What was the location of the I Magnin store in San Francisco before the 1906 earthquake?

Answer 1

At the time shortly before the great earthquake of April 1906, I. Magnin and Company was situated at 918-922 Market Street on the same block of the James Flood Building across from the Emporium Department Store. The last location on Market Street was opened in March 1901 and was considered quite elegant. It was a two story high structure, quite spacious and featuring electric lighting as well as beautiful natural light from above via an overhead skylight. It had a very fine entrance on Market Street and an even larger one on Ellis Street. The display cabinets were of fine wood and glass. There were plenty of fitting rooms and a rather luxurious ladies lounge. The store was approximately 10,000 square feet. The lower level (below street level) was for it's huge inventory. Because of it's continued success I. Magnin was building a new store on Grant which of course was destroyed during the earthquake. Before moving to 918-922 Market Street I. Magnin was located a block further northeast also on Market Street. The block on which the store was built was also referred to as the Baldwin block. Before the Flood building was built, the same site was home to one of old San Francisco's great hotels, the Baldwin Hotel, which burned down in 1899. The Flood building was built in 1905. In some pre-earthquake photographs of the Flood building looking east you can actually see the I. Magnin store situated three buildings east of the Flood, it was the shortest building on the block.