The San Francisco call., 1909-09-25
MERCHANTS Want
THE HILLS GRADED
Better Approaches TO All
Wharves Will Greatly Aid
Real Estate Values
Two Projects That Viii ADJ
vance City Property and
Improve This Port


these in Importance is the Beale street
grading between Folsom and Bryant
streets In the. last week the Mer-
chants association, which has been
urging vigorously that accessible short
lines OF travel shall be opened up to
the Mail dock section from the bust
ness and manufacturing center of the
city, has supplemented its earlier ad-
Nocacy OF the measure by a pamphlet,
in which there is contained a diagram
that shows three wharves in existence,
and three others TO be constructed, the
efficiency OF which depends In large
degree on the grade
zone of the strongest recommenda-
tions,' the association sets forth in the
pamphlet, lis the probability that it
will lead by rapid Developments to the
cutting away of Rinconi hill, which
stands s an obstruction in the center
OF the industrial section OF city with
out enough fat land
BECOMES WHOLESALE CENTER
Before the fire of 1906 the section of
the city that will be most affected by
The grading of Beale street was the
scene of large real estate deals. The
location of railway terminals in close
touch with the wholesale center of the
city, as it was then outlined, in which
work the Santa Fe was a pioneer
when il secured the Spear street en-
trance to the city. stimulated the con-
struction Of warehouses and factory
buildings. Observers can remember
that 20 years ago there were prac-
iically no wholesale houses south of
Market street, but that the section had
a large nucleus for factory section
The change TO the wholesale aspect of
the case was relatively slow for long
time, and did not get its strong head
way until the real estate movement in
1904, 1905 and 1906 Mission street
became a great business thoroughfare,
lined with handsome, modern business
structures in a compa ratively short
time. and streets below Mission took
on the character of large business
thoroughfares in futurity. with values
on the rise by reason of their pros
pective use. Then came the 1906 con-
Migration All the handsome resi-
dences of Rincon hill and all hope that
the once aristocratic section would
ever possess large residential values
again We're swept away by the leveling
fires. Since that period the entire sec
ton has been viewed with great in
terest by sharp judges of the city's
industrial future.
APPROVED BY MERCHANTS
In its pamphlet the Merchants as
sociation enforces the industrial point
of view as follows
A number of large firms think IA
vorably of locating permanently on
BeaIe street If the grade is lowered
how q =
expressed a desire to do so require space
aggregating 411,0OO square feet A
canvass of the situation by real es-
tate expert discloses a demand for
about 100000 square feet more for
smaller concerns, conditional only on
the execution of this work. Property
on Beale street between Folsom and
Bryant is of comparatively little value
now. but will be in strong demand if
the grade is lowered. The extension
of East street. the seawall and the
Belt Line railroad should make this
one of the liveliest industrial sections
of the city. OF the present con-
dition of property In that neighbor-
hood. one firm writes to the associa-
tion:
We are doing business ourselves on
Beale street in what, before the fire,
was one of the most active centers
for the wholesale business in hard
q
This property is very depressed and
hereabouts there is very little build
ing. The reason is lack of connection
with rail and water. We hope that
the parties doing business in this dis
trict as well as the property owners.
viii get together and we whl be glad
10 join them and see that this work
Is carried out
UPHELD BY CITY ENGINEER
The Merchants association also pub
Manson as follows.
This matter has been investigated
and il has been found desirable to
change the grades as given in the an
enable the railroads now reaching the
section of the city south of Brannan
street to reach the important distrib-
uting points along Beale street as far
beginning of a much desired improve
ment by bringing into use the very
extended area covering some one and
a half square miles west of Rincon
hill and as far north as Nineteenth
street. For these reasons and those
set forth an the petition of the Mer-
chants association, the changes indi-
Gated in the annexed schedule are rec
commended.
WILL BECOME GREAT PORT
The obvious destiny of San Francisco
in becoming a great commercial port
with the opening of the Panama canal,
which will make it possible to move
sea freights between many ports of the
world in much less time than has
been possible heretofore, has added a
large> interest to all the water front
and Immediately adjoining lands in San
Francisco. In this connection one of
the interesting happenings of the week
has been the tying up by large cor
porations of seawall lots for their ex-
elusive uses by the payment of ad-
vance rentals. The Southern Pacific
company pays S117.000 for 25 year
leases of seawall lots % and "a. near
the Pacific Mail docks, at the foot of
Second street. The Southern Pacific
company has agreed to pay half of the
additional cost of. dredging Channel
street.
The Western Pacific company has Sc
cured space temporarily on Main street
wharf to handle material to be used in
the construction of pier "a to be used
by the company. Plans have been
adopted for a pier at the foot of Fourth
street to be used by the Santa Fe
railroad company.
The enlargement of the water front
facilities for handling commerce and
the part that the great transportation
lines are playing and are preparing to
play on the water front. say wise real
estate men. are significant in connec-
ton with all possible warehouse sites.
factory sites and sites for wholesale
hr,ofroo< houses in fha so1lf h ga sf ern