That's looking up Montgomery from Market. The historical photograph is looking up Post with Market extending up and to the left. The Masonic temple in the historical photograph is where 1 Montgomery / The Galleria stand today.
Does anyone know how it happened that the streets were laid out so well and that everyone followed the layout? It looks like most of the area is just dirt. What sort of city administration was organizing where the streets would go and enforcing if people put up structures that weren’t in line with the intended layout?
So I had assistance in writing this but from what I understand:
After the Mexican-American War (1846) the settlement (known as Yerba Buena) had no formal street system - only paths, ad hoc property lines, and overlapping land claims inherited from the Mexican period.
The US government appointed someone to organize everything (apparently called an "alcalde" ..)
That guy appointed Jasper O'Farrell to create a street grid in 1847. O’Farrell overlaid a rectilinear grid but included Market Street to reflect currently-existing street grids (I'm guessing N and S of Market).
"San Francisco’s street grid emerged not from idealism or aesthetics, but from necessity: a fast, practical solution to impose order, authority, and commerce on a suddenly American city."
I forget the details but there was a formal plan that laid out the center of city along about 1875 or so. There is a plaque at Union Square that memorializes that.
Most early explorers in the west were also land surveyors. They were sent out by wealthy land speculators to explore the area and layout future streets and property lines so that the properties could be sold to other investors.
Very cool! Current Google streetview for comparison
https://preview.redd.it/1ubu2x7p0s9g1.jpeg?width=1195&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0337dd9020c31348d9fc3fa16d2ab69b23e132c7
That's looking up Montgomery from Market. The historical photograph is looking up Post with Market extending up and to the left. The Masonic temple in the historical photograph is where 1 Montgomery / The Galleria stand today.
https://imgur.com/a/bfqZaAJ
So that intersection has always been a shit show?
Looks nice though.
Amazing. Only 15 or so years after gold was found at Sutter's Mill there's a huge hotel (probably) and shops selling pianos in San Francisco
No kidding! The gold rush makes the dotcom boom look boring.
Everything was as expensive then, too. Same housing issues, etc. Blows my mind.
https://preview.redd.it/t5no4diu9t9g1.jpeg?width=428&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5e42ae2af727bb5c1759da7acc7b7984bc14839a
Here’s another before and after!
Does anyone know how it happened that the streets were laid out so well and that everyone followed the layout? It looks like most of the area is just dirt. What sort of city administration was organizing where the streets would go and enforcing if people put up structures that weren’t in line with the intended layout?
So I had assistance in writing this but from what I understand:
After the Mexican-American War (1846) the settlement (known as Yerba Buena) had no formal street system - only paths, ad hoc property lines, and overlapping land claims inherited from the Mexican period.
The US government appointed someone to organize everything (apparently called an "alcalde" ..)
That guy appointed Jasper O'Farrell to create a street grid in 1847. O’Farrell overlaid a rectilinear grid but included Market Street to reflect currently-existing street grids (I'm guessing N and S of Market).
"San Francisco’s street grid emerged not from idealism or aesthetics, but from necessity: a fast, practical solution to impose order, authority, and commerce on a suddenly American city."
I forget the details but there was a formal plan that laid out the center of city along about 1875 or so. There is a plaque at Union Square that memorializes that.
Most early explorers in the west were also land surveyors. They were sent out by wealthy land speculators to explore the area and layout future streets and property lines so that the properties could be sold to other investors.
I bet even then people were nearly getting killed by cars flying across market. /s
🤣
Bigger problem was dysentery from a lack of clean drinking water.
Original location of Pianofight spotted!
Is this area safe?