San Francisco: 24 then and now snapshots in time
24 then and now images from the core of one of America's greatest cities: San Francisco.
7.
Above: The construction of Lombard Street on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets in 1922. Courtesy of San Francisco History Center, SF Public Library. Below: Known as the most crooked street in the world, it was designed to reduce the hill’s natural 27% grade, which was too steep for most vehicles.
8.
Above: Piers 1, 3, and 5 on the Embarcadero (Spanish: Wharf) in 1977. The advent of containerization in the 1960s, led to the death of the Port of San Francisco as a major marine terminal. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Below: Today, Pier 1 houses the headquarters of the Port of San Francisco. Piers 3 and 5 were renovated and converted into commercial uses in 2005.
9.
Above: The Palace of Fine Arts, after its completion for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Below: Rebuilt in 1965 and retrofitted in 2009, it is one of a few surviving structures from the Exposition.
10.
Above: The Pacific-Union Club in 1940. Originally constructed as a Nob Hill residence for silver magnate James Clair Flood in 1886. It is considered the first brownstone built west of the Mississippi River. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Below: It was one of two buildings on Nob Hill to structurally survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire.
11.
Above: Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill during the 1980s. Courtesy of the Library of Congress. Below: The Cathedral was designated a historic landmark in 1984.
12.
Above: Looking east down California Street from Van Ness Avenue in 1961. Courtesy of San Francisco Pictures Below: Looking east down California Street from Van Ness Avenue in 2015.
