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| Landmark #192 | San Francisco County | Visited: February 23, 2013 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A plaque on the side of a building! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: The “El Dorado,” the “Parker House,” and “Dennison’s Exchange” were among the most famous hotel and gambling resorts around San Francisco in the early 1850s. The Jenny Lind Theatre replaced the Parker House in 1850. The third Jenny Lind Theatre, opened by Tom Maguire on October 4, 1851 on the same site as the two preceding it, which were destroyed in the fires of 1851, was purchased by the City of San Francisco in 1852 for use as the city hall.
OTHER TIDBITS: The purchase of the Jenny Lind Theatre was quite a scandal! San Francisco’s old City Hall had been destroyed by fire on June 22, 1851, which left city officials scrambling for a new headquarters! Instead of forking over the $200,000 to build a new city hall, the city council decided they would spend the $200,000 to buy the Jenny Lind Theatre, then spend an additional $100,000 to gut it. The mayor vetoed it the first time, but the council passed the ordinance unanimously in response. There were angry protests across the street at Portsmouth Plaza with speeches by Mr. William Dana and Justice David C. Broderick! The issue ultimately went to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the city and board of supervisors were within their legal authority to buy the theatre. |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: 750 Kearny St at Merchant San Francisco, CA 94108 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~387mi (623km) — 6.5hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |