Eureka Valley, San Francisco, California
Encyclopedia
Eureka Valley is a neighborhood in San Francisco, bounded by Market Street
, Dolores Street, Sixteenth Street, and Noe Street.
was granted Rancho San Miguel
, four thousand acres (16 km²) stretching from Twin Peaks into Noe and Eureka valleys. In 1854 John M. Horner purchased the ranch and laid out Horner's Addition in a grid bounded by Castro Street on the west, Valencia Street on the east, 18th Street on the north and 30th Street on the south. Eureka Valley was part of the Mission Dolores subdivision but was not developed until the 1890s and the early 1900s.
The opening of the Market & Castro Street Cable Car line in 1886 opened Eureka Valley to development—primarily small wood-frame cottages and two-story flats. The only industry in the area was a mattress factory on the block bounded by Market, Dolores, and Fifteenth streets.
Most residents were working and lower-middle-class tradesmen, small business owners, civil servants, builders, and artisans, with Irish, German, British, and Scandinavian immigrants, as well as some old-stock Americans living in the neighborhood.
Eureka Valley escaped destruction in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
and subsequent fire, mostly because the fires were stopped at Dolores Street. After the 1906 earthquake, thousands of earthquake refugees began purchasing lots and erecting cottages and flats in the area. The momentum continued after the completion of Twin Peaks Tunnel
in 1918 and the Municipal Railway’s
J Church
streetcar line in 1917.
The Eureka Valley Improvement Association, founded on September 3, 1905, successfully lobbied the city's Board of Supervisors for many early improvements in the neighborhood, such as improved streetcar service, better lighting, and public school construction. The association was instrumental in preventing the spread of the fires after the 1906 earthquake. The association has renamed itself as The Eureka Valley Promotion Association.
The Eureka Valley branch of the San Francisco Public Library
opened in 1902 at the corner of Noe and Seventeenth streets. The original building, damaged in the 1957 Daly City
earthquake, was replaced by the current structure in 1962, and refurbished in 2009.
The commercial area of Eureka Valley, centered around the intersection of 18th Street and Castro Street, was transformed in the 1970s with the development of the gay community
known as "The Castro."
Market Street (San Francisco)
Market Street is an important thoroughfare in San Francisco, California. It begins at The Embarcadero in front of the Ferry Building at the northeastern edge of the city and runs southwest through downtown, passing the Civic Center and the Castro District, to the intersection with Corbett Avenue in...
, Dolores Street, Sixteenth Street, and Noe Street.
History
In 1845 José de Jesús NoéJosé de Jesús Noé
José de Jesús Noé was the last Mexican alcalde of Yerba Buena, which was renamed San Francisco after the conclusion of the Mexican-American War in 1846. He was appointed to the position twice: first as the 7th Alcalde and again as the 12th Alcalde in 1846...
was granted Rancho San Miguel
Rancho San Miguel (Noe)
Rancho San Miguel was a Mexican land grant in present day San Francisco County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to José de Jesús Noé. The grant included what is now known as Eureka Valley and extended past Mount Davidson almost to present day Daly City...
, four thousand acres (16 km²) stretching from Twin Peaks into Noe and Eureka valleys. In 1854 John M. Horner purchased the ranch and laid out Horner's Addition in a grid bounded by Castro Street on the west, Valencia Street on the east, 18th Street on the north and 30th Street on the south. Eureka Valley was part of the Mission Dolores subdivision but was not developed until the 1890s and the early 1900s.
The opening of the Market & Castro Street Cable Car line in 1886 opened Eureka Valley to development—primarily small wood-frame cottages and two-story flats. The only industry in the area was a mattress factory on the block bounded by Market, Dolores, and Fifteenth streets.
Most residents were working and lower-middle-class tradesmen, small business owners, civil servants, builders, and artisans, with Irish, German, British, and Scandinavian immigrants, as well as some old-stock Americans living in the neighborhood.
Eureka Valley escaped destruction in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
and subsequent fire, mostly because the fires were stopped at Dolores Street. After the 1906 earthquake, thousands of earthquake refugees began purchasing lots and erecting cottages and flats in the area. The momentum continued after the completion of Twin Peaks Tunnel
Twin Peaks Tunnel
The Twin Peaks Tunnel is a long light rail transit/streetcar tunnel in San Francisco, California, United States, running under Twin Peaks. When it was opened on February 3, 1918, it was one of the longest railway tunnels in the world . It was the longest U.S...
in 1918 and the Municipal Railway’s
Muni Metro
Muni Metro is a light rail system serving San Francisco, California, operated by the San Francisco Municipal Railway , a division of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency...
J Church
J Church
The J Church is a Muni Metro railway line in San Francisco, California mainly serving the Noe Valley and Balboa Park neighborhoods, connecting them to downtown. It began as one of San Francisco's streetcar lines in 1917, and was converted to modern light rail operation with the creation of the Muni...
streetcar line in 1917.
The Eureka Valley Improvement Association, founded on September 3, 1905, successfully lobbied the city's Board of Supervisors for many early improvements in the neighborhood, such as improved streetcar service, better lighting, and public school construction. The association was instrumental in preventing the spread of the fires after the 1906 earthquake. The association has renamed itself as The Eureka Valley Promotion Association.
The Eureka Valley branch of the San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco Public Library
The San Francisco Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Francisco. Its main library is located in San Francisco's Civic Center, at 100 Larkin Street at Grove. The first public library of San Francisco officially opened in 1879, just 30 years after the California Gold...
opened in 1902 at the corner of Noe and Seventeenth streets. The original building, damaged in the 1957 Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...
earthquake, was replaced by the current structure in 1962, and refurbished in 2009.
The commercial area of Eureka Valley, centered around the intersection of 18th Street and Castro Street, was transformed in the 1970s with the development of the gay community
Gay village
A gay village is an urban geographic location with generally recognized boundaries where a large number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people live or frequent...
known as "The Castro."