Western Addition, San Francisco

The Western Addition is a part of central San Francisco. Today, most people use the name to talk about a neighborhood in the west-central part of the city. This area is often called the same as the Fillmore District.

Long ago, the Western Addition meant a much bigger part of the city. In the 1850s, this area was planned and built. It was north of Market Street and west of Larkin Street. It stretched all the way to Divisadero Street, which is why it was called the "Western Addition"—it added land to the west side of the city.

Over time, the Western Addition has changed. Plans for the city to grow and people moving in have split the neighborhood into smaller parts. Areas like the Upper Fillmore, now called Lower Pacific Heights, and Hayes Valley became their own special places.

Location

The historic Western Addition includes many smaller neighborhoods such as Lower Pacific Heights, Cathedral Hill, Japantown, the Fillmore, Hayes Valley, Alamo Square, Anza Vista, and North of Panhandle.

Today, the Western Addition is located between Hayes Valley and the Lower Haight to the south, Lower Pacific Heights to the north, Cathedral Hill to the east, and North of Panhandle and Anza Vista to the west. Its boundaries start from the intersection of Geary Boulevard and Divisadero Street in the northwest and go to around Gough and McAllister or Fulton Streets on the southwest side. However, different sources may describe the neighborhood boundaries in different ways.

History

The Western Addition started to take shape in the 1850s because of a rule called the Van Ness Ordinance. It covered a big area west from Larkin Street to Divisadero Street and included places like Jefferson Square, Hamilton Square, Alamo Square, Alta Plaza, and Lafayette Square. Farther west was an area called the Outside Lands, which wasn’t built on yet.

At first, people used the land for small farms. But after the cable car was invented in the 1870s, the area grew into a neighborhood filled with Victorian houses. It survived the big earthquake of 1906, and many of those old houses are still standing.

After World War II, the Western Addition, especially the Fillmore District, became an important place for San Francisco’s African-American community. This happened partly because many Japanese Americans were moved away, leaving homes available. Over time, changes in the city and big building projects caused shifts in who lived there and how it looked. The Fillmore District faced challenges with crime and poverty, while other areas changed as more wealthy people moved in. A road called the Central Freeway used to go through the neighborhood but was closed after an earthquake in 1989 and later taken down.

Since the early 1990s, the Western Addition has continued to change with more people moving in and making it a different place.

Government and infrastructure

The San Francisco Police Department Northern Station helps keep the Western Addition safe.

Notable buildings

The Western Addition neighborhood in San Francisco has many special buildings that have been saved because they are important to history. One of these is a house at 1840–1842 Eddy Street built in 1875. It is listed as a special landmark in California and the United States.

Another important building is at 1813–1813B Sutter Street, built in 1876. It was used for both homes and business and is also listed as a special landmark in California and the United States. There is also a group of buildings called the Bush Street–Cottage Row Historic District, which includes 20 old homes and a small park. These buildings are important to San Francisco’s history.

Other notable buildings include the Goodman Building, built around 1860, and the Japanese YWCA/Issei Women's Building, founded in 1912 by Japanese women who were not allowed to use the main San Francisco YWCA. The Stadtmuller House, built in 1880, is known for its beautiful Italianate style architecture. All of these buildings are protected as important landmarks.