These will keep me busy (Part three)

And they did! This will close out the set of vintage pictures from the skyscrapercity website. I did a number of these comparisons on the Veterans Day Holiday, and the smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County wildfire can be seen in some of these pictures. Tragically, the fire is now the worst in California history, and the toll of life has more than doubled since my last post.

We’ll start on Market Street near 6^th in 1966. As I mentioned, that’s not the famous San Francisco fog blanketing Market Street.

We’ve moved east along Market Street to Kearny St and the old San Francisco Chronicle Building. Originally built in 1889, the clock on top was made from wood and burned in 1905. The building was gutted in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, but was rebuilt.

Chinatown: We’re back again in 1957, tailgating like in Part two, only this time we’re crossing Sacramento Street along Grant Avenue.

Washington Street between Jones and Taylor Streets in 1973, and another example of how bad the smoke is:

Looking down California Street next to the Fairmont Hotel in 1961: That crane is working where the old Crest Garage that was demolished earlier this year was. I’m sure that they’re constructing still another building that will block out more of the view.

Looking south down Powell Street to Bush Street in the 1950’s: The tall building on the left in the old photo is the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, blocked from the view here now by the newer building.

Looking west at Powell and Sutter Streets in the late 1960’s: That must be some kind of a conga line on the cable car in the older photo! They don’t allow overcrowding on the cars anymore.

We’ll finish up at Hyde and Market Streets near the Civic Center in 1969. That’s construction work on the building of BART on Market Street in front of the Orpheum Theater. (Leroy W. Demery Jr.)