the seven. He admits the task bordered on obsessive, but he eventually rescued the entire thing, including the missing word "why."

For now, the letters and numbers are neatly stacked in his warehouse, but they probably won't stay there for long. Steven Huegli, another Missionite, is on a campaign to restore the sign to its rightful spot above Thrift Town. "It's not important what the '17 Reasons' originally advertised," he said. "It's become a gateway to the Mission." When he noticed it had disappeared, Huegli, an architect, immediately called the San Francisco Planning Department to see if the proper permits were on file.

Foster Media does, in fact, have a permit to retrofit the sign. But, according to city planner Daniel Sider, that doesn't necessarily mean it can be replaced with a billboard. The Planning Department is now trying to decide whether the switch was legal and, if not, how to remedy the situation.

Even if the sign never returns to its corner, it will likely remain in the Mission. Parr is meeting with members of a local nonprofit called (you guessed it) 17 Reasons to find the proper spot.

Started just over a year ago by longtime Mission dwellers Shonn Mills, Tamara Johnston, and Alex Kuethe, the volunteer-run group helps people plan charitable events. Mills said he was "incredibly upset" when he heard the sign had been taken down. "It was kind of like our little angel, watching over everything," he said.

It's not the first time the phrase has been a source of inspiration. A band called "17 Reasons" plays in Portland, a music compilation with the same name came out in 1992, and Noe Valley used to have a 17 Reasons gift store.

All of which makes you wonder: Why does a rusty old sign resonate with so many people? "It just strikes a nerve in some unknown place," Parr explained. "In that strange twist of grammar and language, it just kind of says something."

For more information call April Minor at 17 Reasons (415-225-8471), go to www.17reasonswhy.org, or e-mail archive@sfm.org. E-mail Cassi Feldman at cassi@sfbg.com.