The San Francisco call., 1909-11-13
RETAILERS LOCATE
IN MARKET STREET
Building Improvements Planned
for the Lower Part of City's
Main ThOrOughfare S


OF building improvements in the near
future. A cluster OF substantiaI bui1d-
1 lngS' the collective cost of which will
prooably exceed half a million dollars.
/ VIII be constructed on vacant lots oc-
| cupy1ng slightly and eligible corners.
I and also In the middle of blocks. Resi-
uehts nave been so used to seeing high
! Iehces In Market street in the lower
/ section that the condition OF the street
/ there has seeme1 TO be that Of beins.
/ much more solidly built I'D than UouId
/ appear to strangers
one structure to be erected for the
I h h thompson estate has reached the
sease OF the contract for the prelim-
mary work This is on a corner at
Fremont and Market streets. directly
I opposite the :. & III. Iachuan
OulldlnS. which will stand at the south
west corner of Fremont and Market
streets, covering an entire so vara. The
thompson estate building was pictured
\ In this paper when the plans uere
made, as well as the Dorm building.
/ The two structures alone will cost
( largely in excess OF 100000. and there
are others to be constructed Concern
! Ing which no definite plans have been
made.
To the observer lower Market street
would seem to be entering into fts
second stage of large constructions
since the fire. This is not due to the
/ order calling for the demolishing of the
| temporary structures within given
time for the new buildings are on lots
that have remained vacant since 1905.
Lhey Will stop up large gaps and make
the appearance of the thOrOuahfare.
correspond to the portion where calf
rrnla and Market streets run together.
and where there is splendid construc-
ton that would do credit to any part
of the city.
The new building enterprises and es-
pecially the announcement connected
with the Lachman building that it
| would contain nine stores would seem
to indicate that the establishment of a.
retail section between New MontrOm-
cry street and the ferries has been an
proved by experience in the last three
years 1t is probable that the nine
Lachman stores will all be occupied as
retail establishments. paying rentals in
| proportion to the business situation oc-
cupled by them From what can be
learned the other structures 10 be
erected in lower Market street will also
contain handsome stores adaptable. for
retail uses.
Another sign Of the changing OF
Market street to an almost exclusively
retail thOrOughfare, from one end OF
the developed business area to the
other end. is the creation of so much
of retail business in the new Palace
hotel structure. The old Palace spaces
were mainly occupied by transpOrta
tion companies and tourist agencies.
All signs therefore point to the per
manency of retailing on a large scale
in Market street. The appearance OF
the thOroughfare has been improved bv
the much handsomer fronts that are
given to retail stores as compared with
those OF the former wholesale estab-
llshmentS OF the old type. Progress is
being made on new building in Mar
ket street close to East. which will ex-
tend through to Steuart street from
Market.
The occupation of Market street bv
retail houses unquestiOnably strength
ems the position of Mission and How
ard streets as wholesale centers. as the
headquarters Of manufacturers agents
and centers of manufacturing estab-
lisiment supplies. for, as has been
pointed out, they are the most eligible
streets of great length in San Fran
cisco for such uses, and one side of
Mission street is particularly favored
in having large lots that run through
TO back street, giving two frOntages
Agents who have the renting OF new
buildings to be constructed report that
there ought to be little difficulty In
leasing retail stores in lower RIarket
street. Probably by the time the struc-
lures for the vacant lots are under
way all owners of temporary struc-
lures or shacks in the city's principal
thoroughfare will have been notified
to take action to clear the ground
without delay. The growth of the
retail section makes incomes more GER
tain In lower Market street than tbe,-
were and it is expected that the
Shacks viii be replaced by structures
or brick and steel Of a permanent sort
so that in less than five years from
the time of the great fire Market street
from one terminal TO the western
boundary of the business area will be
much more imposing than 1t ever has
been.
Additional contracts will soon ba
placed for structures in the region
north of Market street in the heart or
the old wholesale house sectidA and
where the fruit and vegetable commits
sion houses have been intrenchkd for
several decades. In accord with the
statements made by the real estate
brokers that all the signs are favor
able for much better times in realty
is the fact that the wholesale and re-
tail houses in San Francisco dealing
particularly in builders hardware are
buster than they have been at any time
in years. There Is a demand for all
sorts of Structural hardware The
higher classes OF such goods are re-
quired In scores of fats and apart
ment houses that are in construction
or that are to be erected in the near
future. More stable conditions have
been brought about in the building
trade by an understanding which has
been reached concerning the base price
of nails.
For some time an agreement existed
among the retail dealers in nails 10
maintain prices. but il was said that
these prices were continually broken
and contractors and others who were
purchasers were unable to figure
sharply in making estimates for struc-
lures which they were given an Oppor-
tunity to erect The warfare finally
reached an acute edge IL was re-
ported that a leading building hard
ware house sent out an arbitrary an
nouncement which brought things to
crisis. 1t was also reported that a
great nail manufacturing house in the
east which controls certain line OF
nails that are largely used gave notice
that it would not sell any more Of its
goods to any retailer who was found
TO be cutting the base price of their
~oodS This notice. SO il - said had a