James Flood Mansion and Fairmont Hotel after earthquake and fire, San Francisco, 1906

Item Overview

Title

James Flood Mansion and Fairmont Hotel after earthquake and fire, San Francisco, 1906

Architect

Reid, Merritt J., 1855-1932
Reid, James W., 1851-1943
Laver, Augustus, 1834-1898
Reid, Watson Elkinah, 1858-1944)
Reid Brothers, Architects

Date Created

1906

Date

1906

Publisher

Los Angeles Times

Language

No linguistic content

Collection

Los Angeles Times Photographic Collection

Notes

Description

Damaged James Flood Mansion, left, and damaged Fairmont Hotel (950 Mason St.), right, photographed from California Street. Left: bicycle leaning on wall, man partially visible; center: 3 or 4 men walking; center right: person walking; street in foreground
Related to the article, “Heart is Torn From Great City. San Francisco Nearly Destroyed by Earthquakes and Fire, Hundreds of Killed and Injured, Destruction of Other Coast Cities, California’s Greatest Horror.” Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 1906. The article states: San Francisco, April 19.—It looks now as if the entire city would be burned, following the great quake of yesterday. ... At 10 o’clock at night, the fire was unabated, and thousands of people are fleeing to the hills and clamoring for places on ferry boats. The damage is now believed to have reached $200,000,000 and 50,000 people are thought to be homeless. ... At 10 p. m. last night the newspapers ceased all effort to collect news, and the Associated Press force is compelled to act independently. ... Tossing Six Hours on Seismic Waves. San Francisco, April 18.—During six hours of mortal dread and nameless terror San Francisco was today tossed upon the seismic waves of the most disastrous earthquake known to the history or the traditions of America’s west coast. In the mad confusion and helpless horror of this night uncounted bodies of dead men and women are lying in morgues and under uplifted walls. ... Fire and flame have added to the destruction, the ruination and despair. The material losses are beyond computation. ... There is no witness of this day’s story whose tongue or pen can describe the wreck and ruin, the death, the doom, the despair and suffering that lies on every hand. ... surrounded by explosions of illuminating and sewer gas. … The Southern Pacific is doing its utmost to get people out the city, and not charging refugees for transportation. ... Prof. George Davidson, of the University of California, formerly connected with the United States Geodetic Survey, said tonight: “The earthquakes came from north to south … Regarding the cause, I maintain, as I always have, that it is the earth cooling on the inside. The cooling brings about contraction, which is bound to bring about a readjustment of the earth’s surface. …” The entire waterfront district of the metropolis is made ground … Included in this area … Palace and Grand Hotels … Merchants Exchange … Stock Exchange … Nevada Bank, Western Union and Postal telegraph offices, the Crocker building … the Chronicle, the Examiner and the sixteen-story Call newspaper building. … From the ruins of the buildings shaken down by the five quakes that followed in such close succession, arose great bursts of flames which swept inward from the bay. … With water mains broken, fire department powerless, and flames spreading; with morgues and hospitals filled to overflowing; with electric lights and power wires down, and telephone and telegraph communication cut off; with railroads crippled … and with panic rampant, the condition of San Francisco was one of almost benumbing horror. …
The James Flood Mansion and Fairmont Hotel were the only buildings to structurally survive the 1906 earthquake. The James Flood Mansion (later the Pacific Union Club), designed by Canadian architect Augustus Lave, is located at 1000 California Street. Completed in1886, it was the first brownstone west of the Mississippi. The Fairmont Hotel was designed by Reid Brothers, Architects, and Julia Morgan, and was near completion before the earthquake. Although the structure survived, the interior was heavily damaged by fire, and opening was delayed until 1907.

Caption

Text from negative sleeve: California, San Francisco, Fire, After the

Physical Description

Extent

1 photograph

Medium

b&w nitrate negative

Keywords

Genre

cellulose nitrate film
news photographs

Names

Fairmont Hotel (San Francisco, Calif.)
James Flood Mansion (San Francisco, Calif.)

Location

San Francisco (Calif.)

Longitude

37.791714

Latitude

-122.411839

Resource type

still image

Subjects

Fires--California--San Francisco
Eclecticism in architecture--California--San Francisco
San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., 1906
Hotels--California--San Francisco
Historic buildings--California--San Francisco
Mansions--California--San Francisco
Environment
Earthquakes--California--San Francisco
Disaster
Neoclassicism (Architecture)--California--San Francisco