List of Early Historic Buildings on Old Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast section of San Francisco was a 19th-century hotbed of drinking, drugs, gambling and prostitution. It garnered its name sometime around 1860 from sailors and longshoremen who thought it was as dangerous as the pirate-riddled coast of North Africa. The saloons and parlors entertained many famous and soon-to-be famous visitors, including Mark Twain, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson and a fireman whose name Mark Twain might have borrowed---Tom Sawyer. Today, the Barbary Coast section of the city is part of Chinatown, the Financial District, North Beach and Jackson Square.
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Jackson Square
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Most of the surviving Barbary Coast architecture can be found in this section of San Francisco, since it was one of the few areas of the city to survive the massive fire of 1851 and the earthquake of 1906. The Moulinie Building at 458 Jackson St. stands out for its simplicity. Newer buildings on the street are more ornate.
The Solari Building East is just down the street from the Moulinie Building, at 468 Jackson St. This building was home to several consulates as well as to Josephine Smith, niece of Mormon founder Joseph Smith. Continuing up Jackson St. leads to the Lucas, Turner and Co. Bank at 494 Jackson St. Built under the supervision of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman in 1854, the arches and doorway facing Montgomery St. are all that remain of the original building.
One famous landmark on Jackson St. is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, moved here by company founder Domingo Ghirardelli in 1857, to meet his company's growing needs.
The Golden Era building, built in the early 1850's, was home to San Francisco's most important literary journal, "The Golden Era." Located at 732 Montgomery St., it was remodeled in 1892, but still retains some of its original architecture. Staying on Montgomery St. leads to the Melodeon Theatre, now called the Belli Building. The theater opened in 1857, but the building is thought to predate the 1851 fire. Today the building has been refurbished to appear as it did during the Gold Rush Era of 1848-1858.
Hotaling Place
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Hotaling Place, located at 429 Jackson St., is unique among the Jackson Square facilities. Head down the alley between the Hotaling buildings for a step back in time. The alley, tracing the original coastline of Yerba Buena Cove, features granite cobblestone and marble artwork.
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Telegraph Hill
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Telegraph Hill does not feature the impressive businesses or homes of Jackson Square, but it does contain a few residences of everyday laborers. The plain structure at 1301 Montgomery St., built around 1850, is thought to be the oldest brick building in San Francisco. The second-oldest building on Telegraph Hill is a wood-frame, flat-front house built by an Irish grocer in an Italian style in 1854. It can be found at 291 Union St.
Religious Buildings
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Old St. Mary's Cathedral at the corner of California St. and Grant Ave. was dedicated in 1854. It is the first Catholic cathedral west of the Rocky Mountains. Largely destroyed by the 1906 earthquake, it was rebuilt by Chinese laborers who were the primary parishioners.
The Tien Hou Temple at 125 Waverly Place is the oldest Asian temple in America. Dedicated to the goddess of heaven, the temple was also destroyed in 1906 and rebuilt in 1911 by Chinese workers.
The Old Mint
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Just outside the Old Barbary Coast section, but still on the sightseeing tour known as the Barbary Coast Trail, is the Old Mint, at 88 Fifth St. One of the most impressive architectural structures in San Francisco, it was built in the Greek Revival style with massive Doric columns. The Old Mint opened in 1874 to handle the influx of silver from Nevada's Comstock Lode. Once called "The Fort Knox of the West," it is today affectionately referred to as "The Granite Lady" though it is built mostly of sandstone.
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- Photo Credit flick:LFL16, flickr: LFL16
