In 1876, railroad baron Charles Crocker built one of the largest mansions on Nob Hill, San Francisco. It was burned to the ground in the great 1906 fire. The second photo shows the fence around his property which still stands today. In the background of that photo are the remains of the Flood mansion and the steel framed Fairmont Hotel, the only two buildings on the hill that survived the fire.

Nob Hill in San Francisco at the turn of the century was the home to some of the richest men in the country. James Flood was one of the Bonanza Kings and made his fortune in Comstock mining and stock trading. His mansion was made of sandstone and survived the 1906 earthquake and fire. It still stands today. The incredible all wood mansion of railroad baron Mark Hopkins at the corner of California and Mason burned to the ground in the fire. The Mark Hopkins hotel now stands in it's place.

"Looking Down Sacramento St., San Francisco,  April 18, 1906". The most famous of all the earthquake photographs taken by the great photographer Arnold Genthe. It is considered to be one of the greatest historical photographs ever taken. Genthe lost his equipment in the quake and borrowed a Kodak 3A Special from his camera dealer George Kahn's shop on Montgomery St. He loaded his pockets with film and walked around the City taking photographs. The shot was taken on Sacramento St. between Powell and Stockton St. (at Miles Place) on the morning of the quake at 9 a.m. as the fire began raging. Note cable car slot in street at that time. The alley Miles Place is now called Miller Place.  I took my shot at 8:23 a.m. on a foggy, holiday morning.

San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts on a foggy morning before it is overrun with tourists. Designed by Bernard Maybeck in 1915 for the Panama-Pacific Exposition; it has been restored three times since then. Great piece of San Francisco history. 

Palace of Fine Arts,  Panama - Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, Ca. 1915. Designed by Bernard Maybeck.  Original RPPC (real photo post card) hand tinted on Noko paper. 3.5 x 5.5 in.. Cardinell - Vincent Co., official photographers for the exposition.