Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-04-29
A New San Francisco

eral are near completion. like the Mer
chants Exchange building. while 9th
ers, like the Flood building and the
new Chronicle and the Mutual Savings
bank buildings, are now occupied and
practically completed.
The work of reconstruction of these
Glass A buildings has been very heavy,
as most of the exterior stone had to be
replaced. On the St Francis hotel
about one-third of the stone facing
was removed and about an equal
amount of the Shreve building. The
outer walls of the Merchants En-
change building were practically re-
built. and the same process will be
necessary with the Mills building 1t
is a curious fact that granite suffered
more than any other stone from the
heat. The fine granite COrinthian pill
| lars on the Hibernia bank. the most
! beautiful in the city, were scaled off
! by the heat and practically ruined.
| All the granite curbings of the side
walks We're Clipped off by the heat.
Before the fire San Francisco had
more hotels and lodging houses to the
population than any city Of its size in
the country After the fire Insny apart
ment houses beyond the fire line were
converted into hotels, but inside the
| burned district at least a score of ho-
tells are rapidly approaching compile
ton. while three apartment hotels have
been opened. The new hotel district
promises to be between Van Ness and
| Powell streets and Post and Market
streets. In this district, which was
formerly given up largely to apart
ment houses and private residences,
| many large hotels have been begun,
| and half dozen are nearing compile
ton. none containing less than 40
rooms The new Palace hotel will be
an enormous structure on the site Of
the old hotel, but it will require two
years to complete it. There are prob
ably more restaurants in the city now
than before the fire. as the great num-
Der of men employed in rebuilding
must be fed and lodged near the scene
of their labors.
The tendency of business is TO seek
the old quarters occupied before the
fire. The real estate and banking
houses have gone back to their old
sites, and this has carried all allied
business to Montgomery and SanSome
streets Kearney street promises to
become one OF the great retail streets
as it was before the fire. but Posi-
street and Grant avenue will he i'm
proved. All the streets running from
Market up to Van Ness south of SUIT
ter street will he devoted entirely tC
business and hotels and apartment
houses. as under the fire regulations il
will be impossible to build in this dis
trict in wood. The old Mob Hill dis
trict promises TO be rebuilt largely witt
apartment houses and hotels.
Chinatown. which it was suggested
before the fire should he removed t.
the POtrero is back in its location, thu
Chinese merchants surprising thei
, white rivals in the energy with whicl
, they have restored their business
, places.
To sum up. it may he said that b!
another anniversary of the disaste
> more than half of the burned distric
will he covered with permanent build
ings, and five years will see it com
pletely restored. Portions of the resi-
dence district will he rehabilitatef
more slowly unless the fire ordinance
are relaxed. for it will he impossible t
: get returns from brick buildings 70
! residences on such streets as Powell
Mason. Taylor. Jones and Leavenwortl
: from Bush to Suffer.
t The main feature of building is tn
! large use of REINFORCED concrete, whic
= before the fire was barred by the labo
p unions. The latter attempted to pre-
I vent the use of concrete after the fire
but they found that public sentimen
: was against them.