Maiden Lane (San Francisco)
Encyclopedia
Maiden Lane is a short, pedestrian-only street in San Francisco, California
. It is notable for its proximity to Union Square and its concentration of upscale retailers, including Chanel
, Marc Jacobs
, and Yves Saint Laurent
. It is also home to Frank Lloyd Wright's V. C. Morris Gift Shop
, built in 1948 and currently occupied by Xanadu Gallery.
Prior to the 1906 earthquake
, the street was called Morton Street and was the center of San Francisco's red-light district
. The earthquake, which leveled much of the city, rendered this two-block stretch rubble. It was renamed Maiden Lane by an enterprising jeweler who wanted to conjure the Maiden Lanes of London and New York
.
Jane Jacobs
described the street:
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
. It is notable for its proximity to Union Square and its concentration of upscale retailers, including Chanel
Chanel
Chanel S.A. is a French fashion house founded by the couturier Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, well established in haute couture, specializing in luxury goods . She gained the name "Coco" while maintaining a career as a singer at a café in France...
, Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs
Marc Jacobs is an American fashion designer. He is the head designer for Marc Jacobs, as well as Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line, with more than 200 retail stores in 60 countries. He has been the creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton since 1997...
, and Yves Saint Laurent
Yves Saint Laurent (brand)
Yves Saint Laurent or YSL is a luxury fashion house founded by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. Today, its chief designer is Stefano Pilati. Yves Saint Laurent, founder of the brand, died in 2008.-History:...
. It is also home to Frank Lloyd Wright's V. C. Morris Gift Shop
V. C. Morris Gift Shop
The V. C. Morris Gift Shop is located at 140 Maiden Lane in San Francisco, California, USA, and was renovated by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1948. The store was used by Wright as a physical prototype, or proof of concept for the circular ramp at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.Xanadu Gallery, the...
, built in 1948 and currently occupied by Xanadu Gallery.
Prior to the 1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, the street was called Morton Street and was the center of San Francisco's red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
. The earthquake, which leveled much of the city, rendered this two-block stretch rubble. It was renamed Maiden Lane by an enterprising jeweler who wanted to conjure the Maiden Lanes of London and New York
Maiden Lane (Manhattan)
Maiden Lane is an east-west street in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. Its eastern terminus is at South Street, near the South Street Seaport...
.
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
described the street: