by Frank Dunnigan

One hundred years ago, San Francisco was almost fully recovered from the devastation of the 1906 earthquake and was making tremendous strides into the 20th century in the aftermath of World War I. Telecommunications were expanding, as well as transportation—both automobiles and public transit. New residential construction was thriving across many neighborhoods, as shown by these examples from the OpenSFHistory photo archive, revealing the new city that was gradually emerging.

Avalon Street looking east from London Street, October 22, 1925. (wnp36.03278; photo by Horace Chaffee, SF Department of Public Works / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

New homes on Avalon Avenue in the Excelsior District were beginning to expand San Francisco’s residential neighborhoods by 1925.

Corner of Prague and Drake Streets, circa 1925. (wnp27.4628; Crocker Estate Album / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Development near Prague and Drake Streets in the Crocker-Amazon neighborhood was in the process of extending residential San Francisco all the way to the San Mateo County line.

View west to Twin Peaks from 22nd and Noe Streets, circa 1925. (wnp27.3324; Courtesy of a Private Collector)

This view west toward Twin Peaks from 22nd and Noe Streets, circa 1925, shows a variety of newer and older housing interspersed with many open lots available for construction in Noe Valley.

View north of St. Mary’s Park from Silver and Gambier, October 22, 1925. (wnp36.03282; photo by Horace Chaffee, SF Department of Public Works / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By October 1925, residential development was well underway in St. Mary’s Park, adjacent to Mission Street.

View south on Collingwood Street toward 21st Street, January 2, 1925. (wnp36.02729; photo by Horace Chaffee, SF Department of Public Works / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Civic improvements such as street grading and retaining walls brought new housing into the hilly landscape of Eureka Valley, such as this scene of Collingwood Street in January 1925.

View north from intersection of Alhambra Street and Mallorca Way, January 2, 1925. (wnp36.02771; photo by Horace Chaffee, SF Department of Public Works / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

The Marina District, cleared and graded after the completion of the Panama Pacific International Exhibition in 1915, contained many paved streets and sidewalks by 1925. Construction of housing had been largely delayed by World War I, and was just beginning to get underway, as shown here from the intersection of Alhambra and Mallorca in January 1925.

Franklin near Filbert, 1925. (wnp70.10051; Marilyn Blaisdell Collection / Courtesy of Molly Blaisdell)

In addition to single-family homes, the Marina also saw construction of flats and apartment houses, including those shown here at Franklin and Filbert Streets in this 1925 image. Note the large stucco urns mounted above the brickwork on the set of flats at 2719 Franklin Street at right. The façade of that structure has been modified slightly since the time of this photo; the urns and pedestals on which they sit have been removed.

View west on Roosevelt Way to Levant Street, December 24, 1925. (wnp36.03299; photo by Horace Chaffee, SF Department of Public Works / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

Housing continued to expand as hilly areas were graded and paved, such as this scene of Roosevelt Way near Levant Street in Corona Heights in December 1925.

View east toward the 100 block of Tunnel Avenue from the current path of Bayshore Boulevard, Little Hollywood, March 16, 1924. (wnp27.4596; Crocker Estate Album / Courtesy of a Private Collector)

By the mid-1920s, the first homes had just been built in the Little Hollywood area of the Bayview District, with livestock still grazing just across the street from these Tunnel Avenue residences.