San Francisco's Victorian Homes

Following the 1849 Gold Rush, San Francisco grew into the West Coast's financial, cultural, and trade capital. By the turn of the century, the population had grown to over 400,000 people. Wealth could be seen everywhere, even in the homes being built in the city.
San Francisco's famous Victorian homes were one product of the city's golden age. It is in the finishing of these homes that the glamour of the era could be seen. Ornate beams, reliefs, carvings and shingles covered homes built with turrets and towers, balconies and grand staircases. From 1850 through 1915, more than 50,000 Victorian homes were built in San Francisco.
Then, on April 18th, 1906, the Great Earthquake and Fire struck the city. San Francisco burned. More than 20,000 Victorian homes were lost. Over the decades to come, many other Victorian homes were lost as their hard and expensive to maintain exteriors deteriorated until they were torn down and replaced by more practical buildings and homes. In the '70s, the Victorians of San Francisco enjoyed a comeback. Psychedelia from the '60s nurtured many Victorians into the colorfully vibrant facades that the city is known for today.
Rai, I'm telling you all this to let you know that there are so many things around you that you cannot take for granted. The Victorian homes of this city are a wonderful historic and artistic treasure. When you look at the fire map of San Francisco following the 1906 Earthquake, it becomes very clear where the Victorians were consumed, and where they escaped the flames. Today, the pocket neighborhoods in which an abundance of Victorians stands are of immeasurable value, one of the essential architectural legacies from the era during which this city first grew and prospered.
Although so few of the original Victorians remain, there are still more than enough to remind us of what San Francisco may once have looked like with its 50,000 Victorian homes. I grew up in a city where modernization has left most of the historic residential neighborhoods abandoned. Like the San Francisco of the past, many of those beautiful century-old homes have fallen into such disrepair that they are hardly salvageable. The movement to save those neighborhoods is a bit slower than it is here, but it has begun.
When your Uncle Bart and I were here for the first time 8 years ago, we walked through the Alamo Square district and onwards to the Panhandle and Haight where so many fantastic Victorians remain. We couldn't believe our eyes. At that time, I remember my outlook on the situation in my home town changing completely. From that moment, the decrepid old neighbordhoods of Winnipeg were no longer scary and poor places to ignore and forget but areas of the city where revitalization such as had occured here was necessary and important.
Rai, I write this hoping that you will recognize what a gift this aspect of your city is and the vision and commitment of so many that has gone into restoring and preserving the architectural legacy of this city. When you walk or bike through the Mission, Noe Valley, Eureka Valley, Western Addition and so many other neighborhoods in which our wonderful Victorians can be found, don't forget to let those colorful homes catch your eyes and imagination. Imagine a city in which every home was as rich a store of craftsmanship and care. And, imagine a city in which all those Victorians still forgotten can be brought back to life by caring and nostalgic hands.