Petulia - Supermarket
Archie takes Petulia to a supermarket to buy a late night snack. For this location director Lester chose Cala Foods at 1095 Hyde Street at California, perhaps because of its interesting design, with its sweeping roofline arching down to a low point in the center.
Then ... The clown outside the store has no connection to the storyline but fits right in with the director's penchant for incongruous Fellini-esque characters. It's no surprise he catches the eye of the kooky Petulia while the pragmatic Archie doesn't even notice.
... and Now, Cala Foods is still there but its elegant roofline has been marred by a poorly conceived addition, more function than form, built in front of it.
... in 1951 ... Interesting trivia for those City history buffs amongst you - the supermarket was constructed on the site of a cable car barn after it was demolished in 1957. The vintage photo below shows the Hyde Street side of the barn (the cable cars entered from California). Next to it on the corner of California was the headquarters of the California Street Cable Railroads, the company that operated the cable lines served by the barn.
... and Now, viewed from the same spot, the barn is gone but the row of houses down Hyde Street is still there.
Then ... This view inside the store looks towards the front (Hyde Street) side of the building. The store employee is seemingly too busy sneaking a peek at Petulia to notice the mess on the floor behind him.
... and Now, you can see the original roofline from the inside, albeit mostly obscured by the refrigerated aisles in this matching view.
... update ... Trader Joes took over this store in 2012, remodelling the interior but retaining the exterior.