Block 3 |
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Learn about the Duisenberg Family
This
city block is bounded by Harrison, Bryant, Sixth and Seventh streets.
Before European settlement the block was mainly a marshland that drained
east into Mission Bay, an inlet of the greater San Francisco Bay.
The block was close to the heart of Gold Rush San Francisco. In 1853,
it became the site of the Russ Gardens, San Francisco’s first public
pleasure 
grounds.
The Gardens, begun by the German immigrant, Emmanuel Russ, contained
an octagonal dance pavilion, sold beer, and featured dancing, picnics
and performances. Despite being built in the “wilderness” south of Market
Street, the Russ Gardens attracted people from all classes and ethnic
backgrounds. It was one of the only respectable entertainment destinations
in a city overflowing with saloons and gambling halls. People ventureed
out on Sunday walks along the plank-covered Folsom Street road to relax
and socialize in the Gardens.
When the Russ Gardens closed after a fire in 1861, the block was quickly
built up with tenement housing. These houses, some three stories high,
had small yards and were occupied by multiple families. By 1880s, the
block had become a predominantly Irish neighborhood 
made
up of large working-class laboring families.
The block was devastated by the 1906 Earthquake and fire. It was rebuilt
with a mixture of shops, industries, and the Southside Playground.