Market Street is the leading thoroughfare, and at all times presents an animated appearance. Some of the largest department stores in the city are on this street, but the chief shopping district is still in the streets to the north of that thoroughfare—Kearny, Sutter, Post, Geary, and Grant avenues, and Stockton Street. Union Square, in this locality, is becoming a fashionable shopping centre. An extensive system of boulevards exists, furnishing a continuous drive of nearly 20 miles. It starts near the heart of the city, traverses the United States military reservation and Golden Gate Park, skirts the Pacific Ocean for two or three miles, and winds in and out among the hills lying southwest of the town. In 1903 there were 274.60 miles of street car tracks—176 electric, 86.68 cable, 4 horse, and 8 steam. One corporation controls 244 miles of this system.
Parks. Golden Gate Park, containing more than 1000 acres, enjoys the distinction of having been redeemed from a sand waste. There are now nearly 300 acres of close-shaved sward, green and attractive all the year round, and a still greater area is planted with shrubs and trees, semi-tropical types being largely predominant. In addition to Golden Gate Park, numerous smaller parks, chiefly four blocks in extent, are scattered throughout the city. These usually contain trees and shrubbery which remain green summer and winter, several varieties of palms being in evidence. The military reservation of the Federal Government, known as the Presidio (q.v.), is practically part of the park system. Its area exceeds that of Golden Gate Park, and it is far more favorably located for cultural purposes. In Golden Gate Park there are several portrait statues, but none of great merit. The monument by Story to Francis Scott Key, the composer of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is the best. Near the City Hall is an ambitious group of bronzes, which cost $50,000, representing the development of California. There are two noteworthy productions of a local sculptor, Douglas Tilden, on Market Street. One is designed to commemorate the admission of California to the Union, and the other is a vigorous group in bronze typifying the progress of manufactures in the city. Union Square has a lofty column to commemorate the achievements of the navy during the war with Spain.
Buildings and Institutions. The abundance of excellent timber and a popular belief that a frame building is safer and better in a locality having the peculiar conditions of San Francisco are responsible for the fact that in 1900 there were 50,494 frame and only 3881 stone and brick buildings. The tendency to use the more durable materials is, however, growing rapidly. The occasional occurrence of earth tremors for a long time restrained the propensity to build ‘skyscrapers.’ In 1890, however, the proprietor of the Chronicle erected a ten-story modern fire-proof building. This example was soon followed by other property-owners, and the city has now its share of tall structures, one of them 18 stories high. The major part of this class of buildings is composed of 8, 10, and 12 storied buildings, the 8-storied being most numerous.
The most conspicuous building is the City Hall, surmounted by a dome 332 feet high. It cost over $6,000,000, and twenty-five years were occupied in building it. It is very solidly constructed, and its walls of brick are covered with cement. Architecturally it is a composite. The interior of the dome is decorated with native marbles. The structure houses all the administrative departments of the city government and several civil courts. The criminal and police courts and the police department occupy a modern building, known as the Hall of Justice. It is constructed of brick and stone and is surmounted by a clock tower. The post office, just completed, is a substantial structure of granite, costing over $5,000,000. It is not a striking architectural production, but impresses by its massiveness. In addition to the post office, the Federal Government maintains a mint and a sub-treasury.
On the water front the State maintains the Ferry Building, a structure over 800 feet in length, built of a light-colored sandstone and surmounted by a graceful clock tower. Through this building most of the strangers entering the city are obliged to pass. It contains a lofty nave running through its entire length, which is frequently used for exhibiting the products of the State. It also houses a permanent exhibit illustrative of the resources of California, maintained by the State Board of Trade, and a fine Alaskan ethnological collection. A complete display of the mineral resources of California is also made in the Ferry Building by the State Mining Bureau. The Academy of Sciences, endowed by James Lick, is a substantial structure. It holds a growing museum devoted to the natural sciences. In Golden Gate Park is situated the Memorial Museum, founded to commemorate a successful international fair held in 1894. The Hopkins Art Institute, situated on ‘Nob Hill,’ contains the nucleus of a fine-art collection. The building and contents were presented to the University of California to be maintained for the public. The Public Library contains over 100,000 volumes. At present it is installed in a wing of the city hall, but maintains several branches. In October, 1903, bonds to the amount of $1,000,000 were voted to provide a new building. The cost of maintaining the library is about $65,000 a year. In addition to the Public Library there are seven other libraries of some importance. That of the Mechanics' Institute is the most useful of these, the collection covering the range of the applied sciences. It has more than 70,000 volumes, and property valued at over $2,000,000. The Sutro Library is a heterogeneous collection of over 200,000 volumes. It contains a large number of rare books and manuscripts. The California Historical Society, San Francisco Medical Society, the San Francisco Law Library, the French Library, and the Mercantile all have collections exceeding 30,000 volumes.
None of the churches are conspicuous examples of ecclesiastical architecture. The Roman Catholic Cathedral is a brick structure. The Jesuit Church of Saint Ignatius, with its accompanying college buildings, covers a full city block. The Dominicans have an equally large church. Many of the older church buildings are of frame. The Mission Dolores is a survival from the days of the Spanish occupation. It is built of adobe, and care is taken to preserve it as a landmark, although it has none of the attractive features of many of the churches built by the friars.
There are 47 hospitals, public and private, and many of them are of recent construction. The emergency system has been well developed, and
