The San Francisco directory: embracing a general directory of residents and a business directory : also, a directory of streets, 1879 , Part 6

Author: Langely, Henry G
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: San Francisco : Francis, Valentine & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196

USA > California > San Francisco County > San Francisco > The San Francisco directory: embracing a general directory of residents and a business directory : also, a directory of streets, 1879 > Part 6

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During the coming year, two noted additions to the cluster of palatial residences on " Nob' Hill will be made by the construction of private residences for Messrs. Flood and Fair, of the Bonanza firm, lots having been purchased for the purpose on the northwest and northeast corners of Mason and California streets, respectively. Grading has already been commenced and it is said that the structures will even snrpass in magnificence and cost their surrounding neighbors. The Odd Fellows' Hall Building Committee have purchased a lot on the corner o Market and Seventh streets for $125,000, on which they will build in the present year, and plans are being prepared for a four-story building for Robert Sherwood, on the gore fronting 01 Market, Pine and Front streets.

HENRY STEIL, ARTIST TAILOR, Occidental Hotel, 237 Bush Street.

Real Estate Associations.

One of the most important factors in San Francisco's rapid development is found in the organized system of improvement furnished through the real estate associations. Among these and overshadowing all others by the magnitude of its operations, the Real Estate Associates i: the pioneer. Organized originally for the purpose of buying and selling unimproved real estate its early experience demonstrated the necessity, if it would have a market commensurate with its proposed operations, of adding to the inducements it offered in lands complete and perfec homes, reaching thereby a class of purchasers different from the ordinary land speculator Building operations in connection with their land purchases were accordingly undertaken, and sales upon completion, under the plan first suggested by Mr. William Hollis, the president and manager of the association, made upon the monthly installment idea.

The company began business with a capital of $120,000, which has been increased from time to time, until it now has a paid-up capital of $1,000,000. As a result of its extended operations row of handsome two-story bay-windowed houses, one-story cottages and more pretentious dwellings have dotted our suburbs, stimulating our growth and assisting materially in the preservation o an improved tone in the character of our residence construction. Barren tracts, and isolated neighborhoods outside of the business part of the city have been invaded by the enterprise of thi company, and new communities have arisen like magic as the reward of its restless activity and sanguine belief in the future of our city. An additional gratifying feature is the improvemen in the social character of the communities created by their efforts, since, under their plan o operation, all occupants of houses become owners, and in consequence more identified with an( interested in the prosperity of the city. Upwards of two thousand houses have been built by the company, costing from $1,500 to $15,000 each, all, as a rule, built upon their own land The company employs its own superintendent of construction and architect, the mechanica work being done by day's labor. Up to the commencement of the existing depression in rea estate the operations of the company had reached an annual expenditure of from $1,500,000 tl $2,000,000 for land, $500,000 for lumber, $180,000 for mill work, $120,000 for plumbing, $30,001 for paints and oils, $24,000 for glass, and $40,000 for hardware, the pay-roll of mechanic; reaching over $500,000. Their office is located in their magnificent four-story stone front build ing, on Montgomery street, erected in 1877, at a cost of $250,000, and justly ranking as one o the most salient among the city's many adornments.

During the past year, its building operations have been almost entirely suspended from the causes hereinbefore mentioned, and the company has suffered materially from the shrinkage i

BULLOCK & JONES, 105 Montgomery Street, Novelties in Men's Hosiery.

Gentlemen's Furnishing Goods, at GEO. LOOMIS', 706 to 716 Kearny St.

PROGRESS OF THE CITY.

values of property held by it, as well as the many embarrassments of its debtors. While the prospect for any immediate resumption of its former activity is out of the question, and whether r not its future operations ever again reaches the volume of the past, San Francisco will always emain largely a debtor for the good work of the Real Estate Associates.

In addition, there are the Mechanics' Real Estate Association, organized in 1876, with a capital of $1,000,000, the San Francisco Real Estate Association, and the California Real Estate Company, all doing business upon a plan similar to the Real Estate Associates. None f them have, however, any work to report for the past year, save the California Real Estate Company, who built a small number of residences, averaging about $2,500 each in cost of con- truction.

The Country Real Estate Associates, located at No. 40 California street, are engaged in the ale of large tracts of land in various parts of the State, which they are offering in small parcels o actual settlers upon favorable colozination plans. They report a very general sentiment mong large landowners in favor of subdividing their lands, and are hopeful that this tendency oward the breaking up of the large estates, which have heretofore been the bane of California's gricultural growth, will attract to us a large immigration during the coming year.

Street Improvements.

The report of the Superintendent of Streets for the last fiscal year shows that the length of ewers constructed during that time was 50,711 feet, or a little over nine and one-half miles. The city now has nearly one hundred and twenty miles of sewers in working order. The cost f the work on sewers during the year is as follows : Brick sewers, $100,417.36 ; iron-stone-pipe ewers, $47,826.47 ; cement-pipe sewers, $18,081.49; redwood sewers, $6,707.29 ; total, $173,- 32.61. There were 1,059,665 square feet of paving laid, the cost of which was $269,056.07. 'his (with the exception of 45,065 square feet of cobbles, amounting to $9,541.08, was basalt nd granite blocks. The entire cost to owners of property by street work during the year was 1,242,159.14. Of this sum $912,270.18 was for permanent improvement of public streets. The cost of grading streets was $169,027.01. Street sweeping and sewer cleaning cost, respect- rely, $37,990.20 and $12,677.50. The expense of lighting the streets, etc., was $291,863.37.

The work upon Montgomery Avenue has been extended somewhat during the year, and work is till going on. It is the intention to complete this avenue to the bay during the present fiscal year. he last Legislature designated Tyler Street as the driveway from the city to the Park, and rescribed the manner in which the work is to be done, although up to the present time nothing fectual has been done towards carrying the act into force.

Public Buildings.

THE CUSTOM HOUSE is located in the brick building on the corner of Washington and Battery treets, erected in 1855, at a cost of $866,000. The operations of this important department of le public service are referred to elsewhere in this article.

THE UNITED STATES MINT .- Among the Government buildings of San Francisco the nited States Mint is among the most elegant and imposing. It is built of granite and sand- one, and conveniently situated at the northwest corner of Mission and Fifth Streets, with a ontage of one hundred sixty and one-half feet on the former and two hundred seventeen and he-half feet on the latter. It is two stories in height, besides an ample basement. The arapet walls are fifty-six feet high, the pediment seventy-five, and its two chimneys each one undred and forty-two feet. Its architecture is Doric. Massive fluted columns at the main trance on Fifth Street give to the building an air of beauty and grandeur, and relieve the mbre aspect of its severe simplicity. The coinage during the year 1878 was as follows : old-Double Eagles, one million seven hundred and thirty-nine thousand, value $34,780,000 ; agles, twenty-six thousand one hundred, value, $261,000 ; Half-eagles, one hundred and forty- ur thousand seven hundred, value, $723,500 ; Quarter Eagles, one hundred and seventy-eight nousand, value $445,000; Standard Silver Dollars, nine millions seven hundred and seventy- ur thousand, value, $9,774,000; Trade Dollars, four millions one hundred and sixty-two tousand, value, $4,162,000; Half Dollars, twelve thousand, value, $6,000; Quarter Dollars, le hundred and forty thousand, value, $35,000; total, sixteen millions one hundred and venty-five thousand eight hundred pieces, value, $50,186,500. The refining department at te Mint went into operation in 1875. It has a capacity of about one million ounces per month. he charges for refining are: Three hundred parts gold and less, two cents; three hundred and half parts gold to six hundred thousand, four cents; six hundred and a half parts gold to ven hundred and fifty thousand, six cents; seven hundred and fity parts gold and over, eight nts. The present Superintendent of the Mint, Mr. Henry L. Dodge, entered upon his duties nuary 1, 1878. Under his administration the force of employees has been considerably duced, there being now two hundred and thirty men and women engaged there, against two indred and fifty during last year, while the reduction in ordinary expenses for supplies, etc., is been over $110,000, and over $26,000 in the disbursements for wages.

THE UNITED STATES SUB-TREASURY is a substantial four-storied structure on Commercial reet, near Montgomery, on the land formerly occupied by the old Mint. It was constructed der the superintendence of Mr. Samuel Mccullough, and is on a plan of architecture similar that of the United States Appraiser's Building. The walls are built of pressed brick laid on

BEAMISH, Shirt Manufacturer, Nucleus Building, Market, cor. Third.

Home Insurance Company of Columbus, Ohio; HUTCHINSON & MANN, Agents, north-east cor. California and Sansome Sts.

ANDERSON & RANDOLPH, Jewelers, 101 Montgomery St.

SAN FRANCISCO DIRECTORY.

granite sills. The building was completed early in the Autumn of 1877, and was transferred to the Sub-Treasury Department October Sth of that year. The amount appropriated for its construc- tion was $107,000. The first floor is occupied by the Sub-Treasury ; the second by the Register and Receiver of the General Land Office ; the third and fourth by the United States Surveyor- General.

THE UNITED STATES APPRAISER'S BUILDING occupies the grounds bounded by Washington, Sansom, Jackson and Post Office Place. It is a solid, handsome four-story structure of two hundred and sixty-five and one-half feet on Sansom by one hundred and twenty and. one-half feet on Jackson and Washington. The building, which was constructed under the superin- tendence of Mr. Samuel Mccullough, Superintendent of Construction of United States Buildings in California, is now completed with the exception of the interior fittings and arrangements. The total expenditures upon it to date has been $874,882, and $175,000 additional is estimated as ample for its completion, which will be effected during the coming fiscal year. The first floor will be occupied by the Collector of Internal Revenue, the Superintending Surgeon of the Marine Hospital, Special Agents of the Treasury Department, the Naval Pay Office and Steam- boat Inspectors, and one-half of the entire floor as a storeroom for Appraiser's stores. All Appraiser's goods will be received from Post Office Place. The second floor will be devoted to the Appraiser's Department and the offices of the Light House Department. The third floor will be occupied by the United States Circuit and District Courts, United States Marshal, Dis- trict Attorney and the Law Library. The fourth floor will be occupied by jury rooms, file rocms for the Treasury Department, and the United States Signal Service. The ceilings are all lathed with Dwight's patent iron lathing ; standing water pipes run from basement to roof, and corporation hose in ample quantity is kept on the roof as a precaution against fires.

THE POST-OFFICE occupies the first floor of the Government building situated on the east half of the block bounded by Washington, Battery, Jackson and Sansom Streets, the entrance being on Washington Street. Like the other public buildings built in the early days of the city, it has been left behind in our rapid development. For years it has been entirely inade- quate to the service of the department, and shifting expedients, alterations and changes in its internal arrangements have been the standing rule. The only effectual relief accomplished, however, has been through the establishment of the various branch offices. Alterations have recently been effected in the old building, making an entire reconstruction of its working space. The entrance from Washington Street now leads directly into the lobby, passing the Money Order Office at the entrance on the right, and the Postmaster's private office on the left. The lobby is in the heart of the building instead of on the outside, as. formerly, and is entirely surrounded with the working departments of the office. While material improve- ments in the facilities of the office have been effected by these changes, they arestill as before mere temporary expedients. The growing wants, as well as the dignity of our city, demand that a building suitable to and commensurate with the magnitude of our mail service shall no longer be withheld from us. A proposition is now being pressed before the present Congress, which, if not passed by it, can scarcely fail of passage in the next Congress, appropriating $500,000 for the purchase of a site and $3,000,000 for the building of a new Post-Office. Union Square, bounded by Stockton, Powell, Post and Geary Streets, is generally conceded as its future location.

The following statistics of the business of 1878 will serve to show in some degree the magni- tude of the business of the office : Mail letters delivered, three million eight hundred and sixty three thousand five hundred ; city letters delivered, one million five hundred and fifty- three thousand and twenty-one; mail postal cards, four hundred and fifty-one thousand nine hundred and sixty-one; city postal cards, seven hundred and fifty-one thousand and sixty- seven; newspapers, one million seven hundred and thirty-four thousand two hundred and seventy. The collections show four million five hundred and sixty three thousand three hun- dred and ninety-four mail letters, two million city letters, and nine huundred and ninety-two thousand five hundred and forty-six papers. The totals in each case represent an increase over the business of 1877 of four per cent. in deliveries and fourteen per cent. in collections. The daily average of the number of pieces (letters, postal cards, newspapers and packages of mer- chandise) originating in this office was forty-eight thousand six hundred and twenty-five, weighing five thousand five hundred and thirty-six pounds. Owing to the fact that, in addition to the local business, this point is the great distributing station for the open and closed mails for Asia, Australia, etc., as well as a number of European ports, San Francisco ranks as the third in the list of offices of our country in amount of business handled. The number of money orders issued from the main office from January 1, 1878 to November 17, 1878 was twenty-two thousand eight hundred and three, amounting to $560,614.06; from station A for same period one thousand three hundred and eighty-three, amounting to $19,761.76; from station B, four thousand six hundred and twenty-one, amounting to $87,957.95; from station C, nine hundred and forty-one, amounting to $16,599.85. The number and amount of the orders paid exceed the number issued about twenty-five per cent.

The number of carriers employed is fifty. Two hundred street letter boxes are conveniently distributed throughout the city, and are gradually growing into the confidence of those for whose benefit they were intended. The boxes are usually attached to street lamp posts, and

BULLOCK & JONES, 105 Montgomery St., Importers Martin's Canes and Umbrellas.

Steinway Hall, GRAY'S MUSIC STORE, 117 Post St.

Cutlery at GEO. LOOMIS' Plaza Stores, 706 to 716 Kearny St.

PROGRESS OF THE CITY.

e uniformly painted green. They are fastened with the best possible lock, and bear a printed rd indicating the time or times the contents are collected, which in every case is at least once r day. The branch offices are situated as follows: Station A at 1305 Polk Street, and braces the tract west of Taylor and north of Geary to Central Avenue. Station B at the ithwest corner of Seventh and Market; it embraces the tract south of Market from Third to Thirteenth, that west of Stockton and south of Geary to Cemetery Avenue, the Potrero and uth San Francisco. Station C at the northeast corner of Twentieth and Mission Streets ; it ludes all the territory from Thirteenth to Twenty-six Streets and that from the Potrero to urch Street. General James Coey is Postmaster, Mr. William C. Dougherty is his first sistant Postmaster. They are ably supported by a staff-exclusive of letter-carriers-of fifty- ir persons, ten of the number being ladies.

THE UNITED STATES MARINE HOSPITAL is situated at Mountain Lake, on the Presidio servation, near the junction of California Street. The nearest point to the hospital now iched by the street cars is Central Avenue. During the year a new boiler for heating rposes was introduced at an expense of $2,500. It consists of three long, two-story wooden ildings, which are ample for the accommodation of one hundred and twenty-five patients. All le modern hospital improvements are found in this institution. It is maintained at a cost of but $25,000 a year. The class of persons admitted here are merchant seamen (all persons ployed on sea and inland merchant vessels) who are obliged to prove their vocation at the stom House. This hospital is not a public charity. The Government makes a direct tax on the seamen who receive its benefits, which serves to defray a part of its expenses. Dr. C. Ellinwood is the surgeon in charge, office 715 Clay Street, corner of Kearny, where permits admission are issued. An ambulance leaves this office daily, carrying patients to the spital.

ARMY, NAVY, ETC .- During the past year, the Headquarters of the Military Division of the Ecific and the Department of California, the offices and warehouses of the Quartermaster and Unmissary Generals, which formerly occupied rented offices in the city, have been removed to Presidio Reservation. To accommodate these changes, important and extensive improve- ants were made. Two new barrack-houses, one story each, were erected on the north side of parade ground, for headquarters uses, with buildings in the rear for the accommodation of necessary clerical force ; the cottages on the south side have been remodelled, and the Iding occupying the east side of the parade ground removed, making a material increase in . grounds. Another, and by far the most important, improvement has been the construction a finely-graded road, nearly one mile in length, by the circuitous route enforced by the ure of the land, from the Barracks to Fort Point. The expenditures during the past year re amounted to between $45,000 and $50,000. It is expected that an appropriation for the hing fiscal year of $170,000 will be granted for the continuation of the work upon the above d and the erection of additional warehouses for the accommodation of the quartermaster's . commissary's departments.

STATE BUILDINGS OR OFFICES .- Although several State officials necessarily have their offices This city, the State has not yet provided any special building for their accommodation. The ious Commissioners, Inspectors and Agents rent offices as convenient as possible to the vective locations of their several occupations. Should the reader have any special desire to w where these are he can easily ascertain by referring to the proper place in the general Lectory.

MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS .- Of these, the first to be noticed is the Old City Hall, standing oithe southeast corner of Kearny and Washington Streets. It was one of the first large dings erected in the pioneer days of the city, and remains a standing monument of the I-conceived structures of that date. Until the past year it has contained most of the city es. . During 1878, most of the offices were removed to the New City Hall, and there now e ains in the building only the following : Sheriff's Office, City and County Surveyor, City County Clerk, District Attorney, Superintendent of Streets, Board of Fire Commissioners, ef of Police, Police Court, Police Commissioners, Fourth and Twelfth District, Municipal City Criminal Courts, Municipal Court of Appeals and five Justices' Courts. It is ex- ved that the exodus of the coming year will nearly close up its municipal career.

THE NEW CITY HALL .- This building when completed will not only be the largest and most table structure in the city, but it is believed will be by far the largest edifice of this descrip- i in the United States. It is located upon a triangular plot of ground bounded by Larkin 3t et, McAllister Street, and Park Avenue, a site which, though now somewhat removed ri the business portion of the city, will doubtless be found most convenient, should the city ofinue its rapid spread, by the time the building is finally completed. The main front of the ticture is on Park Avenue, and measures eight hundred feet. The main building consists f series of pavilions which are adorned with Corinthian pilasters and columns forty-eight feet height. At each end of the principal front is one of these pavilions, while in the center is halmost semi-circular portico which forms the principal entrance on Park Avenue. When h entire structure is completed it will have a frontage of five hundred and fifty feet Larkin Street and six hundred and fifty feet on McAllister Street. On the Larkin Stet front will be a portico one hundred and twenty-two feet long, with towers, each

BEAMISH has always on hand every variety of Underwear.

New Orleans Insurance Association, HUTCHINSON & MANN, Agents, north-east cor. California and Sansome Sts.

ANDERSON & RANDOLPH, Jewelers, 101 Montgomery St.

SAN FRANCISCO DIRECTORY.

a hundred and fifty feet high on either side. From either end of the McAllister Street fron will be projected wings, each one hundred and forty feet in length, enclosing. three sides in a oblong square. The main tower of the building will be over the principal entrance; it wil measure about two hundred and seventy feet in height, and be seventy feet square. The en trance from City Hall Avenue leads directly to a large circular hall eighty feet in diameter an one hundred and five feet high. From this lead numerous corridors to the various halls an offices. The basement of the building contains a story twelve and one-half feet high, which wil be used as the city prison. Above this is the ground floor, twenty feet high, and next above i the principal floor of the building, which will be mainly occupied by the courts, the several hall ·being each thirty-four feet high. The Hall of Records, a circular edifice eighty-six feet i internal diameter and ninety-five feet in external diameter, was finished in the Spring of 1877 fa enough to permit occupancy in May of that year. It is surmounted by a dome, rising to height of one hundred and thirty-four feet. The plan contemplates a wide arcade surroundin the hall, rising to the height of the first story, which will increase the diameter of the lowe part of the building to one hundred and thirty-two feet. This arcade is partly built. The Ha lies to the east of the City Hall proper, with which it is connected by an open arcade, corre! ponding in style with that surrounding the Hall of Records, the course between the two build ings describing an arc of a circle.

During the past year, the eastern portion of the building, up to, and including the centi portico on McAllister Street, has been completed and occupied.

The officers whose departments are located in the New City Hall are as follows, viz .: the Cit and County Recorder, the Mayor, Treasurer, Auditor, City and County Attorney, Assesso: Tax Collector, License Collector andRegistrar of Voters ; the Board of Supervisors, the Boal of Education and the Commissioners of Insanity are accommodated in the building, and als the County Court, the Probate Court and the Nineteenth District Court. All of the foregoir officers and courts went into occupancy during the past year, save the Recorder.

Contracts have been let for completing the walls, roofing, etc,, of the remainder of th McAllister Street front, and the greater part of the Larkin Street front ; this work is advancir rapidly, and the revenue of the next fiscal year will be applied to completing this part of tl building internally.

A portion of the building lying back from the Mc Allister Street front towards the main entran hall and tower on Park Avenue has been temporarily roofed in over the first story, and tl basement and first story are being completed. This will give accommodations for the May, (who at present is in temporary occupancy of rooms ultimately intended for the County Clerk and seven other rooms which have not yet been appropriated. This part of the building w. be ready for occupancy about the 1st of July next.

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The San Francisco directory: embracing a general directory of residents and a business directory : also, a directory of streets, 1879 , Part 6

Author: Langely, Henry G Publication date: 1879 Publisher: San Francisco : Francis, Valentine & Co. Number of Pages: 1196

Author: Langely, Henry G
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: San Francisco : Francis, Valentine & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196