Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1963, Part 2

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1953
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 2946

USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1963 > Part 2

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Photo by R. L. Copeland, released by San Francisco Chamber of Commerce

Aerial View of Downtown San Francisco

SITUATION

San Francisco, "City by the Golden Gate," whose City Hall is situated at 37 degrees 47 minutes north latitude and 122 de- grees 25 minutes west longitude, on a hilly peninsula with alti- tudes ranging from sea level to 933.6 feet U. S. Base, is bounded on three sides by water. Of a total of 129 square miles, only 46.6 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-Yer- ba Buena, Treasure and Alcatraz-besides the Farallon Islands group some 32 miles west, which has been included in the City and County of San Francisco since 1872.

POPULATION

July 1, 1963, population estimate for San Francisco was 749,900.

The 1960 U. S. Census gave San Francisco a population of 742,855, representing a loss from 1950 of about 4.2%, Even though several cities in the Bay Area lost population in the decade, the losses were countered by sizeable gains in the newer, outlying cities of the metropolitan area. Many of the older areas in the city have become less congested, and in most dwellings the total number of occupants has dwindled. Predominating nationalities of foreign-born residents: Italian, German, Irish, Canadian, Chin- ese, Japanese, Russian, Mexican.

AREA, ALTITUDE, CITY FINANCES

Area-45.45 square miles (land, 46.38 including islands). Altitude-Sea level to 933.6 feet city datum.

Assessed Valuation-$2,211,875,031 (1962-63), all property, including $85, 159,806 veteran and welfare exemptions. Tax rate of $8.82 per $100 assessed valuation (1963-64) includes $0.017 levied by Rapid Transit District, but collected by City.

Bonded Debt-$238,549,000 (June 30, 1962).

CLIMATE

San Francisco's unique location at the northern end of a narrow peninsula which separates San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean and forms the southern shore of the Golden Gate - the only sea level entrance through the Coastal Mountains into the Great Valley-causes this to be known as the air-conditioned city, with cool, pleasant summers and mild winters. Flowers bloom throughout the year, and warm clothing is needed in every month.

As a result of the steady sweep of air from the Pacific, there are few extremes of heat or cold. During the entire 90 years of temperature records in San Francisco, temperatures have

risen to 90 degrees or higher on an average of but once a year and dropped below freezing less than once a year. As a rule, ab- normally warm or cool periods last but a few days.

Pronounced wet and dry seasons are another characteristic of this climate. On the average, 84% of the total annual precipita - tion falls during the five-month period November to March, leav- ing but 16% for the remaining seven months of the year. Long- time records of the Weather Bureau reveal that the sun shines in San Francisco during 65 of every 100 possible hours.

CONSTRUCTION

In 1962, construction in San Francisco scored its fourth consecutive year of $100 million or more in projects authorized by building permits. The total of $156 million was a 20% increase from 1960's record of $130 million, and the number of permits issued was a new record at 14,291. A total of 5,179 dwelling units was authorized, having a value of over $77 million.

Some of the major projects authorized in 1962 were:

Golden Gateway-three 22 and 25-floor apartment buildings (Perini Corp.). $13,390,000

Hartford Insurance Group -- 33-floor office

building (Hartford Ins. Co.) 11,400,000

Civic Auditorium rehabilitation (City of S.F.) 6,623,000

Laguna Heights cooperative apartments (Eichler Homes, Inc.) 4,667,000

Diamond Heights -- single-family homes (180)

(Eichler Homes, Inc.) 4,252,000

Over $259 million worth of construction was authorized or was under way at the end of 1962.

Work on the Federal Office Building is nearly complete. This 20-story structure will be the West's largest office building.

Redevelopment in several areas made significant progress in 1962:

Western Addition-In this first project to be cleared and sold to private developers, new buildings are appearing, includ- ing a school (completed) and several apartment buildings. The second project in this area, more than twice the size of the ori- ginal, is now in the planning stage; emphasis will be on renewal of existing buildings and preservation of historic structures.

Diamond Heights-All land has been sold, and streets and utilities are in. Over 70 single-unit homes are under construct- ion, and plans call for over 1,500 additional dwelling units-in row housing, detached homes, and low and high rise apartment buildings. The peak parcel of land on Red Rock Hill was sold to the highest bidder, San Francisco Redevelopers, Inc., who chose one of four plans resulting from a nation-wide architectural competition. The plan chosen was that of Cohen & Leverson, San Francisco.

VIII

INTRODUCTION

Golden Gateway-The $85 million plan for the 45-acre, 16- block area, by Perini-San Francisco Associates, calls for 2,294 apartments, 380,000 square feet of office space, and a 1,300-car garage. Demolition work is under way, and new construction work will begin soon.

The South-of -Market area of about 90 acres will be rede- veloped for wholesaling and industrial purposes, adjacent to the Central Business District. About $35 million would be required to accomplish the goals, a large portion of which would be paid by the Federal Government. Application has been made for funds, and plans are in progress on this project, which was conceived in 1957. Actual construction in this area may be several years away, however.

UTILITIES

San Francisco is the headquarters of the country's largest gas and electric operating utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., which serves 47 counties in northern California. Their Vallecitos Plant near Livermore was the world's first privately-financed nuclear power plant, and they recently completed the country's first geothermal power plant in nearby Sonoma County. Water comes from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Hetch Hetchy Res- ervoir through a 167-mile pipeline system, and is stored in sev- eral reservoirs in Alameda and San Mateo counties. Capacity of the municipal water department reservoirs is estimated at 275,- 000,000,000 gallons, with storage during 1959 (a dry year) rang- ing between average monthly lows of 64% to highs of 76%. San Francisco had in 1962 a total of 68.8 telephones per 100 popula- tion-one of the world's highest percentages of telephone users.

GOVERNMENT

San Francisco has a consolidated City and County govern- ment, 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 Attorn- ey, 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, appointed by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by the Supervis- ors, also has tenure. The Mayor appoints members of and super- vises police, fire, civil service, public utilities, park and recre- ation, welfare, library, city planning, art, housing, parking per- mit appeals, redevelopment, retirement (in part) and welfare boards commissions, and may remove his appointees except civil service, public utilities, recreation and park, and welfare com- missioners, 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 vo- ters.

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

Initiative and referendum clauses were first embraced 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 sec- ond four-year term ending Jan. 8, 1956. The present mayor is George Christopher.

State and Federal Government Offices

San Francisco contains district and regional offices of many branches of the State and Federal governments. Located here are some 49 major agencies of the State, including top-rank commis- sions and boards. These and many lesser divisions and branches make a total of about 174 State groups. There are 177 Federal agencies in San Francisco, including representatives of the Leg- islative and Judicial branches, Executive departments and inde- pendent agencies. The 13 Executive departments include: Agri- culture, Air Force, Army, Commerce, Defense, Health, Educa- tion and Welfare, Interior, Justice, Labor, Navy, Post Office, State and Treasury, and numerous special agencies related to regional administration of Federal activities.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS

First comes the group in the Civic Center, declared by the Duke of Connaught to be the finest thing of its kind in the world. The group consists of: (1) City Hall, of classic design, sur- mounted by an immense dome, higher than the dome of the U. S. Capitol Building at Washington; cost, $4,000,000. (2) Civic Audi- torium, seating capacity of 12,000 in the main auditorium, with numerous small halls; cost, $2,000,000. (3) San Francisco Public Library; cost, $1,500,000. (4) State Building; cost, $1,000,000. (5) War Memorial group of buildings, as a part of Civic Center; cost,

$4,000,000, consisting of Civic Opera House, American Legion Halls, etc. The San Francisco Federal Building cost $3,000,000.

Recent additions at the Civic Center include an underground garage and exhibit building (Brooks Hall) costing $3,392,000 and $3,711,000 respectively. The State Compensation Insurance Build- ing, at $4, 179,000, and the State Building Annex were opened in 1959. In 1960, construction of a new Federal Office Building, val- ued at $32,500,000 was begun. Twenty stories high, and occupying most of a city block, it will be the West's largest office building when completed. Presently, the Kaiser Center in Oakland is the largest west of Chicago.

The California Palace of the Legion of Honor, in Lincoln Park, overlooking the Golden Gate, is a replica of the Palace of the Legion of Honor in Paris. It was presented to the City. The structure cost $2,000,000. Other leading public buildings are the U. S. Mint, located at Market St. and Duboce Ave., built in 1937 (now inactivated); the Post Office Building, corner of 7th and Mission streets; and the Ferry Building, at the foot of Market St. on the waterfront, built by the State in 1896 at a cost of $1,000, - 000. The Ferry Building is 659 feet long and 156 feet wide, andis the home of the World Trade Center. This was the first global mart to combine under one roof office and exhibit space, trade libraries and other facilities linked to international trade. The Covarrubias murals, executed for the 1939 Golden Gate Internat- ional Exposition, and depicting flora, fauna, occupations and cul- ture of peoples of Pacific nations, are now permanently housed here. The Customs House and U. S. Appraiser's Building repre- sents an expenditure of more than $4,000,000. In Golden Gate Park are located the de Young Memorial Museum, Academy of Sciences, Steinhart Aquarium, Museum of Anthropology, and Morrison Planetarium. At Kearny and Washington streets is the Hall of Justice, erected in 1910 at a cost of $1,000,000, contain- ing police courts and the criminal department of the superior court. Recently completed was the new Hall of Justice at 7th and Bryant streets, built at a cost of $19,475,000.

HARBOR AND WATER COMMERCE

Centered in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco is an important port of general commerce, handling a large and val- uable domestic and foreign trade. It is the main gateway of com- merce 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. Deep-water commerce enters San Francisco Bay through the Mile-wide Golden Gate, and thus ship- ping is afforded natural protection in the waters of the Bay To this has been added a comprehensive system of docking and berthing facilities, rail and freight connections, modern and well- equipped warehouses, 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 warehouses; modern grain, refrigeration, banana, cotton, copra and heliport terminals and a truck coordinating service. San Francisco's For- eign Trade Zone (one of only four in the U. S.) provides Califor- nia with a special area where imported goods can be stored and processed free of customs entries.

The harbor is controlled by the State of California and is governed by the State Board of Harbor Commissioners appointed by the Governor. Of the 42 piers, most of them are assigned to steamship companies having their own fleets and operating their own schedules. San Francisco harbor facilities are valued at more than $100,000,000.

Over 250 air and marine lines maintain offices or agencies in the city, giving the Bay Area direct links with more than 300 world ports.

Water-borne cargo tonnage of San Francisco Bay is fore- most on the Pacific Coast and high among those of the nation's ports.

In 1962, world trade through the San Francisco Custom Dis- trict was valued at over $1,306,000,000, a record-breaking year.

Exports $759,836,313 546,595,435

Imports

In 1962, total water-borne commerce moving through San Francisco Bay amounted to 55,223,856 short tons.

Principal exports in 1960 through the San Francisco Cus- toms District were as follows (with values):

Cotton, unmanufactured .

$95,830,592

Office machines-printing, bookbinding 47,416,032

Fruits, dried.

31,569,903

Chemical specialties. 30,718,021

Fruits, canned, except juices . 28,802,872

Electrical machinery and apparatus. 17,493,957

Construction and mining machinery and parts 16,355,813

Condensed and evaporated milk

15,462,576

Iron and steel scrap, incl. tin plate 15,162,593

Lubricating oils and greases

14,491,640

INTRODUCTION

The ten leading imports were:

Coffee, raw and green

$98,145,837

Petroleum, crude .

49,049,881 39,917,876

Auto, trucks and buses, excl, parts

Copra 27,708,898

Electrical machinery and apparatus. 27,230,947

Standard newsprint paper.

18,739,138

Wool, semi-manufactures and manufactures 14,805,425

Distilled spirits, wines and malt liquors.

11,406,389

Meat products, fresh, chilled or frozen 11,112,909

Rolled and finished steel mill products. 9,978,509

Since World War II, the Port of San Francisco has been en- hanced by a $70,000,000 modernization and expansion program. Major improvements have included a series of new piers and ter- minals, such as the Mission Rock development, the Islais Creek grain terminal expansion, the State Cotton Terminal, a foreign trade zone, and conversion of the north wing of the Ferry Build- ing for the World Trade Center. Construction on a $26,000,000 super terminal at Islais Creek was begun in 1963, providing a 61- acre area with berthing for eight of the largest ships at a time. dThis is to be completed in 1966. San Francisco remains the lead- ing general cargo port on the U. S. Pacific Coast.

TRANSPORTATION

Distribution Facilities-A vast transportation network, in- cluding transcontinental rail and highway facilities, air transport services, and steamship lines, converges in San Francisco, bring- ing unexcelled transportation services to local industry and busi- ness. San Francisco's fortunate geographic position on the Paci- fic Coast, combined with excellent distribution facilities, makes it possible for business and industry located here to serve a lar- ger 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 railroads operating more than 27,000 miles of line. These railroads with their connections thoroughly blanket California and neighboring states, and by means of seven major transcontinental routes and connecing routes provide 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 ar- rangements are in effect, under which the line-haul carrier will absorb the charges of the switching carrier on competitive traf- fic. 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 indus- tries 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, in- cluding over-night service to points in the San Joaquin and Sacra- mento 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 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 avail- able 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.

Highways

Truck Lines-Over 100 common-carrier truck lines pro- vide scheduled service between San Francisco and points in Cali- fornia 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 hav- ing 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, provi- ding frequent service between San Francisco and all important points in California and the eleven Western States. Two lines pro- vide transcontinental service. Sight-seeing buses operated be- tween San Francisco and neighboring points of interest, as well as in the city proper. Buses and limousines are available for charter.

Air

San Francisco is one of the major air terminals of the Pa- cific Coast. Its huge International Airport ranks among the world's finest. This magnificent terminal was dedicated in 1954 at a cost of $85,000,000 as a living, growing monument to com- mercial aviation. A $29,000,000 expansion of the airport is now under way to handle the constantly-increasing flow of traffic. A new south terminal wing, costing $14,000,000, was opened in Sep- tember, 1963. 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 service via the polar route between here and Europe. Two major American flag car- riers and one foreign flag carrier are now in service between San Francisco and Europe.

Eleven regional and trunk lines, plus four foreign flag car- riers, provide numerous daily services for passengers, mail, ex- press and freight. Most of the world's air lines which do not di- rectly serve the city have ticket offices or traffic representatives here. In 1960, over 4,637,000 passengers arrived or departed on the 146,022 flights by scheduled air lines.

One of the world's largest carriers has an immense main- tenance base at the San Francisco airport, and other lines main- tain servicing facilities which are being expanded under the de - velopment program now in progress.

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

EMPLOYMENT

In July, 1962, employment in the city of San Francisco was about 476,600, and for the San Francisco-Oakland Metropolitan Area, an average 1,174,400 were employed as follows:

July, 1962 San Francisco only

1962

Agriculture

14,500

Construction

20,800

69,500

Manufacturing

64,200

204,300

Communication, transportation and utilities

52,700

106,700

Wholesale trade

49,700

81,600

Retail trade

64,200

178,400

Finance, insurance and real estate 54,700

81,800

Services

96,400

219,700

Government

72,800

217,500

Totals including others

476,600

1,174,400

The City employs over 23,000 people, of whom 4,000 are certified teachers. Another 3,500 work for the fire and police de- partments, and 1,950 with the street railways.

MANUFACTURERS

The manufacturing industries in San Francisco comprise an important part of the city's activities, being among the nine ma- jor fields of activity in San Francisco in insured payroll. In De- cember, 1961, there were 1,733 concerns, with an average yearly total of 62,790 employees. Value added by manufacturing (1958 U. S. Census of Manufactures) was $576,273,000.

Insured wages in manufacturing industries in San Francisco during 1961 amounted to over $417,000,000, compared to about $259,000,000 in 1950.

1961 MANUFACTURING PAYROLLS, SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA Annual Insured Wages, by Industry (in $ millions)

San Fran- cisco-

City and County of San Francisco

Industry

Food and kindred products .

. $ 104.66

$252.17

Printing and publishing .

83.20

131.32

Fabricated metal products

(except ordnance, machinery,

40.59

137.71

related industries ..

34.93

83.77

Transportation equipment

23.34

94.16

Machinery, except electrical

22.20

90.15

Furniture and fixtures.

13.80

27,64

Paper and Allied products

13.36

53.33

Chemicals and allied products

12.20

79.04

Stone, clay and glass products

11.20

49.61

Primary metal industries

9.45

89.20

Electrical machinery, equipment.

7.88

97.35

Professional, scientific and controlling equipment .

2.16

12.07

Textile mills products

1,63

4.46

politan

Area*

and transportation equipment).

Petroleum, refining and

Oakland

Metro-

average, Metropolitan

INTRODUCTION

Lumber and wood products.

11.82

Leather and leather products

4.29

6.65

0.25

Totals

$417.67

$1,273.80

# Not reported separately

*Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Solano Counties

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 fi- nances, purchases and sales.

RETAIL TRADE AND SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS Retail Trade

Retail trade is one of the major activities among the busi- ness and industry groups in San Francisco, ranking second in number of employees, and third in payroll. Tangible personal property sold at retail through 21, 170 outlets in San Francisco during 196 1 amounted to $1,056,540,000; personal service estab- lishments, $73,460,000; and manufacturing, wholesaling, contract- ing and miscellaneous outlets, $657,803,000. Sales of food for off- premise consumption and gasoline are not included in taxable sales.

A market of 4,000,000 people is concentrated in the nine Bay Area counties surrounding San Francisco Bay. Firms located in San Francisco distribute to all northern California's 7,300,000 people, and to the eleven Western States. Employment in retail trade in the metropolitan area averaged 153,765 in 1961, making it one of the largest occupational groups.

OUTLETS IN SAN FRANCISCO LICENSED TO SELL TANGIBLE PERSONAL PROPERTY AT RETAIL *(1)

1960

Outlets Jan. 1, 1961

Sales (000)

Licensed Retail Outlets

8,929

$1,016,918

Apparel stores group .

616

113,372

Women's apparel stores

256

54,074

Men's apparel stores

169

23,761

Family apparel stores

19,117

Shoe stores .

105

16,429

General merchandise group

289

Limited-price variety stores

101

19,412

Department and dry goods stores

116

168,672

Other general merchandise stores. . 72

6,518

Specialty stores group.

1,464

122,284

Gift, art goods and novelty shops

182

9,627

Sporting goods stores

5,102

Florists

131

5,227

Photographic equipment and supply stores

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Polk's San Francisco (San Francisco County, Calif.) city directory, 1963, Part 2

Author: R.L. Polk & Co Publication date: 1953 Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co. Number of Pages: 2946

Author: R.L. Polk & Co
Publication date: 1953
Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : R.L. Polk & Co.
Number of Pages: 2946