Market Street, 1972 and 2023.
The first photograph captures Market Street in 1972, filled with the summer bustle of downtown San Francisco. A woman pushes a baby in a stroller past the Palm Garden Grill at 975 Market Street, while shoppers move beneath the avenue’s ornate “Path of Gold” lamp posts. Nearby, the towering Kress sign at 939 Market Street marks one of the block’s familiar retail landmarks. The ornamental poles were developed by architect Willis Polk after the 1906 earthquake, while the distinctive three-globe tops used in the 1916 installation were designed by sculptor Leo Lentelli, working with lighting designer Walter D’Arcy Ryan.
The second photograph, taken in 2023, shows how dramatically the same stretch of Market Street had changed over the intervening 51 years. The old storefronts and signs are gone, while mature street trees now line the sidewalk, their branches barren after shedding their leaves for autumn. Side by side, the photographs capture two very different eras of the same Market Street block.
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