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Thousands of relief cottages were built after the 1906 earthquake and fire. Dozens still house Bay Area residents today
By Peter Hartlaub Updated Nov 21, 2025 10:14 p.m. San Francisco Chronicle
Where have all the 1906 earthquake shacks gone?
San Francisco built 5,610 relief cottages in city parks to house refugees after the devastating earthquake and fire. Most have been demolished, and two more were nearly lost last week in Noe Valley, when a developer largely destroyed them in violation of the project’s permits.
While the city is demanding their reconstruction, a surprising number of the tiny shacks — at least 30 and maybe many more — are intact and still housing people in the Bay Area today. The residents who live in them swear the sturdy redwood frames built in a day could last another 119 years.
We’ve compiled a list of many of the Bay Area shacks that are “certified” by local preservationists, plus more strongly believed to be earthquake refugee shacks as well. Bernal Heights has the highest concentration, but the petite homes are scattered throughout the region and beyond.
Preservationists have documented more confirmed earthquake shacks that are in backyards or not clearly visible from the street. For this guide, we focused on those that are visible from public places without disturbing their inhabitants.
Click on an address or a point on the map to learn more about each one.
Map: Where 1906 earthquake shacks live on in San Francisco
Greg
Where have all the 1906 earthquake shacks gone?
San Francisco built 5,610 relief cottages in city parks to house refugees after the devastating earthquake and fire. Most have been demolished, and two more were nearly lost last week in Noe Valley, when a developer largely destroyed them in violation of the project’s permits.
While the city is demanding their reconstruction, a surprising number of the tiny shacks — at least 30 and maybe many more — are intact and still housing people in the Bay Area today. The residents who live in them swear the sturdy redwood frames built in a day could last another 119 years.
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We’ve compiled a list of many of the Bay Area shacks that are “certified” by local preservationists, plus more strongly believed to be earthquake refugee shacks as well. Bernal Heights has the highest concentration, but the petite homes are scattered throughout the region and beyond.
Preservationists have documented more confirmed earthquake shacks that are in backyards or not clearly visible from the street. For this guide, we focused on those that are visible from public places without disturbing their inhabitants.
Click on an address or a point on the map to learn more about each one.
Map view
List view
1227 24th Ave.
48 Cortland Ave.
1218 46th Ave.
673 Moultrie St.
164 Bocana St.
211 and 217 Mullen Ave.
233 Broad St.
14 Elsie St.
3653 Folsom St.
254 Montana St.
57 Elsie St.
20 Newman St.
43 Carver St.
1837 Alabama St.
615 Ellsworth St.
The Presidio “Goldie Shacks”
810 San Antonio Ave., San Bruno
San Francisco Zoo
300 Cumberland St.
3 Fifth Ave., Oakland
330 Ninth Ave., Santa Cruz
© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors
© OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap contributors
We'd love to add to this list. If you know of a shack that's not included, send the address and a photo to Peter Hartlaub at phartlaub@sfchronicle.com with "Quake Shack" in the subject line.
Preservationists have documented more confirmed earthquake shacks that are in backyards or not clearly visible from the street. We focused this guide on shacks that are visible from public places.
Thank you to Jane Cryan, Vicky Walker, David Gallagher, Woody LaBounty, John Blackburn and the Bernal History Project, and the Western Neighborhoods Project for providing much of the data for this guide.