The San Francisco call., 1909-11-06
MARKET, MISSION
AND HOWARD LEAD
Long, Level and Reaching the
Water Front, They Are
Ideal for Business

OF development The term OF arteries
is: applied 10 these streets because of
-their great length and because they
serve as feeders 10 such a great terri
story. Market street stands pre-eminent
- the principal business artery of San
francisco. South Of this there are two
great parallel streets, Mission and
Howard. which by easy grales are in
ssured' for ali time as being either
second 10 or equal in Importance to
Market street.
There are no other business streets in
san Francisco that equal in length the
shree mentioned Each possesses the
common Characteristic Of being prac-
ftcaIly. level. each has its eastern ter
gninus on the bay Of San Francisco,
each is traversed by an electric rail-
SVsy nd the roadways Of each outside
Of the railroad track are sufficiently
wide for the passage Of teams.
- Not long ago in these columns some
account was given Of the present con
dition Of Market street. with mention
~ it's principal buildings and illusions
o the comparatively few vacant lots
remaining uncovered by buildings.
Market street so far as its present
business area extends. is practically ali
retail. banking and hotels. The whole
sale business is very little in evidence.
<or reasons which have been previously
mentioned Practically the entire for
ner wholesale section of Market street
toward the water front has been taken
sfp by retail trade. this movement hav-
ing been stimulated by the opportunity
FOR securing transient trade incidental
fe the passing backward and forward
s7f many thousands of suburban dwell
srs who come and go daily by the
ferries between San Francisco ana
Alameda and Marin counties.
BUSINESS REPLACES HOMES
Z. An inspection has been made of both
Howard and Mission streets so that ae-
curate information mis- ght be given con-
.~erning the present aspect and develop
ment of those two very important
.noroughfares. South of Howard street
are Folsom Harrison and other long
Streets. which are practically parallel
- the two that are made subjects OF
sais article. but the grades on them
are too steep 10 permit them 10 take
on the same characteristics that per
.~iai1 te Howard and Mission streets Tor
"a responding length.
= Il is possible TO team the heaviest
s,.ad the entire length of either Howard
or Mission street, out TO where in the
Mission district the business area ends
asl this regard they are on even terms
kufI were Formerly pOpNAdAFA NNA9
largely in houses that had stood there
81. a long period of years. These
streets and the intersecting streets
were filled up by small frame structures
over Z great part of their area in which
many thousands OF people found homes
Aow between the water front on East
street and Seventh street on both How
ard and Mission single dwelling houses
re~unknown. with so few exceptions as
almost universal
solid business blocks have taken
their places. with a few hotels inter-
spersed. There is no indication of the
construction Of small houses on either
street anywhere between East street
water front and Seventh street. The
signs that are placed on properties 10
indicate that they are for sale or 20
lease: in the case Of unoccupfed lots
are those Of large brokerage houses
used to dealing extensively I'm business
holdings In the entire length and
breadth Of the city there is nothing
more striking in the contrast between
the past and present conditions, and
those that are plainly indicated for the
failure than is visible along Howard
and Mission.
HIGH CLASS STRUCTURES
Intersecting Howard and Mission
streets, downtown, are splendid streets
that are given over almost exclusive
~ 10 business. The structures that
house the many business and manu-
featuring enterprises that are repre-
scented are mainly Of high class con-
StriIction. with steel frames and brick
exterior. or OF reinforced concrete. The
Fhscks that. were constructed imu1e
diately after the fire have almost en-
firelv disappeared. There are some
srlendid business corners that are still
.cI, nd
Of these in the area mentioned has a
distinctive business character. They
are held for good prices simply be-
cause the wholesale clearing away OF
chesp shacks has made obvious to all
businessmen and manufacturers the
possibility of creating a manufacturing
and business district, in a compact
area. such as san Francisco has never
possessed hitherto.
The ferries. transport dock, the
wharves and all The promise of bust
ness contained in the water front lie
Just across the street from the east
ern terminals of both Howard and
Mission. South Of them, soon TO be
made accessible by the grading Of
eseale street, are the docks Of the
China steamers. the bay shore freight
terminals Of the Santa Fe railway, the
possible railway extensions of the
r
gnanufacturing sites.
The lower part of Howard street is
close TO q lumber yard section and
some Of the lumber yards are on that
street On the northwest corner of
Steuart and Howard streets is the two
story brick Peninsula warehouse, with
p large frontage on both streets. This
IS adIoined on the west by a large lum-
Der Yard, and directly across the street
is another large lumber yard that oc-
cupies the ground up to the corner of
Steaart street On the southwest cor
ner OF spear and Howard streets is
splendid five story brick building oc-
piedfby J. A. Folger & Co., which oc-
cupies an extensive ground area.
81 alone takes up practically one half
Of block in the south line of Howard
street and about the same frontage in
She west line of Spear street. Next TO
che Folger building in Howard street
are two three story permanent brick
structures which contain bolt works
and FIRE extinguisher works.
FEW VACANT LOTS
Opposite to the Folger building on
the north line of Howard street are
an electric works and a sail loft. There
are only two or three vacant lots in
his Immediate vicinity On the north