Van Ness and Washington (1906)

On the agenda for San Francisco’s Historic Preservation Commission this afternoon, a vote to adopt, modify, or disapprove the Planning Department’s Automotive Support Structures Historic Survey and context statement.

The survey was established to determine the historic status of the remaining examples of an increasingly rare property type: buildings with an association with the automobile in San Francisco. A study area of concentrated property types was established, and is located primarily two blocks to either side of Van Ness Avenue from Mission Street to Broadway.

One of the 112 buildings assessed by the survey: 1645 Pacific.

Due to the façade alteration at #1645, that portion of the building has no potential for historic significance under California Register criteria 1, 2, or 3. Because #1645 occupies 80% of the building’s footprint and almost 90% of the total façade area, the same is true for the building as a whole.

The portion of the building at 1661 Pacific could be considered separately. Its history, however, is unremarkable, and no separate occupants are known for that address after 1940 and through 1964. It thus lacks significance under criteria 1 and 2. The façade is intact, but architecturally it is modest, and of little interest. It does not appear to be eligible for the California Register under Criterion 3.

And while at first blush another 46 of the assessed buildings did not appear to be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources, the following 55 did:

1267 Bush St.
1270 Bush/1200 Larkin
1441 Bush St.
1455 Bush St.
1522-1524 Bush St.
1540 Bush St.
1565 Bush St.
1765 California St.
1745 Clay St.
730 Ellis St.
824 Ellis St.
159 Fell St.
155 Grove St.
300 Grove St.
364 Hayes St.
1641 Jackson St.
1335 Larkin St.
1349 Larkin St.
1663-1667 Market St.
1500 Mission St.
55 Oak St.
1650-1660 Pacific Ave.
66 Page St.
1465 Pine St.
1545 Pine St.
1644 Pine St.
1670 Pine St.
1650 Pine St.
1656 Pine St.
1660 Pine St.
1700-1710 Pine St.
650 Polk St.
730 Polk St.
843 Polk St.
845 Polk St.
1001 Polk St./1000 Geary
1033-1037 Polk St.
1725 Sacramento St.
1101 Sutter St.
500 Turk St.
550 Turk St.
42 Twelfth St.
68 Twelfth St.
550-590 Van Ness Ave.
700 Van Ness Ave.
731-799 Van Ness Ave.
800 Van Ness Ave.
901 Van Ness Ave.
999 Van Ness Ave.
1000 Van Ness Ave.
1233-1237 Van Ness Ave.
1301-1305 Van Ness Ave.
1350 Van Ness/1465 Bush
1400 Van Ness Ave.
1412-1420 Van Ness Ave.
1415 Van Ness Ave.
1595 Van Ness Ave.
1600 Van Ness Ave.
1625 Van Ness Ave.
1699 Van Ness Ave.
1835-1849 Van Ness Ave.
1946-1960 Van Ness Ave.
2000 Van Ness Ave.
2020-2034 Van Ness Ave.

The Planning Department recommends the Commission adopt the survey findings.

8 thoughts on “The Survey Of <strike>Detroit’s</strike> San Francisco’s Historic Auto Row”
  1. Is that the first location of the City of Paris store? It later became the most fashionable women’s clothing store in the City and moved to …Grant between Sutter and Geary?? Anyway great historic pic.

  2. That is one sweet Queen Anne manse in the historical photo. If it wasn’t a rooming house or hotel I’m not surprised it got turned into a dry goods store; it must have cost the owners a small fortune annually to staff and maintain it.

  3. Strange. For a city trying to punish residents (or visitors) with cars, why the need to preserve the “history” of it in San Francisco?
    This city is F’ed up.

  4. Well, there go another 40 or so sites that could have been used for “in-fill” housing. I guess it will now be City policy to direct all housing development to Antioch and Brentwood.

  5. Amazing amount of research went into this; I’m thoroughly impressed. I spent an hour reading about all of these buildings this morning. Not surprised to see my client’s building in there since it’s one of the most prominent in the report. Learned a lot of great historical tid-bits!

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