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Essay Subject: History & development. Discovery of gold, industry, planning, leadership landmarks, transportation, earthquake, bridges, neighborhoods.... More...

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Paper Abstract: History & development. Discovery of gold, industry, planning, leadership landmarks, transportation, earthquake, bridges, neighborhoods. Paper Introduction: San Francisco, considered the "jewel by the bay," and the "gateway to the Orient," has had a colorful and often times tragic history. Until 1848, however, it was just a sleepy outpost on the West Coast, home to an eclectic group of people. Then came the word that gold had been found in the foothills surrounding the Sacramento River known eventually as the Mother Lode and life would forever change. The purpose of this paper is to research and discuss the development of San Francisco after the gold rush. Included in this review will be an indepth look at the environmental, economic and cultural factors that have gone into the layout, structure and design of the city through the years. Located on the tip of the peninsula that juts out into the Pacific Ocean, creating the San Francisco Bay, the city today is Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 126). M. 4 ). Influenced by Parisiandesign, the center included not only a city hall, but also a civicauditorium, library, state office building, opera house, veterans'building, and federal office building (Cherny, 1981, p. San Francisco: A Monte Rosa Book.Dillon, R. 44). And, in the years that followed, thoughsome consideration was given to this concern, nothing changed. (1959). By 186 , San Francisco had reached the 5 , mark making it thefifteenth largest city in the country and contained a very diversepopulation: "By the time the war ended in 1865, the city's population haddoubled" (Cherny, 1981, p. H. And, though many civic leadersadvocated proceeding along these lines, particularly when it came towidening streets and developing diagonal boulevards, their calls werelargely ignored as individual owners made the key decisions on where andhow they would rebuild (Cherny, 1981, p. H. It was a dusty and windblown, shabby place inhabited byAmericans, Indians, Spanish, Dutch and a few Kanakas from the SandwichIsles along with military and naval personnel (Cole, 1981, p. Today the city is comprised of a colorful variety of communities andneighborhoods ranging from the Haight-Ashbury, to Fisherman's Wharf toNorth Beach. Formany, this planning destroyed the glorious natural promise the environmentprovided. 25). However mighty the city appeared to outsiders, though, the poorbuilding materials used to erect the city quickly would prove to be a deathtrap for many of its citizens. This effort eventually led to the reclaiming of the land byearth--moving machines and soon forty square blocks--much of today'sfinancial district--was reclaimed (Cole, 1981, p. Interestingly enough, though, much of the horror and devastationwas brought about by the more than 5 fires that broke out over the threedays after the quake. The need for bridges had long been obvious. Pushed by the four northern counties demanding thatHighway 1 1 link the state from north to south, San Francisco joined withthem and created the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway District. Built in 1933by private funds, it stands in honor of the city's firemen (Cole, 1981, p.123). Much of this appeal is due little to planning and more to thenatural environment. Having helped buildthe railroad, he was not intimidated by the hills. Rather, fascinated bymachinery, he became particularly interested in the cable car which wasstill considered a novelty (Older, 1961, p. San Francisco, considered the "jewel by the bay," and the "gateway tothe Orient," has had a colorful and often times tragic history. The death and life of great American cities. To begin with, land and wharves were in short supply so the shallowYerba Buena Cove was filled in with "conglomerate layers of cook stoves,boxes of tobacco, Chilean flour, barrels of spoiled beef, rolls of sheetlead, gold-washing machines, tons of wine sieves, discarded clothings (and)a slight covering of earth" (Cole, 1981, p. San Francisco'sfirst mansion was erected here and occupied the entire block betweenWashington and Clay Streets (Older, 1961, p. 126). However, the "City Beautiful" plans were brought to a halt on April18 at a few minutes after 5: a.m. While San Francisco was building itself around the Yerba Buena area,the sandy northwestern part of the Peninsula, called the "Outside Lands,"had been largely ignored (Cole, 1981, p. On January 28, 1873, the cable car undertook itsfirst run, covering an elevation of 3 7 feet. As an example, Union Square, the point many considerto be the city's heart, is a rather dull looking design on paper. 39). South of Market Street were the boarding houses for single menemployed on the waterfront or in the nearby factories and south along thebay were the foundries and slaughterhouses while inland were the homes ofskilled workers and middle-class merchants (Cherny, 1981, p. 1 ). It is also knownas an "earthquake" city, a fact of life that has contributed significantlyto the way San Francisco has developed. 27). However, it was on January 24, 1848, when James Marshall discoveredgold, that the American era began for that is when San Francisco went froma commercial village to an instant city within months. Since the war's end, San Francisco has blossomed as a city with itsunique history, architecture and charm appealing to tourists around theworld. But dueto the changes in ground levels it is given a decidedly unique ambiance, afactor that has benefitted the rest of the city and its naturally charminginterpretation of the boring gridiron street pattern (Jacobs, 1961, p.1 5). Until1848, however, it was just a sleepy outpost on the West Coast, home to aneclectic group of people. However, the Golden Gate International Exposition left adifferent legacy to the city than past fairs. Six years after the earthquake destroyed the old city hall, a bondissue was approved to build a new Civic Center. New York: Modern Library.Thomas, G., & Witts, M. Twenty-eight thousand buildings wererazed, and three-quarters of the city residents lost their homes. And on closer look it appears that eachoccasion was celebrated with a worldwide event. It was during thisperiod, the 187 s, that most of San Francisco's Victorian houses were builtas part of tracts by such companies as the Real Estate Associates, whobuilt over 1, homes in that decade. Constructionof what was for many years the longest suspension bridge in the world beganin 1933 and took over four years to complete, using enough steel wire tocircle the earth three times (Cole, 1981, p. Further,along with Chinatown and the Barbary Coast, was the "Latin Quarter" ofNorth Beach which later became known as "Italian North Beach" and whichincluded large numbers of Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Mexicanresidents along with some factories and piers for fishing boats (Cherny,1981, p. 49).There was the municipal airport constructed in the 192 s followed by thepassing of school building bonds and an acceleration in civic structures,producing monuments to culture and technology. First came the gold rushand the city's explosive growth; then the earthquake and destruction of thecity followed by its rebirth; then the civic construction programs duringthe 193 s as a result of the depression and Roosevelt's New Deal programs;and lastly, the impact of World War II. New York: Stein and Day.Older, C. At thestart of 187 , San Francisco was still huddled around the Yerba Buena Cove,where almost all the buildings occupied the northeast quadrant of the upperPeninsula (Cole, 1981, p. 97). Within two years it was"stretched to the topmost heights (and) followed the shore around pointafter point" (Cole, 1981, p. Located on the tip of the peninsula that juts out into the PacificOcean, creating the San Francisco Bay, the city today is home to over three-quarters of a million people crowded into a very small space. The answer involved theeventual building of a six-to-ten-foot high sea-wall along the ocean front(Cole, 1981, p. But many believed the area hada bright future ahead even if it was still very isolated and contained only15 or so buildings and tents strewn around the muddy cove. Immediately following this came the conversion of Alcatraz Island,which had once been a natural bird sanctuary, to a federal prison designedto house the nation's worst felons. "For threeyears, sand and silt were dredged from the Bay and pumped onto the shoalsto create a man-made island, given the magical name Treasure Island" (Cole,1981, p. ports in totalfreight handled (Cherny, 1981, p. It became the "port-of-call" for the sailors and unwary tourists.In addition, other ethnic groups were migrating to the city in greatnumbers as the end of the century approached bringing with them theircultural attributes which would leave an indelible mark on the city. A 4 -plus-acrepiece of land comprised of "murk and muck," the site was located next toYerba Buena Island and the Bay Bridge (Cole, 1981, p. A short history of San Francisco. However, it wasonly when the technology was available that such a task could beundertaken. It was called the "CityBeautiful" movement. 126). Its narrow streets teeming with activity, the exoticmandarins, and the smells and food were like a trip to the Orient. 44). 35). 41). San Francisco: Boyd & Fraser Publishing Company.Cole, T. Nob Hill, called "Fern Hill" by Yerba Buena villagers, developed asthe residential section of what was now considered a rich city (Older,1961, p. As a result, real estatevalues on the hills doubled and the city began to move toward the Presidio. There was the financial districtalong lower California, Sansome and Montgomery streets, the wealthy intheir mansions atop Nob Hill, retail establishments concentrated around thefinancial district and the hotels which defined a central business district(Cherny, 1981, p. The San Francisco earth- quake. 24). 87). 87). In the midst of the country's worst depression in history, SanFrancisco decided to celebrate the two bridges by hosting a world's fair.With a promise of federal funds, the Yerba Buena Shoals were selected asthe site for the Golden Gate International Exposition. 234). 24). Eventually theproblems were solved providing solutions to other problems such as keepingthe sand from burying other residential areas. In the early years of the century, new urban development came as aresult of the street car and the tunnels that were built to move peoplefrom the home to the workplace. The complex's mostimposing feature was and still is the city hall. Another addition to the city's landscape during this period was theCoit Tower, a charming monument built atop Telegraph Hill. The Bay Bridge took over three years to build, using eight and a halfmiles of steel and costing almost $8 million (Cole, 1981, p. A tiny triangular street intersection leftover, which in most cities would either be flattened into asphalt or else have a hedge, a few benches and be a dusty nonentity, in San Francisco is a fenced miniature world of its own, a deep, cool world of water and exotic forest, populated by the birds that have been attracted (Jacobs, 1961, p. 35). Plus, the city offered merchants a place to transfergoods from clipper ships to river steamers for the upriver journey toSacramento (Cherny, 1981, p. It also became a great touristattraction. In addition, many of thehundreds of ships that were deserted in the harbor were sunk to createlandfill. The purpose of this paper is toresearch and discuss the development of San Francisco after the gold rush.Included in this review will be an in-depth look at the environmental,economic and cultural factors that have gone into the layout, structure anddesign of the city through the years. 73). (1981). By 195 theirnumber had grown to 43, " (Cole, 1981, p. 72). In fact, every district in the city contained a highpercentage of wooden buildings. However, the economic and thus development basis for the citywas as a trade-oriented urban center complete with financial institutionsand the industry necessary to serve the needs of the regional and localeconomy considering its relative isolation from the East. And,by 187 , at least six more transportation companies were operating.However, even the horses found the city's steep hills, stamped by the up-and-down grid patterns of the early days, too difficult to manage. In addition, the city's rebirth spurred efforts to secure the Panama-Pacific Exposition, the international fair celebrating the linking of theAtlantic and Pacific Oceans: "Many saw the occasion as a fortuitousopportunity for a demonstration to the world of the city's phoenix-likerebirth from its traumatic destruction only nine years before" (Cherny,1981, p. New York: Longmans, Green & Co.----------------------- 18 M. City leaders and visionaries knew that eventually the city wouldexpand to the Pacific coast and thus began buying up the lands around theCliff House. 7). "By 19 , San Francisco had acquired many of the characteristics ofthe modern city" (Cherny, 1981, p. ReferencesCherny, R. To accommodate all who passed through SanFrancisco during these early days required the quick erection of tents andshanty-type housing which contributed to the already carnival-likeenvironment swirling around the city. By 189 , San Francisco had eight cable car companies operating 6 carsover 1 miles of track (Cole, 1981, p. 23). With broken water mains throughout the city, firehydrants were rendered useless and firefighters were forced to turn todynamiting buildings in order to control the blazes (Cherny, 1981, p. 39). 11). In all, nearly 7 people died in the earthquake, fire, or by summaryexecution of looters, and the 4.11 square mile heart of the city wasdestroyed (Cherny, 1981, pp. 1 7). Lastly, the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard attracted many southernblacks and the area evolved into the city's first black community/ghetto."In 194 , fewer than 5, blacks lived in San Francisco. Navy Base. However, as a city with many natural visual interruptions, thetopography lent a three-dimensional aspect to it that constantly makesseparations between the nearby scene and the distance: "This arrangementgreatly emphasized the intimate and immediate street scenes, withoutsacrificing the clarity of gridiron organization" (Jacobs, 1961, p. The intent of these bridges had been to help San Francisco regainsome of its earlier central position in the bay area. Further, it is also a city that has expanded itsusable land through extensive landfill, leading many to question what mighthappen when another earthquake of high magnitude hits, because as was seenin 1989, it will happen again. With the beginning of growth, the development huddled around theYerba Buena Cove and the bottom of the hills. Here, in 1893, 6 acres were reclaimed for theCalifornia Mid-winter International Exposition,and the M. In addition, during this period manufacturing developed and by19 was highly diverse: "Eleven slaughtering and meatpacking plants withnearly four hundred workers occupied third rank among the city's industriesand gave the name 'Butchertown' to a section of San Francisco" (Cherny,1981, p. By the late 187 s, Golden Gate Park became one of thecity's most cherished assets. Ahundred ships a year were entering the bay. But first came the Indians, thenthe early explorers and then gold. 1 3). The rush was on to rebuildas quickly as possible, especially by business leaders who feared that anydelay in reconstruction might give commercial advantage to other westerncities (Cherny, 1981, p. In fact,before gold was found, only a few hundred people resided in the Spanishsettlement known as Yerba Buena working mainly in the fishing and tradingindustries. 381). 19). It envisioned hilltopsfree of development, grand boulevards leading from a neoclassical CityCenter, towers and colonnades and many new streets gently following thecontours of the land rather than "barging" up and down (Cole, 1981, p.111). de YoungMemorial Museum along with the popular Japanese Tea Gardens were built. Instead, theyintensified dispersal of the population, encouraged economicdecentralization, and accelerated the city's relative decline (Cherny,1981, p. San Francisco's uniqueness is aproduct of all these factors, delicately balanced between the good and badof its environment. In fact, itwasn't until 1846, during the Mexican War, that a party from the sloop-of-war "Portsmouth" planted an American flag in Yerba Buena effectively endingthe Spanish era. 9). Thanks to the railroads and the port, San Francisco maintained itsposition as the financial and commercial metropolis of the West from 1865to 19 . It was also during this time that the now well-known gridiron streetpattern was laid out for the city to meet the population explosion. when an earthquake ripped through thecity and surrounding region wreaking havoc and destruction in its wake.The San Andreas Fault, which passes within eight miles of the center of SanFrancisco and is considered one of the great fractures of the world, hadsuccumbed to the pressure build-up endemic to such fissures (Thomas, 1971,p. With itsdramatic views, hills and waterfront, and Victorian architecture, the cityhas become a major tourist attraction. Much of this came about asa result of the Public Works Administration's efforts to stimulate theconstruction industry during the depression by providing funds forpermanent civic improvements and to create jobs for the unemployed. S. 43). 111). Wood wasthe primary building material and this included the classic San Franciscoarchitectural designs that were to be constructed beginning in the 187 s. 25). The 193 s also witnessed the construction of San Francisco's twogreat bridges, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Golden GateBridge. "Arriving goldseekers needed a landing place from which they could make the trek to thegold fields, and San Francisco had the best-developed port in the bay area"(Cherny, 1981, p. 124). The Victorians were a product of a steady rise in the city'spopulation during the end of the century. 57). Under the guiding hand of Daniel H. 35). Though it required a wagon road graded around the hill toreach the lots, it became the expensive area of the city. There wasn't much thereexcept the Cliff House which was first built in 1863 and had a reputationfor "raciness." Reaching it required a long and bumpy trip across thedunes. New York: Coward- McCann, Inc.Jacobs, J. (1961). (1981). This centralwaterfront, known as the Embarcadero, became the major maritime center ofthe Pacific following the Gold Rush (Dillon, 1959, p. The city's first public transportation was the horse-drawn omnibuswhich began operation in 185 carrying passengers, produce, chickens andpigs from Portsmouth Square to Mission Delores (Cole, 1981, p. 72). 86). (1971). Therewere opium dens alongside hard-working Chinese, but there was also theunderside of Chinese life which was controlled by the infamous "tongs." However, it was no more degrading than life on the Barbary Coast, anotorious hive of gambling holes, bordellos and seedy taverns (Cole, 1981,p. San Francisco. San Francisco, magic city. Six times in three years--between December1849 and June 1851--fires raged through districts in the city (Thomas,1971, p. To the west of the central business district weremiddle-class and upper-class residential districts and further west wasGolden Gate Park. Further, San Francisco has done a great job in turning small plots ofpark lands into scenically pleasing spots that add beauty to the entirecity. Part of the city's success in manufacturing was due to its having asource of cheap labor, the Chinese. Twin Peaks Tunnel followed by the SunsetTunnel allowed whole new residential districts to open up. It took the wealthy's interest in residingon the hilltops of San Francisco, and consequently the introduction of thecable car, to begin spreading the development southward and upward. 125). B. Numbering around 5 , in the late18 s, Chinatown was to become a city within a city, an area where citylaws and city authorities rarely entered. As an important freight handler andmercantile headquarters for the West, the city at this time was comprisedof many ethnic communities as well as two dozen farms of over a hundredacres each. With war looming on thehorizon, it became a major U. But the automobile was coming of age and the ferriescouldn't compete with the ease promised by the bridges. Leland Stanford, having bought extensive property on Nob Hill, wasone of those desirous of transportation up the hills. Then came the word that gold had been found inthe foothills surrounding the Sacramento River known eventually as theMother Lode and life would forever change. In the last 1 years the San Francisco Bayhas lost 3 square miles to landfill. In addition,within four years after the start of the Gold Rush, San Francisco merchantsexpanded their trade so quickly that it had the fourth largest share of thenation's foreign commerce and ranked sixth among U. 86). 39). 12). Devastation was well-nigh universal-the financial district and boarding houses south of Market Street, churches and brothels, the Palace Hotel and the sweatshops of Chinatown, fifteen million gallons of wine and one million books, mansions on Nob Hill and tenements in North Beach (Cherny, 1981, p. So, as Europe plunged toward war, the international eventwent on as planned bringing millions of tourists to the city and leavingbehind many fine structures for the city. And, though many found it hard to believe that a park could be built onsand dunes, the city set aside 1, acres for that purpose in 1868.Rectilinear in shape, the property was three miles long and half a milewide (Cole, 1981, p. "So, before all the acreage was gobbled up, a group of higher-minded citizens began lobbying for a great urban park" (Cole, 1981, p. Construction,which spanned 24 years, and was funded in part by federal monies, resultedin structures with near-imperial grandeur symbolizing the view of the cityheld by those in charge. Considered by many to be second only to Yosemite insplendor, this major project generated a great deal of controversy.However, in the 192 s it finally was flooded and San Francisco's waterproblems were solved and a new source of hydroelectric power was provided(Cole, 1981, p. Today, known as the "Marina" area, one of the mostbeautiful and scenic in the city, the Palace of Fine Arts remains as thebest-known testament to this event. "It rebuilt, new and better, but much thesame as before" (Cole, 1981, p. This "Devil's Island" prison was runfor three decades until the inefficient and decaying structure wasabandoned. This "Great White Elephant," to be known as Golden Gate Park,required solving many problems, including how to get plants to grow on sanddunes, how to keep the greenery watered once it took and how to keep thesand from blowing back on it and covering it up again. Obviously the needs of the residents were great, immediatelyrequiring short-cuts and improvisation to take place, a factor that was todirect the development of the city. It has a reputation as a city of experiments, witness thedaring design of some of its buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid andthe massive historical preservation efforts underway to protect the 19thcentury architecture. W., & Issel, W. In addition,securing sufficient water to meet the growing domestic needs was donethrough the Hetch Hetchy project which included damming the scenic HetchHetchy Valley. Hallidie, the cable car made "vertical real estate" practicable(Older, 1961, p. 38). 72). World War II's impact on the city's development came in many forms.First, the bay area became the world's largest shipbuilding center.Second, those in manufacturing more than doubled and many parts of SanFrancisco were operating 24 hours a day to handle the increases in peopleand the incredible tonnage of war supplies that passed through the GoldenGate. Since harbor-view tidelands werechosen as the site, 184 acres were filled in by hydraulic dredges (Older,1961, p. Someof these structures included the San Francisco Zoo, park and recreationfacilities and school and library buildings. Embarcadero. The region'spopulation growth was impacting ferry boat travel dramatically: "By thelate 192 s, fifty million people a year were using the ferries, and theFerry Building was the busiest transit station in the United States" (Cole,1981, p. 125).However, overshadowing this feat was the Golden Gate Bridge and itsincredible setting. In one four-month period it wasestimated that the population went from 6, to 3 , (Cole, 1981, p.44). S. Tent cities were erected to provide shelter for the homeless withmost residing in the city's parks; relief money came in from across thecountry; and food lines became a visible part of the city landscape. 9). Alltold, property worth about half a billion dollars was lost. "Urban growth was the universal justification for civic improvementsduring the two decades between the world wars" (Cherny, 1981, p. An historical review of San Francisco's development shows thatoutside influences of dramatic proportion have influenced and guided thelayout and design of the city. From just under 15 , peoplein 187 , the city grew to 342, by 19 (Cole, 1981, p. Invented by the BritisherAndrew S. For most who live there it is aconscious decision to do so based on pride and love of a city that iscomprised of many ethnic and artsy communities, along with the moretraditional financial, retail and manufacturing centers. During this period a movement was underway by many of the cityfathers to do away with much of the city's grids. Burnham, whodirected the redevelopment of Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, amaster plan for San Francisco was produced in 19 5. Compared to other cities, San Francisco is relatively new, especiallywhen one considers that except for Mission Delores, virtually all thestructures are from the 187 s and forward (Cherny, 1981, p. (1961). 34). 38-9). 129). But,since four-fifths of San Francisco's property had gone up in smoke, theresidents were also presented with the opportunity to rebuild the city inline with the City Beautiful Plan. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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