Hard to know where to begin, but some images of Mid Market in the 60’s are quite shocking compared to how far downhill it went in the 80’s and 90’s, and 2000’s
This is probably the most stunning of all. This is Market street looking west between 5th and 6th and up to 7th, 1961. You can see the Warfield sign on the right, and Kress (925 market) and Weinsteins (1035-1041 Market) department store on the left. You can see almost the same thing in the previous post from 1958 at another angle
This is Market street at 6th looking east toward the Ferry Building posted recently by SF Historian
This is Weinsteins in 1964, from the San Francisco library historical collection. This is where Marinello’s School of Beauty is now at 1035 market
This photo is also quite stunning and it’s Market between 7th and 8th. and you can see all the way down to 6th and Market in this photo, one of the best I’ve seen from the era via Lance & Cromwell (SAN FRANCISCO IN 1961 looking east down Market Street. (scanned negative)
Walgreens at 985 market near 6th and Market, 1964, also from the SF public library
Guild & Centre Theaters at 1069 and 1071 Market Street 1964 (SF Public library historical collection)
Market and Mason (and Turk) 1968, via Kevin Danks
Market and Mason 1974, via Leroy Demory jr (actually this is 5th and Market, close by)
Market and McCallister 1974, also via Leroy Demory jr
Golden gate Theater at 6th and Market in the 60’s, via sftrajan
Built in 1920, the Golden Gate was a movie theater for over 50 years until it closed in the 1970’s. By the time it was shuttered, the Golden Gate had already been converted into a two screen theater in the 1960’s, but suffered little permanent damage as it was restored to a single auditorium by the Shorenstein Hayes Nederlander group.
When it was finally renovated and reopened in 1979 into a performing arts center, the original detail and look of the theater was restored as well. Although the neighborhood has remained a little seedy, the theater is still very grand, with a marvelous Art Deco vertical sign that is nearly 4 stories high. Today, the Golden Gate is still a premier venue for travelling broadway shows and a visual journey into San Francisco’s gilded past.
Orpheum theater at 8th and Market in the 60’s via Lance and Cromwell
back up a little bit across Market street, also at 8th and Market, Construction of Del Webb’s TowneHouse at Eighth and Market streets, former site of the Crystal Palace Market 1959. , via the San Francisco library historical collection
And when it was complete it in 1959, it looked like this and that’s what eventually became Trinity Plaza via Eric Fischer
You can see the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals building a block away on 7th and Mission here, which is now blocked by the new federal building and the Soma Grand
prior to Del Webbs, and Trinity Plaza, it was a giant supermarket, the only supermarket Mid Market ever had, and you can read the whole story about the Crystal Palace supermarket at Found SF
this view of the Crystal Palace is at 8th and Mission looking north. You can see the Hastings college tower on McCallister. This corner is where the new trinity Towers are being built right now at 8th and Mission
10th and Market, 1962 (SF Library) actually Van Ness and Market via comments here. If you look close you can see the sign for San Francisco’s legendary Zims hamburgers
and late addition, this is Van Ness and market 1971 with BART/MUNI under construction, tearing up Market Street, and the Carousel Ballroom, which originally was a car dealership and is another car dealership today
and 6th and Mission 1971 via Nick Dewolf
6th and Market, 1976, from the San Francisco assessors survey of 1001 Market
Here’s a nice video from the 1960’s of Mid market