The San Francisco call., 1906-05-12
.OLD-TIME HOUSES
STAND THE SHOCK
LIKE HARD ROCK
NOntgOmeryBlOCk
a Monument Of
SOlidity.
Marine Hos pit /,
Condemned
Once, Erect.

One OF the buildings reared in the early
days and built to stay, is the Montgomery
block on the east side of Montgomery
street between Washington and Merchant.
1t was begun in 1852 and finished in De-
eember, 1858, for the pioneer law firm of
Halleck, PeSchy, Billings & Parke 1t
was built under the supervision Of Gen.
eraI ID. w. Halleck, who, when he came
to this coast, was connected with the en-
gineer corps Of the United States army.
The best burned and pressed brick were
used In the construction and these were
laid In the best cement, which accounts
for their having withstood the greater
and minor shocks without injury. The
only damage by the recent heavy shock
was the breaking away Of part Of the
eastern frewall.
This building, which, at the time it
was finished, was the largest in the State
OF California, stands to-day monument
OF sohdity, tribute TO the masons and
bricklayers that put it up.
In the immediate vicinity are two more
historic buildings that withstood the
shock and we're not burned. One is the
brick house at sos Washington street,
built as warehouse and running through
to Jackson. The lower floor Of this, in
1859, was occupied by the Clipper restau-
rant, the then largest in the city, having
seating capacity Of 400. The other
structure is the Frank building, at the
northwest corner of Sansome and Wash
ington streets, built by Thomas J. A.
Chambers, one Of the best known gam
blers of early days and owner of the Ell
Dorado gambling house at the southeast
corner Of Washington and Kearny streets.
When the Flank building was opened as
an Office building it was called the Gov
ernment building.
Another prominent building that
stands, despite the fact that it has been
twice severely shaken by earthquakes, is
the Sailors Home on Rineon Point. In
1868 this large four-story building, then
the United States Marine Hospital, was
cracked in several places. A United
States board Of survey made an examina-
ton and pronounced it "unsafs" and
upon this report the government aban-
doned it and erected the hospital now on
the border Of Mountain Lake, on the
Preside reservation. At this time an
examination of the building exteriorily
reveals only the small old cracks that
were visible on October 21, 1868, for
these walls were never repaired. In the
interior, however, number of the one
brick partition walls are damaged and If
the Sailors Home is to be continued these
viii have TO be repaired.
This old time building, put up on
ground donated by the city of San Fran
cisco to the United States government,
was erected during the administration Of
Franklin Pierce as President. r. p.
Hammond and Samuel J. Bridge were the
building commissioners; Ruben Clark,
superintendent of construction, and Chas.
Homer, builder. It cost little more
than a quarter of a million and when the
building Was turned over to the govern
ment there remained for the United
States $4,000 of the appropriation unex-
pended, probably the only instance Of a
public building costing less than the
original amount appropriated.
South Park, between Second, Third,
Bryant and Brannan streets, one Of the
historical spots Of this city, is SO com
pletely obliterated that it is impossible
to discover the lines. The spot was set
Oul 1OI epCC4dA 1cc4OcACo r1tc Dy ".
Gordon, the builder Of the first sugar re-
fnery in San Francisco. He had an i'm
mense elliptical space laid out for park
purpose and a stipulation In the deed Of
sale TO property fronting on this park
was that buildings should be two stories
in height, of brick, and uniform In ap-
pearance. A number Of such were erect
ed, but the protector did not live to see
his pet plan carried out and it nevers-Nas
carried out as originally intended. This
park is historical in that In 1855, the
members of the French Colony, then very
numerous, held a celebration there in
honor of the victory Of the allies in the
Crimean War, which eliminated in the
fall of the Tower Of Malakoff. A feature
of the celebration was an immense tent
in which banquet was served to 5000