Newspaper Page Text
RARE
PHOTO
GRAPHS
OF OLD
SAN FRANCISCO
THE! series of photographs present
ed In this Issue recalls much that
was Interesting In San Francisco
in the days that were. Picture
No. 1 Is a view of one of the landmarks
of the seventies, St. Ann's building, so
earned from the fact that It was erect
ed at the northwest corner of Market
and Eddy streets, which was at one
time the center of St. Ann's valley.
Where the building was erected In
1576-7 there was a hollow several feet
below the grade of Market street, in
which was a flower garden and nursery
with Its hothouses that was known as
St. Ann's nursery. This structure,
which was used principally for offices,
sprang up about the time that "Lucky"
Baldwin commenced the erection of the
Baldwin hotel. In the basement of this
building was the well known Louvre,
which was familiar to all theater goers.
At the time the St. Ann was built the
buildings on the west Bide of Powell
street to the north were of the ordinary
kind and were used as blacksmith,
wagon maker and carpenter shops.
In photo No. 2 is presented a view of
Powell Etreet as It appeared In the
early eighties from O'Farrell street
north. In the distance is Trinity church
at Post street, with its peculiar square
(tower, which identified it from all
other churches in the days that it oc
cupied the site that was afterward
covered by the Savoy hotel. The picture
tells Eilently of the style of dwellings
and business places on that thorough
fare before they were razed to give
way to modern structures.
The view obtained by looking at
photo No. 3 is that of Market street
east from Third In 18S8. At Geary and
Ke&rny streets, where now stands the
Chronicle, building, was a two story
brick, the upper part of which was a
combination office building and lodg
ing house, with the main entrance on
the Geary street side. At the corner,
on the ground floor, was Phil McGov
em's saloon, -which was the favorite
resort, next to the Lick house bar, for
the politicians of.' the 'flays' of Bill Hig
glns. Jack Mannlx, Chris Buckley, Sam
Rainey and the lesser lights who used
to boss the machine and who thorough?
Iy understood the great Bclence of ad
dition, division and silence. Phil Mc-
Govern was # something of a politician
himself and started out as such in
1566. when. he opened a saloon at Third
and Market streets, where once stood
the Examiner, building. There is shown
a good view, of the large stores and
buildings existing at that time, includ
ing the Palace hotel and the spire of
the Masonic temple at Post -and Mont
gomery streets. This, temple was
erected at a cost of $150,000, which at
that tirae was considered a fabulous
amount. It may, not be amiss to assert
that after the destruction of the tem
ple the property," unimproved, sold for
th/ee-quarters . of a million of 'dollars
and that the original site, together
with the site on which stood the Lick
house, a frontage on Montgomery street
from Post- to Sutter, was sold for the
first time ...for; one ounco of gold. $16.
This to illustrate the increase of" val
ues in a little over half a century... '
The view in photo: No.. 4 Is that of
the formation for "the fourth of July
procession In 1868. It represents Second
street from Market street south with
the various organizations that made a
showing in that year in line awaiting
the order to "forward, march." There
was no Van Ness avenue in, those days
except as outlined on the map and all
processions formed on Second street,
which was the . thoroughfare that led
to the aristocratic residence part, of the
city until the cutting of the hill and
the encroaehment-of factories drove the
swell people to Nob hill and Pacific
heights.
Photo No. 5 is a magnificent, view of
Goat island In the bay, as seen from
Second street near Harrison on a clear
day. The j buildings in the foreground
are not those that were' occupied by the
nabobs of Rincon hill hi the days when
the picture was taken, ; but they were
occupied by' the people in the middle
walks of life, whose business was
Identified In a great measure with' the
water fronu -
Tfce San; Francisca Sunday. fiaH?;J
