The San Francisco call., 1910-02-19
WAREHOUSE SITES
BEING PREPARED
LeveIing Process Continues on
RinCon Hill Under Demand
for Ground Space

10 ID DIMINISHING the extent OF
famous Rincon hi1 in the southern part
OF the city, east OF Third street. has
now reached the stage OF individual
action Owners of elevated lots have
been eXcsvating and cutting down their
holdings TO depth that makes them
Immediately available for warehouse
SITES or for manufacturing uses or
Nnoiessling. Second street is al pres-
enI the scene Of enterprises OF this
sort In two places large works are
now under way. Ledges have been cut
down al considerab bic cost, because the
owners have come TO the conclusion
that the time has about arrived when
their lots viii be in demand with the
enlargement OF terminal facilities in
the neighbcrhood and the increasing
pressure for more ground space
Ihe general scheme involved is of
such size that il becomes a subject
OF more than neighborhood interest. In
TACT ii involves. before il shall be COM
pleteo. practically the reduction of all
the territory from East street TO Third.
southwark from Howard, TO a level that
VIII be available for the uses Of rail-
roads, Of heavy teaming and for ware
housing on 8 great scale. There is no
development in San Francisco now in
progress that is Of equal interest. Not
only is the city's topography to under
so transformation. but radical change
IN the ability Of the city TO meet all
the great business that is sure to come
10 Il viii be effected.
Attention was called last week to the
striking fact that the operations Of the
state board OF harbor commissioners
in the creation Of the seawalI extern
sion viii give San Francisco 20 acres
or water front or seawan lots, which
Wlll bring in. eventually. enough reVe-
nue. 10 make san Francisco a free port
Attention is directed now 10 the steady
demolition Of Rincon ilil. as a hill by
piecemeal. in which work the munich
pality has led the way. The present
board Of supervisors. so il is reported,
viii listen to plan for the removal of
the crest of the hill. This project has
been discussed for some time and some
hackers Of il have been active of late
CREST NEARLY GONE
OF the crest conpa rativeIy little re-
mains. The southerly line Of the hill
is now Bryant street. the easterly
boundary Spear street and the westerly
verge Of the hill is between Second and
Third streets Beaie street viii soon
hc leveled down TO the base line. Next
10 that street is Main street. also to
be leveled if the men back Of the
project can make il operative by means
or the board Of supervisors. That viii
leave only a very short distance from
Beale TO Third street TO be cut down to
make OF the area between Third and
East streets or such parts Of it as can
be made useful, practically a plain
Thereon will be enacted a great com
mercial drama involving the construc-
tiOn Of numerous costly warehouses and
other buildings accessory to commerce
that VIII represent millions of dollars
in invested.ca pital and many more mil
lions in operation.
plants and the like there are no struc-
lures Of any considerable cost any,
where on what remains OF Rincon hill
Some Of the manufacturing is carried
on where costly dwellings of the old
time stood before the fire of 1906
Where there were cheap wooden houses
before 1906 there are buildings of a
low cost still, with the exception of the
warehouses and the like that have been
constructed. What is true of Mission
and Howard streets in their relation to
The residential part of san Francisco
south of Market street is equally true
q the other main north and south
streets of the entire section south of
Market to the bay. as far westward AS
Third street Real estate men say
that the smaller streets Of the region
viii be for the homes Of people who
are employed in the industrial pursuits
of that part OF the city and that all the /
I16 IN streets VIII be covered from !
end TO the other within the limit of /
some western boundary, possibly beyond |
Third street, with high cost industrial |
structures that viii give employment |
20 thousands
The way in which the demolition of |
RincOn hill so far as il has been ac- !
complished, has been carried on. fol /
lows out the most natural course. Sec
ond street was cut through as one of 1
the first moves south OF Folsom street |
This left heights on either side that 1
were useless for ordinary purposes, ex-
cept for occupation home sites, TO /
be res ched by long flights of stairs +
over Second street, at the crossing, was 1
thrown q bridge. The streets on the (
east Of the district near to the water /
front were leveled long before to give
room for the business houses and man
ufsctories that found great advantage /
in nearness to the wharVes. The San
Ia Fe railway brought about the grad
ing Of Spear street. which soon became
lined with warehouses. From Bryant
street southwark the business pressure
caused the hill TO be cut down more or /
less and the south frontage Of the hill /
for some blocks was converted into an /
almost perpendicular bluff. below which !
were the Pacific Mail dock. few other /
docks and wharves and large lumber |
"a rds and the natural accompa niments
OF the neighborhood in the shape of |
small buildings that were occupied as
saloons, as stables. Offices and so on
The cutting through of streets at
much less elevation than the original
grades has left heights comparatively
isolated. In course Of time The own
ers. as property has become more valu-
able. cut down their holdings to make
them easily accessible from the street
and 10 1T them for valuable building
sites The entire southern frontage of /
what remains Of Rincon hill is faced
bt the bay Whsrves, spur tracks, ware
houses and terminals. North of the
hin is q great array of business which
viii press for accommodations south
ward to be near the trsnscontinental
terminals and the extension of the state
belt line railway Millions of dollars
will be added to the value of the
south Of Market street section ulti-
mately by the changes in the eondi-
tions since the fire and those conditions
10 arise in the near future.
More persons are studying the San
Francisco water front now than at any
preceding time since the real estate
boom OF 1905 and 1906. Many transfers
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