Archive
01 Ecological shifts
Historical ecologists have used the archives for clues about the past landscape of San Francisco prior to significant social and environmental changes. These sources included textual accounts from the Spanish missionaries that included plant species presence, dimensions of stream channels, and botanical records. Historical ecologists also used newspaper articles, county histories, and travelogues. Photographs and drawings provide more accurate information with substantial detail about vegetation structure and composition.
The recreation of San Francisco’s past landscape synthesized this historical archival data they reconstructed the exosystem and waterways using interdisciplinary science and visualization techniques. This map is interactive and can be found here. It depicts San Francisco’s historical creeks and habitats from just before the city’s colonization in the late 18th century. Although this landscape was probably much more diverse and dynamic than the one presented in this map, it is a tool that enables us to imagine San Francisco’s past landscape. It should be interpreted as a “snapshot” representing the average conditions.
Source: Hidden Nature SF
02 Environmental habitat
We can imagine the Turk and Taylor building located over a coastal prairie and stabilized dunes or grassland, close to a pond, an oak woodland, and a tidal marsh. Visualizing the complexity of a more biodiverse urban landscape is helpful when reimagining a potential future. Digital reconstruction also provides a foundation for building and supporting urban greening efforts at multiple scales.
Historical Maps
For at least 13,500 years the Ramaytush Ohlone have lived along the San Francisco Peninsula. The group living in what is today the County of San Francisco are referred today as the Yelamu. They did not leave written documentation prior to Euro-American colonization, but archeological research and early Spanish account provide insights into their culture and how they stewarded the landscape. Several Yelamu villages with a combined population size of approximately 160 are known to have existed around the present-day city of San Francisco.
Among the primary villages occupied by the Yelamu, Stilintac and Chutshui were located along Mission Creek, close to what today is known as the Tenderloin. Residents moved seasonally between these villages and other temporary sites. The placement of the villages themselves likely also changed over time. This map represents the general locations of these village sites at the time of Spanish contact.
In 1777, the Yelamu were the first Native people to be baptized and indoctrinated into Mission Dolores. Over the course of the next 65 years, the Ramaytush Ohlone were forced to assimilate. By 1842, only 15 native Ohlone were still living at Mission Dolores.
Today it is believed that the Yelamu have no living descendants, however, the descendants of the Ramaytush Ohlone are alive and reclaiming their cultural heritage and traditions. The Association of Ramaytush Ohlone’s efforts have contributed to the establishment of the American Indian Cultural District in San Francisco.
03 Primary Yelamu Villages
The American Indian Cultural District corridor is located in an area that holds historical and cultural significance to the American Indian community.
We acknowledge that the location of the Turk and Taylor building is on the unceded and ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone. As Guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working in their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the Ancestors, Elders, and Relatives of the Ramaytush Ohlone community and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples.
(Bosqui Engraving & Print Co., 1884)
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) transferred the territory of California to the United States. This map depicts San Francisco, formerly known as Yerba Buena, before the Gold Rush of 1849. The Tenderloin is now located on what was called St. Ann’s Valley, midway between the Franciscan basilica of Mission Dolores and the village of Yerba Buena, on the peninsula’s eastern shore beside the San Francisco Bay. The map shows a sandy ridge at the north end of St. Ann’s Valley and a salt marsh to the east, effectively cutting the area off from the mercantile district around the piers.
Source: At the Crossroads of Turk and Taylor by Susan Stryker
04 American Indian Cultural District Map
05 View of San Francisco in 1846–47
After only 2 years of being part of the United States, the Gold Rush inundated the region with tens of thousands of new inhabitants, transforming Yerba Buena into the commercial heart of the new city. The barren dunes at the valley’s western reaches became San Francisco’s first cemetery. Miners camped in its salt marsh. This map shoes the new urban development by lots along Market Street.
Source: At the Crossroads of Turk and Taylor by Susan Stryker
Map: Library of Congress
06 Official Map of San Francisco,1849
Published just ten years after the Forty-Niner emigration to San Francisco, this map recorded the most densely populated metropolis on the west coast. During this ten-year period, the population of the city had grown from less than 1,000 to over 50,000 residents. The map shows the city and surrounding area oriented to the west. The growing city is shown extending eleven blocks from the water with many new buildings, sometimes over the hills where roads have not yet been laid. The topography is shown with contour lines 20 feet apart.
Map: Wikimedia Commons
08 U.S. Coast Survey Chart or Map of San Francisco, 1858
10 The City of San Francisco. 1878 (IMAGE)
This bird’s eye view of San Francisco shows a detailed perspective of the city from the bay looking southwest.
Map: Library of Congress
On the outskirts of the city, the corner of Turk and Taylor marks several buildings on the current lot.
A closer look at the Tenderloin shows the corner of Turk and Taylor street marked 1009, located between the Yerba Buena Cemetery and the Public Square.
10 The City of San Francisco 1878
09 U.S. Coast Survey Chart or Map of San Francisco, 1858 Turk and Taylor
A close-up image shows the area close to Market St, between the previous City Hall and Union Square.
After the earthquake and fire of April 18, 190, the city went through a massive reconstruction This map shows the buildings constructed and buildings under construction two years after the fire.
Map: Library of Congress
07 Official Map of San Francisco,1849 at Turk and Taylor
11 The City of San Francisco 1878 Turk and Taylor
12 Map of part of San Francisco, California, April 18, 1908
13 Map of part of San Francisco, California, April 18, 1908 Turk and Taylor
The building at Turk and Taylor was constructed during this time, as this map corroborates.
Context Maps
In 2008, the Tenderloin District became recognized in the National Register of Historic Places under the name Uptown Tenderloin Historic District. The district includes all or part of 33 blocks roughly bounded by Market, McAllister, Golden Gate, Larkin, Geary, Taylor, Ellis, and Mason Streets.
The application form includes the description of the building at 101-122 Taylor Street when it was still owned by Woodward Investment Company. The building is described as having 115 rooms and 50 baths.
Uptown Tenderloin Historic District, 2008
15 Transgender District
In 2017, the Transgender District was founded by three black trans women: Honey Mahogany, Aria Sa'id, and Janetta Johnson. Originally it was called Compton’s Transgender Cultural District and was the first legally recognized transgender district in the world. The district encompasses 6 blocks in the southeastern Tenderloin and crosses over Market Street to include two blocks of 6th street. In 2016, the City of San Francisco renamed portions of Turk and Taylor to commemorate the historic contributions of transgender people, renaming them “Compton’s Cafeteria Way” and “Vikki Mar Lane” respectively.
Source: About the District
16 San Francisco Cultural Districts
The legislation of the Cultural Districts program states that community members from each District must write and then be guided by a three-year plan to fulfill each Districts’ vision and goals. This Strategic Plan is called the Cultural History, Housing, and Economic Sustainability Strategies (CHHESS) Report. The CHHESS Report serves as a roadmap for stabilizing their cultural community and is updated every three years.
17 Redistricting map: From District 6 (Sup Matt Dorsey SFPD) to District 5 (Sup Dean Preston DSA)
Moving the Tenderloin out of District 6 into District 5 split up the Tenderloin from Central SOMA, which will have a significant impact on the neighborhood’s voice. By dividing the Transgender, Leather, LGBTQ, and SOMA Pilipinas Filipino cultural districts as well as people with low incomes across the Tenderloin and the corridor at 6th street, this will alter how the community’s shared values can have political representation and resource allocation. These processes will affect mostly communities of color, LGBTQ+ residents, and people with low incomes. Redistricting processes happen every 10 years after the Census is completed to reflect population changes and foster equal representation. It has often been used as a tool to divide communities with shared racial, cultural, and economic interests by leveraging their collective political voice.
Source: TNDC Stories Maps: SF Chronicle