John F. Anderson with his sister and parents in their makeshift kitchen

JOHN F. ANDERSON
1906 SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE
CENTENNIAL COMMEMORATION
PHOTO DISPLAY
West Hollywood City Hall
April 3rd through 30th, 2006

Thank you for visiting my website and your interest in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake historical photo display. The photos were taken by John F. Anderson, who was my grandfather. It's my hope that if you are interested in visiting this unique exhibit, the information that follows will be helpful.

About the Photographer

This group of 24 original photographs of the April 18, 1906 San Francisco earthquake is being exhibited in the lobby of the West Hollywood City Hall. They have never been shown in public before. This photo display complements the observance of California Earthquake Preparedness Month. They were taken by 27-year-old John F. Anderson, born in San Francisco, the son of Swedish immigrants. He embraced photography very seriously--not as a business--but yes, with a great passion. As evidence of this he left not only these historic photos but also many other wonderful shots he took both in northern California and when he traveled south along the California coast to capture the beauty of such locations as Monterey, Venice Beach, and Catalina.

When the San Francisco earthquake struck, John F. Anderson was a shipping clerk (later a traveling salesman and then sales manager) for a shoe leather company, still unmarried and living with his parents and sister on Howard Street. He took care of many responsibilities after the earthquake, including finding a wagon to rent and moving his family's furniture to a relative's house when their own house was dynamited (along with many others) in an effort by authorities to stop the fires that were spreading in the city. In addition he took on the task of cleaning up due to earthquake damage at his place of work. But before doing all this, he managed, right after the earthquake hit in the early morning hours, to travel with his camera equipment to several locations in the city--probably by bicycle—and to document what he saw, then and in the days that followed.

This is more than just a group of photographs. They offer a tour of the event, almost leaving viewers with the impression that they were there. The way they were grouped and captioned with the photographer's hand-written comments added to the job that he did with his camera, resulting in a demonstration of the facts and consequences. Seeing these photos not only helps us to understand what happened 100 years ago, but also reminds us how vulnerable we are to natural disasters, even to this day, as well as how much courage, resourcefulness, and cooperation is required of authorities and residents when confronted by a natural disaster. Probably the most dramatic of all the photos on display is the one showing the condition of the children's playground at Golden Gate Park. It was a miracle that it happened at a time of day when no children would be there.

These photographs are not very large in size, but they are full of details that will help us to understand and minimize effects of another natural disaster. The casualties resulting from the earthquake and fires were: 3,000 people dead, 225,000 left homeless, 28,000 buildings destroyed, almost 500 city blocks leveled—an unimaginable amount of damage. San Francisco, which had been the most sophisticated city on the West Coast, was reduced to rubble by a combination of the quake that struck on April 18, 1906 and fires which lasted four days. Let's hope that nothing like that will happen again here in California and, if it does, that all of us are prepared. Otherwise, consequences would undoubtedly be worse today, given the size and density of our urban areas. These photos are part of the collection of the family of Dianne Stratton Corzo, Mr. Anderson's granddaughter.

The City of West Hollywood, through the Public Safety Department, has planned events and meetings observing Earthquake Preparedness Month. The highlight of this observance is scheduled for Tuesday, April 18, to be presided over by the City's Mayor, Abbe Land.

Visit the City of West Hollywood lobby and enjoy this photo exhibit, as well as getting informed about earthquake preparedness. It will run through April 30. The City Hall is located at 8300 Santa Monica Boulevard on Historic Route 66. It has ample visitors' parking in the rear of the building.

Directions: The City Hall has a large and busy lobby, and for more direct entrance to this display, and to avoid crossing the lines formed in front of windows for conducting City business, take the entrance from Santa Monica Boulevard (at Sweetzer). It also is equipped with a handicap ramp. There is an information desk for visitors with questions.

Hours: Monday-Thursday 8 am-6 pm; Friday 8 am-5 pm.

Update: This 1906 photo display has already generated great interest and, according to lobby personnel, visitors have had many questions. After all, in L.A. photos are exhibited here, there, just about everywhere; however, chances to view a group of 100-year-old pictures are rare. So please don't miss these historic images of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, as well as getting informed about how to be prepared for an earthquake or any other natural disaster. April is California Earthquake Preparedness Month.

Throughout the month of April 2006 at the Creative City Cafe at Movie Town Center 7310 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood, reproductions of all the original 1906 San Francisco earthquake photographs are being exhibited.

April 3, 2006 was the first day of the California Earthquake Preparedness Month display at the City Hall lobby, and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake photo exhibit complemented the display. City of West Hollywood officials were on hand for the occasion.

Shown here is a partial view of the display of the photo album pages that were mounted in several double-sided panels.

On April 18th, 2006 at the main event Mayor Abbe Land, while addressing the crowd motioned her hand toward the San Francisco Earthquake photo display, she said, "looking at these photographs you get the picture".

Like most of the viewers, the Mayor was impacted by the extent of the destruction shown in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake photo display.

Representatives from Los Angeles Fire Department

Lt. Brickert from the West Hollywood Sheriff Station

3rd Street looking north from Mission

San Francisco City Hall

If you have any questions or comments regarding the John F. Anderson San Francisco Photo Collection, please send them to diannecorzo@hotmail.com.

On May 30th, 2006 the city of West Hollywood wrote a letter of appreciation to Dianne Stratton Corzo for her assistance and participation stating that its residents were now better informed about the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and that they could use this knowledge for earthquake preparedness.