Category: Then & Now
Compare history with the present in fascinating “Then and Now” photo pairs. See how cities, landmarks, and people changed over time.
These visual contrasts show the beauty of transformation and the persistence of heritage.
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#8 People walk beneath Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral, which survived the quake but was gutted by the fire
This then-and-now image frames Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral in a striking split view, pairing a historic black-and-white scene with the same streetscape in full color today. The cathedral’s tall brick façade and arched windows anchor the composition, while modern high-rises and busy city traffic show how the surrounding neighborhood has transformed over time.
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#24 Rubble at the Mint.
This “Then & Now” image, titled “#24 Rubble at the Mint,” blends a historic black-and-white scene of destruction with a present-day street view in front of a grand, columned Mint building. In the older photograph, broken brick, twisted debris, and damaged ground dominate the foreground while the sturdy masonry façade rises behind it, creating a…
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#40 The Rialto Building on New Montgomery stands tall amid the destruction.
This striking then-and-now photo juxtaposes a historic scene of devastation on New Montgomery Street with the modern city blocks that line the same corridor today. In the monochrome portion, the street is choked with rubble and shattered brickwork, with skeletal walls and collapsed facades framing a long view down the roadway. The emptiness and debris-strewn…
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#56 Spectators fill O’Farrell Street to watch the billowing smoke inch closer towards the Call Building.
Spectators fill O’Farrell Street in this dramatic historical photo, drawn into the roadway as a thick column of smoke billows between tall downtown buildings. Hat-wearing onlookers cluster along the sidewalks, their attention fixed ahead as the haze inches closer toward the Call Building, turning an everyday city block into a tense public gathering.
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#72 Two men gaze curiously over the fence at the salvaged furniture strewn around the yard of the James Flood Mansion.
This “Then & Now” image highlights the imposing façade of the James Flood Mansion, where a partially overlaid historical photograph merges with a contemporary street view. The blended scene emphasizes the mansion’s grand architecture—tall columns, carved stonework, and prominent window openings—set against a modern urban backdrop with parked cars and a wide roadway in the…
