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The Van's was an iconic Peninsula restaurant with a storied past for decades. However, before recounting its tales of yesteryear, let’s do something a bit unusual. Let’s discuss the actual building itself.
In 1915, the Panama-Pacific Exposition was held in San Francisco to honor the opening of the Panama Canal.
Japan’s exhibit included a 450-square-foot tea house. Upon the conclusion of the exposition, all exhibits were disassembled except for two. One was the Palace of Fine Arts, which remains to this day, and the other was the Japanese tea house.
A wealthy property owner decided to purchase the tea house for his two daughters to live in. However, the intent was not to leave it in San Francisco. He wanted to relocate it to Belmont.
He arranged for a barge to transport it down the Peninsula. Once there, a team of horses was used to haul it up the hill on a wagon to its long-standing location. His two daughters lived there for three years.
During prohibition, it was purchased by Elsie Smuck, who named it Elsie’s and turned it into a speakeasy, which included gambling and, some say, prostitution. Apparently, a trolley that ran from San Francisco to Redwood City stopped there.
At the end of prohibition, Elsie’s became a licensed saloon.
Smuck died in 1945, and in 1947 it was sold and became an Italian restaurant called Gevan’s. Eventually, the name was shortened to ”Van’s.”
Over time, the reputation grew. It also grew in size to almost 6,000 square feet.
The Van’s was also a favorite place for many of the 49ers.
Sadly, in March 2020, due to overwhelming Covid-19 restrictions, the owner decided the business was no longer viable and closed it down.
Everything else is just history
Some of the photos used in this blog are courtesy of the Local History Room, Redwood City's best-kept secret. The Local History Collection covers all aspects of Redwood City's development, from the 1850s to the present day, with particular emphasis on businesses, public schools, civic organizations, city agencies, and early family histories. The Local History Room is not affiliated with the Redwood City Public Library, but it is inside it.
