Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1958, Part 2

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1953
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 2711

USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1958 > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Public Libraries-745,976 volumes.

City Statistics-Storage in water supply system, 174,368,780,000 gallons (June 30, 1956). Municipal per- sonnel, 20,058; police department personnel, 1,808; fire department personnel, 1,781; school personnel, 3,661 certificated and 1,066 non-certificated.

CIVILIAN EMPLOYMENT SAN FRANCISCO METROPOLITAN AREA (6 COUNTIES)

April, 1940

April, 1957

Agriculture, forestry, fishing.

19,400

3.31

18.000

1.68

Construction

33.100

5.65

70,300

6.51

Finance, insurance and real est .

38.000

6.48

68,600

6.35

Government

39,300

6.71

91,100

8.43

Manufacturing

121.400

20.71

216.900

20.08

Retail

104,300

17.80

173,100

16.02

Wholesale

25,200

4.30

79.400

7.35

Service

131.000

22.35

239,200

22.14

Transportation, public utilities

63,500

10.83

121,100

11.21

All others

10,900

1.86

2,500

0.23

Total

586,100

100.00

1.080,300

100.00

SITUATION

San Francisco, "City by the Golden Gate", whose City Hall is situated at 37 degrees 47 minutes north

latitude and 122 degrees 25 minutes west longitude-on a hilly peninsula with altitudes ranging from sea level to 933.6 feet U. S. Base, is bounded on three sides by water. Of a total of 93.1 square miles, only 44.82 are land. It is among the few world cities with the distinction of having more than half of its entire area washed daily by the ocean's tidal currents.

San Francisco has within its boundaries three islands -Yerba Buena, Treasure and Alcatraz-besides the Farallon Islands group some 32 miles west of San Fran- cisco, which have been included in the City and County of San Francisco since 1872.

HISTORY Discovery

San Francisco owes its discovery and much of its history to the daring and adventure-loving early Portu- guese, English and Spanish explorers. The romance of those early days clings to the city and lends charm to its atmosphere even today.

Through San Francisco's heritage is rightly credited to the Spanish, more than two centuries before Portola's arrival, Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo in 1542 discovered the Farallon Islands (now a part of San Francisco); next Sir Francis Drake, famed English explorer, passed by the Golden Gate and in 1579 discovered Drake's Bay, a few miles north of San Francisco, where the first church service in the English language on the Pacific Coast was held.

In 1769, Don Gaspar de Portola and his little band of adventurers were the first to glimpse the bay from the nearby hills on the south. Six years later the ship "San Carlos," in command of Don Juan Manuel Ayala, sailed through the Golden Gate to cast the first anchor in the bay. More than a century before, in 1603, Vizcaino visited what is now the Gulf of the Farallons and mapped it as Bahia de Puerto de San Francisco. This is the first time the name San Francisco appeared on record in connection with the vicinity of San Francisco.

Early Beginnings

The settlement of what is now San Francisco was just being founded by the Spaniards when the Liberty Bell pealed the birth of our nation. First Spaniards, then Russians, then Americans came and lived to enjoy life and to rule.

The site for the Presidio of San Francisco was selected on March 28, 1776, by Colonel Juan Bautista de Anza, and on March 29, the site for the mission. Mission San Francisco De Asis (Dolores)-a combination of Mission, Moorish and Corinthian architecture was dedicated on Oct. 3, 1776, the Presidio having been dedicated the previous Sept. 17. While from the beginning the mission was called San Francisco, the settlement at the cove under Telegraph Hill was known as Yerba Buena.

For many centuries, history records, traders sought to reach the Orient through a western route. San Francisco was the westerly outpost in the days of sailing vessels. Growing in stature, the city has become one of the world's great distribution centers.

First Elections

Democratic self-government of the bureaucratic sort decreed by the Mexican Republic came to Yerba Buena (later named San Francisco) before the town itself arrived. Citizens of the partido (civil district) of San Francisco, on Governor Jose Figueroa's orders, assembled at the Presidio on Dec. 7, 1834, to choose electors for the Ayuntamiento (district council). On the following Sunday, Don Francisco de Haro was elected to the district council as Alcalde for the projected pueblo of Yerba Buena.

Industry Group

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

INTRODUCTION

Naming of th City

The village of Yerba Buena, which in 1847 was to be rechristened with the name of San Francisco, in 1835 was still an insignificant outpost frequented by roving seafarers and was little more than a waste of sand and chaparral, sloping down to a beach and small lagoon which has long since been filled in and is now covered by massive commercial structures. El Paraje de Yerba Buena (the Little Valley of the Good Herb) derived its name in the beginning because of the aromatice vine found in the underbrush there.

The Bay

In 1835, the Bay was declared a port of entry by Governor Pablo Vicente de Sola. He appointed as cap- tain of the Port of San Francisco, William Antonio Richardson, a young master mariner who had deserted the British whaler "Orion" in 1822 and set up the first "house" in Yerba Buena Cove, made up of some red- wood poles over which was stretched a ship's sail.

During 1836, the Port of San Francisco became an important trading post. On July 1, 1836, Jacob Primer Leese, Ohio-born, partner in a Monterey mercantile firm, arrived by the barque "Don Quixote" from Monterey and by July 4 had thrown up a frame house 25 by 60 feet, the first "real" house to be built-part dwelling and part warehouse. He then summoned all the leading Mexican families and other prominent persons to an Independence Day celebration which lasted two days and a night. Dur- ing the celebration the Stars and Stripes were raised beside the Mexican flag for the first time in San Francisco.

First Survey

In the autumn of 1839, Jacques Vioget, a versatile Swiss of the Peruvian brig "Delmira," was commissioned by Alcalde de Haro to make the first land survey of Yerba Buena. By 1841 thirty families comprised the village population. During the next five years some of the promi- nent early settlers shifted to other localities in the Bay Area. At the same time, Yerba Buena, outrivaled by the port of Honolulu, drifted back into obscurity.

"The Portsmouth"

Then, on July 9, 1846, the "U. S. S. Portsmouth" quietly dropped anchor in Yerba Buena Cove, and Capt. John B. Montgomery and 70 sailors and marines came ashore and ran up the Stars and Stripes on Mexico's flagpole atop the abode Custom House near the Plaza, as the "Portsmouth" gave a 21-gun salute. Thus passed the rule of the village of Yerba Buena from Spanish to American. On Aug. 6, 1846, Captain Montgomery ap- pointed Lieut. Washington Allen Bartlett as the first Alcalde of Yerba Buena under the American flag. Bart- lett was confirmed by public vote on Sept. 15. His first important decree ordered the revision of Vioget's survey, which had served to locate building lots since 1839. His civil engineer, Jasper O'Farrell, in making the survey, discovered in 1847 that streets as laid out in the early survey intersected at 21/2 degrees from a right angle. Correction of this error, known as "O'Farrell's Swing," was made promptly.

A Reception Center Since Gold Days

When gold was discovered on Jan. 24, 1848, in Sut- ter's millrace on the American River, and the evidence reached San Francisco's nearly 900 inhabitants, the first gold rush, led by Sam Brannan, publisher of the town's newspaper, "The Star," left only seven inhabitants be- hind. As the news spread around the world and ships came streaming into the harbor, a year later found over 6,000 miners at the diggings, and San Francisco again

was a cantonment of tents with a population reported at 2,000 excited transients.

GOVERNMENT

San Francisco has a consolidated City and County government, with legislative powers vested in a board of supervisors of eleven members, five and six being elected every two years for four-year terms. The Mayor, Treasurer, Assessor, City Attorney, Public Defender, District Attorney, Sheriff, and Superior and Municipal Court Judges are elected by the people and serve terms of four years. The Chief Administrative Officer is appointed by the Mayor, but thereafter has permanent tenure. The Controller, ap- pointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the Supervisors, also has tenure. The Mayor appoints members of and supervises police, fire, civil service, public utilities, park and recreation, welfare, library, city planning, art, housing, parking permit appeals, redevelopment, retirement (in part) and welfare boards or commissions, and may re- move his appointees except civil service, public utilities, recreation and park, and welfare commissioners, and members of the school board. The Mayor also has a power of veto over legislation.

The San Francisco Unified School District and the City and County have coterminous boundaries. Members of the Board of Education are nominated by the Mayor and passed upon by the voters.

San Francisco has operated under five charters, granted in 1850, 1856, 1861, 1898 and 1932.

Initiative and referendum clauses were first em- braced in the 1898 charter.

Mayor James Rolph, Jr., took office in 1911 and served five successive terms, until he became Governor of the State. In 1931 he was succeeded by Angelo J. Rossi, who served until 1944, when he was succeeded by Roger D. Lapham, who pledged himself in advance to one term only. Mayor Elmer E. Robinson took office Jan. 8, 1948, for a four-year term, and was re-elected for a second four-year term ending Jan. 8, 1956. The present mayor is George Christopher.

HARBOR AND COMMERCE

Centered in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Fran- cisco is an important port of general commerce, handling a large and valuable domestic and foreign trade. It is the main gateway of commerce for the vast territory of the Central Pacific Coast Area and Intermountain States. The Bay extends from the Golden Gate to the confluence of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers on the northeast, and to a point near San Jose on the south, covering an area of 450 square miles. The deep-water commerce enters San Francisco Bay through the mile-wide Golden Gate, and thus shipping is afforded natural protection in the waters of the Bay. To this has been added a compre- hensive system of docking and berthing facilities, rail and freight connections, modern and well-equipped ware- houses, etc. San Francisco harbor has 18 miles of berthing space; 228 acres of pier and wharf area: 42 modern piers; facilities to dock the largest vessels: several dry docks: 60 miles of harbor trackage connecting piers and ware- houses; foreign-trade zone; and modern grain, refrigera- tion, banana, cotton, copra and heliport terminals.

The harbor is controlled by the State of California and is governed by the State Board of Harbor Commis- sioners appointed by the Governor. Of the 43 piers, most of them are assigned to steamship companies having their own fleets and operating their own schedules. San Fran- cisco harbor facilities are valued at more than $100,000,000.

The water-borne cargo tonnage of San Francisco Bay is foremost on the Pacific Coast and high among those of the nation's ports.

INTRODUCTION

Exports during 1956 amounted to ............ $410,425,524 Imports during 1956 amounted to ............ $490,491,663

The principal exports by value have been cotton (un- manufactured); fruits, dried and evaporated; petroleum products; barley and rye; milk, canned, evaporated and dried; machinery; chemical specialties; medical and phar- maceutical preparations; and electrical machinery and ap- paratus.

The principal imports have been coffee, copra, petroleum, lead ores and manufactures, newsprint paper stock, jute and burlap, tea, nut preparations, wool, and automobiles and parts.

The 1955 report of the U. S. Army Engineers shows the distribution of the cargo tonnage, domestic and foreign, as follows:

Total tonnage, San Francisco Bay .. 44,787,838

Foreign tonnage 6,306,926

Inland waterway tonnage 15,762,298

Domestic coastwise tonnage 22,718,614

Besides the movement of commodities by water, there is a large rail traffic in San Francisco; during 1956 it reached 167,599 freight-car movements, and 3,768,830 truck movements over Bay and Golden Gate bridges.

San Francisco also is the ocean port for the great inland valleys of California, 500 miles in length and 50 miles wide and containing 16,100,000 acres of farm land. About 6,400,000 acres of this is crop land, of which several million acres are irrigated.

San Francisco is a port of call for numerous shipping lines serving at least 300 of the world's ports.

TRANSPORTATION

Distribution Facilities-A vast transportation net- work, including transcontinental rail and highway facil- ities, air transport services, and steamship lines, converges in San Francisco, bringing unexcelled transportation services to local industry and business. San Francisco's fortunate geographic position on the Pacific Coast, com- bined with excellent distribution facilities, makes it pos- sible for business and industry located here to serve a larger portion of the Western markets at lower distribution costs than can be reached from any other Pacific Coast city.

Rail

San Francisco is served directly by four Class I rail- roads operating more than 27,000 miles of line. These railroads with their connections thoroughly blanket Cali- fornia and neighboring states, and by means of seven major transcontinental routes and connecting routes pro- vide fast, dependable service to and from all parts of the U. S., Canada and Mexico. Passenger trains second to none are operated to and from the city. Reciprocal switching arrangements are in effect, under which the line-haul carrier will absorb the charges of the switching carrier on competitive traffic. Over 50 railroads maintain off-line agencies here.

State Belt Railroad-These four railroads connect with the State Belt which serves the San Francisco piers and many industries near the waterfront. They absorb the Belt's switching charge on line-haul carload traffic and, in part, on interline switching movements subject to stated minimum revenue per car.

L. C. L. Service-Store-door pick-up and delivery service for less-than-carload traffic is available between San Francisco and practically all points in California and neighboring states, including over-night service to points in the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, along the Coast, and Los Angeles.

Water

Fast new marine freighters provide regular service between San Francisco and the Hawaiian Islands, Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, the South Seas, the Orient, Central and South America, the West Indies, Europe, South America, the West Indies, Europe, South Africa and North Africa, also the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the U. S. Luxurious and reconverted passenger liners operate to the Hawaiian Islands, the Orient and around the world. Limited passenger accommodations are available on freighters to Australia, the Orient, Central and South America, Europe, Puerto Rico, South Africa, and the East Coast of the U. S. Barge services for bulk and general cargo are main- tained to points on San Francisco Bay and connecting waters.

Highway

Truck Lines-Over 100 common-carrier truck lines provide scheduled service between San Francisco and points in California and neighboring states. Overnight service is available to all important points in California and to southern Oregon and western Nevada. In addition, more than 600 truck operators having headquarters or agencies in San Francisco hold intrastate permits from the Public Utilities Commission of California or interstate permits from the Interstate Commerce Commission.

Bus Lines-Bus lines radiate north, east and south, providing frequent service between San Francisco and all important points in California and the eleven Western states. Two lines provide transcontinental service. Sight- seeing buses operate between San Francisco and neighbor- ing points of interest, as well as in the city proper. Buses and limousines are available for charter.

Air

San Francisco is the major air terminal of the Pacific. Its huge international airport ranks among the world's finest. This magnificent terminal was dedicated in 1954 as a living, growing monument to commercial aviation. Expansion of the airport facilities property for jet air line service is being carried on under a multi-million-dollar program at the San Francisco International Airport. Air service originates from here to virtually every point in the U. S., the Far East, Australia, the Pacific Islands, and Central and South America, and direct through-plane service with but one stop between here and Europe. Two major American flag international carriers serving San Francisco have entered air service by a transpolar route from the West Coast to Europe. One foreign flag carrier with CAB approval has designated San Francisco as its West Coast terminus in air service between the Pacific Coast and Europe.

Four of the nation's largest domestic carriers, four overseas lines, and three local service carriers, all cer- tificated, provide daily scheduled services for passengers, mail, express and freight. Daily service also is provided by the two leading air freight lines. Many of the world's air lines which do not directly serve the city, have ticket offices or traffic representatives here.

Two of the world's largest carriers have immense maintenance bases at the San Francisco airport, and other lines maintain servicing facilities which will be expanded under the development program now in progress.

Charter services, flight training and facilities for private planes are available at mány smaller airports in the vicinity of San Francisco.

MANUFACTURERS

The manufacturing industries in San Francisco com- prise an important part of the city's activities, leading the nine major fields of activity in San Francisco in

INTRODUCTION

insured payroll. Over one-fifth of the insured employ- ment and payroll was accounted for by the manufacturing industries in 1956.

The insured wages in the manufacturing industries in San Francisco during 1956 amounted to about $364,000,- 000, or about $104,000,000 above 1950 level.

Many of the large key industries in the Metropolitan Area, with their plants outside the corporate city limits, have their headquarters in San Francisco, from which they conduct their finances, purchases and sales.

San Francisco Manufacturing-1956 (P)

REPORTING UNITS, INSURED WAGES AND EMPLOYMENT

Payroll Third

Employees, September,

MANUFACTURING GROUPS

Reporting Units 1953

Quarter-1956 $90.973,716

68,262

Food and Kindred Products

263

21,801,013

16,084

Meat products.

2,478,190

1,838

Canning and preserving .

4,141,534

3,041

Bakery products.

3,872,038

2,831

Confectionery and related

1,137,795

1,166

Beverage industries.

4.589,192

2,862

Miscellaneous food preparations

3,093,000

2,548

Other food and kindred products

2.489,264

1,798

Textile Mill Products.

587,316

695

Apparel and Other Finished

333

6,244,617

7,994

Products

1,308,132

1,994

Men's and boys' clothing

159

2,962,326

3,771

Women's and misses' outerwear ..

textile

1,360,554

1,394

Other apparel and other

613,605

835

Lumber and Wood Products

(Except Furniture)

839,384

633

Furniture and Fixtures.

3,206,948

2,816

Household furniture

2,514,630

2.357

Other furniture and fixtures

692,318

459

Paper and Allied Products

2.194.760

1.556

Rubber Products

215,487

171

Printing, Publishing and Allied

Industries

404

16,704,226

11,483

Newspapers

6.308,069

4.466

Commercial printing

166

3,851,058

2,642

Lithographing

3,152,204

2,037

Other printing and publishing

150

3,392,895

2,338

Chemicals and Allied Products

3,384,386

2,464

Products of Petroleum and Coal

8,517,196

3,854

Leather and Leather Products. .

404,616

361

Stone, Clay, and Glass Products.

1,653,428

1,120

Primary Metal Industries.

2.4

1,050,068

782

Fabricated Metal Products.

168

9,995,388

7,356

Tin cans and other tinware

2,377,985

1,798

Cutlery, hand tools, and

1.981,306

1.532

Fabricated structural metal

3,212,176

2,219

Other fabricated metal products.

2.423,921

1,807

Machinery (Except Electrical)

142

5.425,345

3.813

and Supplies

2.196,264

1,772

Transportation Equipment.

4,214,992

3,202

Ship and boat building and repairing

3.695,263

2,813

Other transportation equipment.

519,729

389

Professional and Scientific Instru-

ments and Products

609,696

492

Miscellaneous Manufacturing Industries

138

1,507,974

1.422

Other Manufacturing Industries

220,612

186

RETAIL TRADE AND SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS

Retail Trade

Retail trade is one of the major activities among the business and industry groups in San Francisco, ranking second in number of employees, and third in payroll. Tangible personal property sold at retail through some 22,421 outlets in San Francisco during 1956 amounted to $1,696,439 of taxable sales. Licensed retail outlets sales amounted to $1,008,757, personal service establishments, $51,109,000, and manufacturing wholesaling, contracting and miscellaneous outlets, 636,573,000. Sales of food for off-premise consumption and gasoline were not included

in taxable sales, but if included, the total retail trade would amount to $2,000,000,000 in 1956.

OUTLETS IN SAN FRANCISCO LICENSED TO SELL TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY AT RETAIL

Reported By California State Board of Equalization

Number

Outlets

1956 Taxable

Type of Business

Dec. 31,

(400))

Licensed Retail Outlets

10,149

$1.008,757

Apparel stores group.

702

99,086

Women's apparel stores

303

39,527

Men's apparel stores

195

21.751

Family apparel stores.

105

13,525

General merchandise group

317

194.803

Limited-price variety stores .

119

17,621

Department and dry goods stores.

124

170,833

Other general merchandise stores.

1.935

98,522

Specialty stores group.

Gift, art goods and novelty shops

1×1

6,556

Sporting goods stores,

2,109

Florists

Photographic equipment and supply stores

5,577

Musical instrument stores.

6×

5.465

Stationery and book stores. .

171

13,579

Office, store and school supply dealers

101

2.1.255

Other specialty stores.

330

8,937

Grocery stores

Food stores other than grocery stores

910

28,516

Package liquor stores.

2.755

153,523

Eating and drinking places

315

9,364

Candy and tobacco stores

29H

33.028

Drug stores .

411

17,959

Household appliance dealers

170

1,408

Second-hand merchandise stores.

126

7.089

Farm implement dealers.

1,213

Farm and garden supply stores.

1,214

Fuel and ice dealers

205

36,699

Building material yards and stores

Lumber and building materials dealers

19,053

Plumbing and electrical supply stores

4.2

5,097

Paint, glass and wallpaper stores.

130

9,628

Hardware stores

New motor vehicle dealers.

Used motor vehicle dealers .

7,046

Automotive supplies and parts dealers

617

3.41×

Trailer, boat, motorcycle and airplane dealers

583

11,235

Personal Service Establishments

Hotels, motels and resorts.

Garages

Photographers

Repair shops and other personal service

2,385

24,650

Manufacturing, Wholesaling, Contracting and

Miscellaneous Outlets.

Contractors and building materials manu-

1,082

123,171

facturing and wholesaling outlets.

All other manufacturing, wholesaling

7.897

513.399

and miscellaneous outlets. .

22.121

$1.696,439

Totals

* Sales of goods for off-premise consumption

gasoline are not included-being tax. exempt sales. Total food store sales for 1956 were estimated at $261,873,000 by Sales Man ugement.

SAN FRANCISCO TAXABLE RETAIL SALES-(a)

1950(1)

1.150.789.000

1953(#1.

1.196 -11.000

1955(a)

1.631.528 000

1956ma1.

1.606,139.000

ta) Taxable Sales- Bd of Equalization

SAN FRANCISCO RETAIL GROUPS- 1954 U. S. CENSUS (Final)

RETAIL TRADE GROUPS

No. of Stores

Sales and Receipts (000)

TOTALS

2.323

257,052

Food group

.002

167,260

Eating and drinking places

2:10

167.134

General merchandise group

789

1 13.449

Apparel group

516

76.312

Automotive group

5.40

$5.682

Lumber-building-hardware group

2.50

24.63%

Drug and proprietary stores

1.7H1

104.172

Other retail stores

457

15.201

Non store retailers

10,045

$1.172.221

Furniture -- furnishings, appliance group

165,399

Gasoline service stations

122

16.023

522

9.536

establishments

8,979

636,573

general hardware ..

113

7,046

32,513

Service stations. .

Itinerant and mail-order vendors

3.293

51,109

Household and home furnishings stores

57,973

Miscellaneous fabricated

products

finished products.

Jewelry stores .

154

27,110

products

1,388

28,190

28,463

333

5.849

1956

Manufacturing Industries.

1.934

141

24,283

Shoe stores.

1956

2,921

143,764

products

Electrical Machinery, Equipment,

$1 :51,651,000

32.922

INTRODUCTION

Service Establishments

The insured service units reporting to the California Department of Employment in 1956 had 49,314 employees and third-quarter payroll of $48,844,557.

SUMMARY OF PRINCIPAL SERVICE GROUPS-1956 INSURED

SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE GROUPS

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Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1958, Part 2

Author: R.L. Polk & Co Publication date: 1953 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co. Number of Pages: 2711

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1953
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 2711