The San Francisco call., 1910-01-22
STEADY PROGRESS
IN BIG DISTRICT
North Beach Section Shows
Solid Improvement and
Wins Back Business
By ]. w. CHASER,
President North Stockton Street Merchants
Association.

Association.
Almost. Immediately after the great
fire Of 1906, men who had been engaged
in doing business on the north part
of Stockton street hastened to resume.
AS soon as possible they had either
temporary or permanent quarters pro-
vided and, soon after, they had numer-
Gus customers to serve, for the popu-
lation al large had in mind the same
idea that actuated the businessmen,
that is, that this is fine part of the
city in which to locate Experience
during a period of something more
than three years has proved to the sat
isfaction of all concerned that they
were not mistaken in this opinion.
The people rebuilt their homes with
great promptness and built houses bet
ter than those they had occupied be-
fore. The buildings erected for busi-
ness purposes are also of a better
class, as BELTS the new order of things
in San Francisco. Not only Stockton
street, but also all the other streets in
this section where there has been store
business before the great fire, were
prompt in getting ready to hold their
trade and to get new trade.
MEET NEW CONDITIONS
From the top of Mob hill, where the
Fairmont hotel is situated to the top
of Telegraph hill, and from one end
TO the other OF what is known as the
North beach district, with the excep-
tion of certain elevated hill streets,
there was general move TO meet the
new conditions. Each builder has en-
coura ged his neighbor and this dis
trict now has thousands of buildings
that have been created in a period of
less than four years The district
north of Broadway, all the way over
to North beach. has been practically
rebuilt There are openings here and
there that have not been improved,
but these are comparatively few The
vacancies will all be filed up in the
next few months, at least north of
Broadway.
South of there on the business
streets. the progress has been good and
rehabilitation has been accomplished
completely in some blocks On the
hills south of Broadway the conditions
are somewhat more difficult to meet at
once The Improvement there, when
once the movement fairly begins on a
large scale, will without question be
continuous. The part of North beach
that has been rehabilitated is more
populous than ever before, in my opin-
ion. The houses are larger than the
old ones and can accommodate more
families Where we have not spread
out we have built higher. In the long
run there will be many more people
living in the North beach neighbor-
hood than there ever were before the
fire of 1906.
MANY NEW BUILDINGS
All causes are favorable to the con-
tinued and increasing prosperity of this
portion of San Francisco. One who
North beach region
will see that west of Telegraph hill
there are many manufactures, some Of
them of large size and Importance, of
which all, or practically all. are new
comers-all, since the fire. The section
along the water front and at the foot
of Telegraph hill was given over to
manufacturing to some extent before
1906. The manufacturing advantages
remained after the fire, and, as matter
of fact the conditions will continue TO
be better for manufacturing on the San
Francisco water front and near to it.
There is room for more spur tracks and
for more factories.
Some time ago the North Stockton
street merchants association was or
ganized to benefit the North beach sec
tion. The paving of streets, providing
electroliers for the better illumina tion
of the business streets and other work
of that sort were selected by our asso-
citation as it's first field of operations
1t is well known that much has been
done. More remains TO be done. We de-
sire to have all people know that the
North Stockton street merchants asso-
citation is not political organization in
any sense of the word, but is a comb-
nation of businessmen and property
owners who are cooperating for ma
terial improvements such as we can Sc
cure.
The people here have not relied upon
the supervisors to do all things for
them. The electroliers, for instance
have been paid for by the members OF
our association. I am one of those who
believe that all the North beach region
will steadily improve and that it will
be prosperous that real estate values
will advance and that the population
! which is of an industrious and bust
ness like sort, will make this a noted
portion of San Francisco. such as it was
before April, 1906. and that 1t will beat
| a II DreViOuS records of growth