1906- 2006: One Hundred Years Later~ Fire and Earthquake of San Francisco

Click photos to enlarge*

Last month, San Francisco celebrated its 100th year of survival after the great earthquake and fire hit the city on April 18, 1906. Relative to this, San Francisco lost more than $400 million in terms of damages. Thousands of people died and lost their homes, properties and income. The city provided make-shift refugee camps for survivors of the quake.

Truly, I didn't know much about this fire and earth quake disaster until husband started talking to me about these~months ago (in prep to our relocation here this summer-in the city). I was just in constant trance-like state while gazing at the city's panoramic view and wondered why the architectural design of the city is the same (Victorian architecture). So husband started narrating the story to me and I came to know about the fire and earthquake disaster that hit SFO in April 1906. Prior to this, it already used the Victorian architectural design so when the city was rebuilt, builders used the same theme. Basically, SFO's rows of buildings are quite charming, indeed.

RIGHT: the Sentinel Building graces the North Beach (a.k.a Little Italy) and is a famous and stunning attraction in this locality. People visiting SFO are amazed by this steel building that was under construction at that time of the earthquake and survived it because of its strong foundation. It is located at the corner streets of Kearny and Columbus Avenue near Broadway. Below is the photograph of the destruction in the area of North Beach and Chinatown after the earthquake hit San Francisco in 1906. The Montgomery Block is at the end of Columbus, at far left of the image. The Montgomery Block is now the site of the TransAmerica Pyramid* (see the colored photograph; it's the one on the left shaped like a pyramid). The wrecked Hall of Justice can be seen at right - The Chinatown Holiday Inn occupies the site. Columbus Avenue was known before the earthquake as Montgomery Avenue.

NOTE: The information below was taken from the San Francisco Museum on-line: http://www.sfmuseum.net/1906/coulter.html

Destruction Around Union Square

The tall steel skeleton just left of center is the Whittell Building - then known as the Union League Building - under construction at the time of the earthquake, later finished, and still standing on Geary Street. The smaller Spring Valley Water Co. Building, just to its right, housed the City of Paris department store on the first two floors, and also survived, but was demolished in the 1980s and replaced by a Texas chain store. The Butler Building at right, under construction at the time of the earthquake, has a most interesting history. Its walls peeled away during the earthquake and killed several people in buildings adjoining the structure on Stockton and on Geary Street. The Butler Building later became I. Magnin's, and its windows shattered during the 1989 earthquake. Several people on the street were injured by falling glass. The Butler Building is now part of Macy's.

Franklin Hall - Relief Headquarters and City Hall

Franklin Hall on the southwest corner of Fillmore and Bush streets, served as a relief headquarters and San Francisco's temporary city hall. It is here Mayor Schmitz and the Committee of Fifty met on the last day of the fire to work out the beginnings of the relief effort.

LEFT: Take note of the Victorian architecture*

Army refugee camp in Jefferson Square in the Western Addition. This remarkable photograph was taken at about Golden Gate and Octavia. San Francisco's new 9-1-1 center today occupies the site to the left of the photograph.

Large refugee camp in Golden Gate Park

The large wooden building along the ridgetop was Affiliated Colleges, now the site of the University of California Medical Center at Parnassus Heights.

Falling bricks killed these horses in the fish wholesalers' district along Sacramento above Montgomery Street.
This entire area later burned during the Great Fire.