What San Francisco Looked like in the 1910s: Exploring the City’s History through Amazing Historic Photos

In the 1910s, San Francisco was all about bouncing back and growing stronger after the huge earthquake and fires of 1906. This time was all about the city coming together to rebuild everything from buildings to the community’s spirit. Thanks to everyone’s hard work, San Francisco started to shine again as a big and important city in America.

Right after the disaster, San Francisco was busy with construction and getting its economy moving again. The city improved its infrastructure a lot, making sure new buildings were safer and could stand up to earthquakes in the future. The new Civic Center, with its government buildings and the new City Hall, was a big symbol of the city’s comeback. The Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915 was a huge deal, showing off San Francisco’s recovery to the whole world. It brought in millions of visitors and put the city back on the map as a cultural and business hub.

The Big Fair of 1915

The 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world fair that celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal and San Francisco’s comeback from the 1906 earthquake. The fair covered a huge area and had amazing buildings like the Palace of Fine Arts. It was a key moment for the city, boosting the economy and lifting everyone’s spirits. The fair was all about showing off new technology, cultural displays, and art, and it brought over 18 million people to the city.

A Time of Cultural Growth and Social Change

The 1910s were also a great time for culture in San Francisco. The arts, literature, and music scenes were thriving, helped by the city’s diverse population. Neighborhoods like Chinatown, North Beach, and the Mission District were lively places full of different cultures, foods, and social life. This decade also saw important social changes, like women in California getting the right to vote in 1911, before the rest of the country. There were also a lot of labor movements and strikes, showing that not everything was perfect in the city’s recovery.

World War I Changes Things

While the decade was mostly about growth and development, World War I starting in 1914 brought new challenges. San Francisco became an important place for sending troops and supplies for the war, showing its military importance. The war affected the city’s European immigrant communities and changed some of the city’s focus for a while.

The 1910s were big for technological progress in San Francisco, especially in transportation. The opening of the Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1918 made it easier to travel across the city and helped San Francisco grow even more. Cars started to change the city, too, leading to new roads and plans for future bridges like the famous Golden Gate Bridge.

#1 Union Square, circa 1910.

2 Points

Upvote Downvote

#2 Ferry Building, San Francisco, California, circa 1915.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#3 Ocean Beach, 1914.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#4 Market Street in the 1910s.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#5 Intersection of Market Street and Grant Avenue, circa 1914.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#6 Ferry Building, 1915.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#7 Post Street, east of Kearny, 1911.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#8 Parade along Market Street, 1918.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#9 The Turf concert hall on the corner of Montgomery and Pacific streets in the Barbary Coast district, early 20th century.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#10 Market Street east of Second Street, 1915.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#11 Streetcars in front of the Ferry Building in the 1910s.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#12 Ferry Building at night, starting from 1917.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#13 C. R. Lawson inspecting a damaged storefront at 614 Clay Street, 1926.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#14 Liberty Bell parade in Civic Center, November 1915.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#15 Busy nighttime street scene on Pacific Street in the Barbary Coast district, 1913.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#16 Market near Powell Street in the 1910s.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#17 Ferry Building, June 1914.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#18 Geary near Mason Street, circa 1910.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#19 Kearny & Broadway, 1910.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#20 Fillmore Street between Pine and California, looking south, September 1911.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#21 West of Broderick Street on Sacramento Street looking East, February 1913.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#22 Ocean Beach, 1910.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#23 Bush Street looking west from Polk, 1919.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#24 Pete Rielly and Eddie Campi selling newspapers in front of Abraham’s Pharmacy, 1198 McAllister Street, at Fillmore, 1909.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#25 Market Street, June 29, 1918.

1 Point

Upvote Downvote

#26 Market Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#27 Pioneer Monument, looking south from City Hall Avenue, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#28 Armistice Day celebrations at Market and 6th Street, 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#29 Corner of Market near Powell Street, 1916.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#30 Market at Post Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#31 East on Market from 4th Street, early 20th century.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#32 Sacramento Street, looking west, July 3, 1905.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#33 Market at Third Street, August 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#34 Spectators watching a hot air balloon at the Civic Center in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#35 Ship docked at Pier 41, July 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#36 Market Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#37 View of San Francisco Waterfront from Telegraph Hill in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#38 View of San Francisco waterfront from Telegraph Hill, 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#39 Aerial view of Market Street, 1911.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#40 County Jail, Broadway, April 2, 1906.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#41 Clay Street at Steiner, December 23, 1919.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#42 Crowd at unknown event in Union Square, circa 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#43 Ferry Building, circa 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#44 Ocean Beach Esplanade, in the late 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#45 View of downtown from Pine and Montgomery Street, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#46 O’Farrell Street east of Stockton, early 20th century.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#47 Market between 17th and Castro Streets, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#48 Grant Avenue near Post Street, circa 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#49 500 block of Pacific Street in the Barbary Coast district, mid-1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#50 Intersection of Sutter, Sansome, and Market Streets, March 28, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#51 Fillmore Street, looking north to Sutter Street, circa 1916.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#52 Presidio and California Street, looking west, September 11, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#53 Exterior of the Hippodrome nightclub on Pacific Street in the Barbary Coast district, early 20th century.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#54 Montgomery and Market Street, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#55 Ferry Building, circa 1915.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#56 O’Farrell Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#57 Nightclubs on Pacific Street in the Barbary Coast district, circa 1909.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#58 North east corner of Sacramento and Montgomery Street, April 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#59 Geary near Stockton Street, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#60 The Channel – San Francisco Harbor, California, 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#61 Market Street, 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#62 Montgomery and Clay Street, July 25, 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#63 Howard Street Terminus at Ferry, looking north, December 30, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#64 View of Grant Avenue looking north from O’Farrell Street, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#65 An outdoor dance production in Berkeley, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#66 Columbus Avenue in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#67 View of Ferry Building from the bay, June 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#68 California Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#69 Vehicles parked in front of the Ferry Building in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#70 Volunteers Monument on Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, early 20th century.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#71 Lombard Street, December 22, 1919.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#72 San Francisco waterfront east of 16th Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#73 Market and Sansome Street, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#74 Market Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#75 Union Square, circa 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#76 Bush Street between Grant Avenue and Kearny, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#77 Kearny Street, north from Market Street, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#78 Main Library, between 1917 and 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#79 Montgomery Street near Market in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#80 Kearny Street, north from Market Street, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#81 I. Magnin’s department store on Geary Street from Grant Avenue, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#82 Market Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#83 Fillmore and Union streets, looking north, December 30, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#84 Civic Center, 1913.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#85 Pedestrians crossing Kearny Street at Market, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#86 Truck going up Fillmore Street hill in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#87 Market at 8th Street, 1913.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#88 Mission Street at 18th, 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#89 View of San Francisco waterfront from the bay in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#90 Bush Street between Grant Avenue and Kearny in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#91 Streetcars in front of the Ferry Building, 1915.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#92 Haight and Baker streets, looking west,1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#93 Railroad tracks on seawall at foot of Beale Street, near Pier 34, 1911.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#94 Market Street in the mid-1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#95 Market at Sanchez Street in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#96 View of the Ferry Building from the bay, circa 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#97 Ocean Beach surf, 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#98 Post Street, looking west from Kearny, in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#99 Geary between Stockton and Powell Street, 1914.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#100 Verona Hotel at the corner of Third between Verona and Folsom streets, 1919.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#101 Horse-drawn carriages in front of the Ferry Building, circa 1915.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#102 Exterior view of Main Library in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#103 Side view of Main Library exterior in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#104 Exterior view of Main Library in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#105 Broadway in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#106 Stockton and O’Farrell streets, circa 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#107 Ferry Building, August 1911.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#108 Naval landing at Third and Berry streets in the 1910s.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#109 San Francisco waterfront, December 1910.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#110 View of McAllister Street from the roof of John Swett School, 1912.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote

#111 Corner of Post Street and Grant Avenue, 1918.

0 Points

Upvote Downvote