Ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like in the 1930s, or how you can reimagine where you live today? View the “Take Part” exhibition at the public library.

Ever wondered what your neighborhood looked like in the 1930s, or how you can help to reimagine where you live today? A rediscovered scale model of San Francisco from 1938 is coming to a branch near you, as a starting point for community discussion.

Organized as part of Public Knowledge, the Library’s partnership with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), Take Part is an exhibition conceived by Dutch artist duo Bik Van der Pol in collaboration with over a hundred local librarians, historians, geographers, cartographers, urban planners, artists and designers.

The scale model is a detailed wooden replica of San Francisco at a scale of 1 inch: 100 feet. Built by the WPA, it was first displayed during the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939, and then at City Hall in 1940. Made to be a planning tool, a tourist attraction and for educational purposes, the model has largely been in storage for decades.