AP Success - AP English Language: San Franciso Earthquake

Both the city and the Italian Colony were progressing steadily when the 1906 earthquake and fire struck. San Francisco had been razed by fires six times from 1849 to 1851, and each time the ruins had been swept away and the city rebuilt in a much finer fashion. This time, however, the damage was far too extensive. The tragedy was compounded by the great number of people and buildings which were concentrated along the path of the fault.

The destruction caused by the earthquake and the ensuing fire in the Italian Quarter resulted in the complete loss of the district. The Italian Quarter, as other parts of the city hit by the disaster, had been reduced to a knotted, tangled mass of bent steel frames, charred bricks, and ashes. In North Beach, only a small part of the community remained. The Italians on Telegraph Hill had been luckier than most, although they suffered losses since insurance companies were not interested in insuring remote areas of the Hill. The scattered fire hydrants and water cisterns were not to be found east of Dupont Street and the insurance companies were not willing to gamble. It was reported in the Italian press that some 20,000 Italians lost their homes in the conflagration.

One of the priests from the church of Sts. Peter and Paul had managed to save the consecrated host, vestments, and holy vessels and said Mass under the inflamed sky. After the fires had died, the Italians' quietly returned to North Beach and tried to find the confidence to rebuild Little Italy.

Approximately five to six hundred Italians had definitely left San Francisco due to this tragic event, while over six thousand new immigrants arrived and helped the survivors clear the ruins. Seven hundred building permits were granted to North Beach Italian residents and businessmen to expedite the construction of the Colony. Several real estate firms, such as the J. Cuneo Company in North Beach, demonstrated their confidence in the determination of the Italians by investing $400,000 in the reconstruction of apartments, stores, flats, and business offices.

Temporary buildings were cheaply erected for immediate occupancy, while the leaders of the Colony were busily engaged in drawing up plans for a modern Little Italy. The buildings would be simple, small, neat, and airy, which combined both functional and classical lines. One writer described this new architecture as a reflection of the Italian immigrants' acceptance of American ways. The most picturesque features of the flats and apartments were the roof-top sun decks with flower gardens. Part of the planning for the new Colony included the renaming of two of the main thoroughfares of the Italian Quarter. In 1907, one-half of Dupont Street was renamed Grant Avenue, and by the end of 1908 all of Dupont became Grant Avenue. By 1910, Montgomery Avenue was renamed Columbus Avenue and still retained its fame as "The Avenue." The changes in these street names denoted a change in the geographic character of the Italian Quarter.

"La Infernale Catastrofe de San Francisco," L'Italia, p. 1. April 1906.

"The Frightful Calamity on the Pacific Coast," Leslie's Weekly, 102:418. May 3, 1906.

"La Ricostruzione de San Francisco," La Voce del Popolo, p. 1, May 28, 1906.

"Facts and Figures Worthy of Consideration," L'Italia, p. 1. April 12, 1906.

"J. Cuneo Co." L'Italia, July 2, 1906. In deposit, Bank of America NT&SA Archives, San Francisco.

"Curious Tour of City Leaves Telegraph Hill for Fisherman's Wharf," San Francisco Chronicle, p. 12. Feb. 16, 1932.

Peixotto, Scribner's, 48:82. July, 1910.