California Street Hill



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These pre-quake cards look west up California Street to Nob Hill and show no evidence of Fairmont Hotel construction (begun 1903).



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The Fairmont Hotel was in the final stages of construction when the 1906 earthquake/fire struck. These images show the Fairmont but are pre-quake (no Sing Fat or Sing Chong). Fairmont Hotel shows the earthquake/fire damage and the reconstructed Fairmont.



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Post-quake, the Hopkins Art Institute at California/Powell is gone and the new pagoda-towered Sing Fat and Sing Chong buildings are at California/Grant.



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These cards look east from above Grant, showing cable cars on California and the Sing Fat / Sing Chong buildings. A Bay Bridge tower peeks out in the Piltz and Smith News cards.



Steve's SF postcard pages: