Map | Chinatown Landmarks
CHINATOWN LANDMARKS
1. Gateway to Chinatown (Bush & Grant):
This gateway marks the entrance into Chinatown. The plaque in the
middle is a replica of Dr Sun Yet Sen.’s proclamation when
he overthrew the corrupt monarchy and founded a democratic republic.
The four Chinese characters are translated: “All that is
under heaven belongs to the people.” The remaining 4 characters
on each side are the Confucian values of loyalty and compassion:
on the left, for integrity, on the right, for peace.
2. Sing Chong Building (California & Grant):
The famous California cable car route is flanked on each side of
the street at Grant Avenue by two prominent Chinatown landmarks:
the Sing Chong Building and the Sing Fat Building. These buildings,
the first structures to be rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, are
fine examples of neo-Chinese architecture.
3. Old Saint Mary (California & Grant):
Old Saint Mary's Church, built in 1854, was the first cathedral in
the Western United States. Under the prominent clock face are the
words, "Son Observe the Time and Fly from Evil". This
message targeted men who frequented the surrounding brothels in
the 1850's.
4. Waverly Place (Clay between
Grant & Stockton):
Waverly Place is known for its colorfully painted balconies and distinctive
temples. This street has numerous buildings with unique architecture
that house the headquarters of Chinatown’s family associations,
historical benevolent associations, and famous trade associations.
Tin Hau Temple, the oldest temple in the United States, is located
on this unusual alley.
5. Fortune Cookie Factory (56 Ross Alley):
This factory opened in 1962 and remains the only one where cookies
are still made by hand. The funny thing is, fortune cookies were
actually the invention of a Japanese immigrant named Makoto Hagiwara
who designed the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. He went
through a difficult time in his life and in 1914 after things improved,
he created a cookie with a “thank you” note inside
of it to pass out to all of the people who stood by his side during
his trials. In 1915 the fortune cookie was featured at the World
Fair in Treasure Island. (The fortune cookie was not introduced
to China until 1990 and were amusingly advertised as “Genuine
American Fortune Cookies”).
6. Chinese Telephone Exchange (743 Washington St.):
Built in 1891, this building served as the first Chinese telephone
exchange in the entire United States. No telephones numbers were
used. Instead, the operators there were required to speak five
dialects of Chinese and to know the number of each subscriber and
their respective voices by heart. Eclipsed by modern rotary phone
technology, the operation closed in 1949, and currently houses
United Commercial Bank. This historic location is also one of several
stops that are made as part of the must-experience Chinatown Ghost
Tour.
7. Cameron House (920 Sacramento Street):
Originally opened in 1874 as the “Occidental Mission Home for
Girls,” it was later renamed Cameron House for its director
Donaldina Cameron who dedicated 47 years of her life to rescuing
young girls who were sold into slavery and prostitution.
8. Cable Car Barn & Museum (Mason & Washington):
Built in 1873, this is the oldest continuously operating Cable Car
barn in the world. The cables inside of this building control a
network of cables that run throughout the city to which cable cars
clam onto in order to be pulled up and down the steep hills of
San Francisco. It has been in operation since the days of the Gold
Rush. Admission is free, but small donations are appreciated to
help keep the premises open and operating.
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