1906 Refugee Shacks Remaining


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1906 earthquake cottages

1906 Earthquake Refugee Cottages Still Standing

This list is a compilation of the shack survey Jane F. Cryan did in the 1980s and early 1990s, and more recent field work. This doesn't mean there aren't more cottages out there. More and more are being discovered.

Of 5,610 shacks built in 1906-1907 only 32 remain!

Take a look at the Map of Surviving Earthquake Cottages.

Bernal Heights
164 Bocana Street (Type C)
211 Mullen Avenue (Type B)
20 Newman Street (Two Type B)
43 Carver Street (Two Type B) -- Certified by Jane Cryan on November 28, 2004
673 Moultrie Street (Two Type B) -- Certified by Moses Corrette, March 2008
842 Moultrie Street (Type C) -- possibly 848 Moultrie also!
Sunset District
1227 24th Avenue (City Landmark #171, Three Type A, one Type B)
4329 - 4331 Kirkham Street (Three Type A and One Type B) - Moved to SF Zoo and Oakland
1224 - 46th Avenue (Type B and perhaps a Type C) -- Reviewed by Woody LaBounty on August 30, 2007, certified by Moses Corrette on October 5, 2007.
Ocean View
233 Broad Street (Type A) -- Certified by Moses Corrette, confirmed by Woody LaBounty on January 19, 2006.
74 Lobos Street (Two Type B) -- Certified by Moses Corrette on January 17, 2006.
254 Montana Street (Type B)
30 Niantic Street (Two Type A) -- Certified by Jane Cryan on March 23, 2003
Noe Valley
300 Cumberland Street (One Type A and One Type B)
Portola
252 Holyoke Street (One Type A and One Type B) -- Certified by Jane Cryan, Joe Butler and Moses Corrette November 10, 2005
Presidio
"Goldie Shacks" on Mesa Street, behind Old Post Hospital (Two Type A)
These shacks were originally located at 485-34th Avenue near Geary, and were saved from demolition in 1985.
Santa Cruz, California
330 Ninth Avenue (Two Type A)

Do you have a camp cottage?

Shacks have been cobbled together, renovated, and remodeled, so identification can be tricky. Here are some signs:

  • "Type A" cottages are 10' wide and 14' deep.
  • "Type B" cottages are 14' wide and 18' deep.
  • Walls were made of wide California redwood boards, painted park-bench green.
  • Flooring was made of fir.
  • Roofing was pup-tent-like and shingled with cedar
  • Most original windows were six-paned
  • If you can see in the rafters, look for the checkerboard-like framing.
Precita Shack move

More on the Kirkham street homes and earthquake shacks in Streetwise!

Images: 1) Shack being moved out of the Precita Park Camp, 1907. Courtesy of the San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

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Page launched 12 March 2003; Updated 14 March 2008