SF’s map of “ghost signs” recently gained a new addition following the partial demolition of the Verdi building in North Beach, which revealed a large, hand-painted ad for “Carnation Mush” dating back to at least 1914.

The partial demolition of the Verdi Building at 659 Union Street recently uncovered a new ghost sign advertising “Carnation Mush,” which had been hidden behind the building's walls for over a century, as ABC 7 reports.

The North Beach property, which overlooks Washington Square Park, sat fire-damaged and vacant for years following blazes in 2013 and 2018 and faced repeated delays and preservation battles as redevelopment plans moved forward, as SFist reported previously.

According to the SF Ghost Signs Mapping Project, Carnation Mush signs were painted in California in the 1910s and 1920s. A similar Carnation Mush advertisement was uncovered on Market Street in 2011, which the mapping project estimated was painted sometime around 1926.

The North Beach Carnation Mush sign is likely at least a decade older, as the Verdi building was built in 1914.

The discovery has also caught the attention of local painter Rose D'Amato, who's putting together a forthcoming 8mm film project about San Francisco's historic signage, as ABC 7 reports.

D'Amato told the outlet that ghost signs offer a glimpse into the artists who painted the ads and the era they lived in.

“We're coming not necessarily to read the sign, but to look for these instances where you can learn something about the painter's experience making that old billboard. So how the letters relate to the architecture, how everything's drawn,” D'Amato said.

Whether the sign will remain visible, however, remains unclear as redevelopment of the Verdi site moves ahead.

Previously: The Ghost Signs Of San Francisco, Mapped