Historic Walking Tour Guide: Jackson Square Landmark District

One-sheet walking tour of the Jackson Square Landmark District in San Francisco. Features ten stops: Bank of Lucas, Turner and Company; Hotaling Building; Ghirardelli Building; Columbus Savings Building; Canessa Building; Old Fugazi Bank; Solari Buildings; Tremont Hotel (Veon Building); Moulinie Building; Grogen-Lent-Atherton Building. From introduction: "The Jackson Square Landmark District is a rare group of survivors from one of San Francisco’s early central business districts. Jackson Square’s location along the waterfront was key to its development in the 1850s. At the time, Montgomery Street was the principal thoroughfare in the City, and was characterized by the major businesses and offices located along the nine blocks north of Market Street. The brick buildings, many with cast iron storefronts and iron shutters, are reminiscent of typical brick and masonry industrial buildings of the same period on the East Coast. After 1870, the central business district moved south and west away from the Jackson Square area, and many of these buildings gradually lost their more affluent occupants. Due to its proximity to the waterfront, many buildings were repurposed into manufacturing and wholesaling uses into the early decades of the 1900s. The 1906 earthquake damaged some of these buildings; however, many blocks were spared by the resulting fire. Through the post-quake reconstruction to the Great Depression of the 1930s, the industrial and commercial bases of the Jackson Square Area were further weakened by the growing prominence of developing areas along the waterfront. Beginning in the 1920s, many artists and writers were attracted to the area, centered on Montgomery Street, by cheap rents. Soon, storefronts were occupied by art dealers and antique shops that are still characteristic of the district today. Jackson Square has proven its adaptability to changing uses without losing its essential historic form." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2010 Preserve America grant to the City of San Francisco (grant number 06-10-AP-5034) for the Market and Octavia Historic Resource Preservation Project. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities.

Historic Walking Tour Guide: Jackson Square Landmark District

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