Jackson Square Historic District

"This is a fascinating historic walk through one of the oldest parts of San Francisco, with many buildings that survived the quake and fire of 1906. Look for the old Ghiradeli building, Gold Alley, Balance Street (shortest street in SF), and Hotaling Alley. Some buildings date to 1870's, and clipper ships are buried underneath..."

"Jackson Square was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 1972, the City and County of San Francisco designated Jackson Square as a local historic district. The district contains buildings which are the sole survivors of the early central business district of San Francisco. They are the only physical reminders of the city's beginnings as a great port and mercantile center. Hastily developed in Gold Rush days as an extension of the original commercial center at Portsmouth Plaza, Jackson Square was built on landfill, including abandoned ships which still underlie some of the buildings. During the 1850s the district was dominated by merchants, banks, professional and government offices, assembly halls and places of entertainment. The wares sold included books, crockery, glassware, stoves, and plumbing materials. During the 1850s and 1860s, Montgomery Street was the principal thoroughfare of the young city, but only a few buildings in the 700 and 800 blocks survived the fires of the 1850's and after and the major earthquakes that struck the city between 1868 and 1906. After 1870, as the business district moved south and west, many buildings lost their more distinguished occupants. From professional and retail, there was a change to manufacturing and wholesaling: liquor and tobacco dealers, cigar factories, leather works and later printing and paper warehousing. This trend continued through the early decades of the 1900's. The great depression of the 1930's further weakened both the industrial and commercial bases of the Jackson Square area and many buildings became vacant. Starting in the early 1950's, the historical and architectural merit of the area was rediscovered by the growing new wholesale furnishings and decorators industry."