Maiden Lane at San Francisco’s Union Square has had a rich illustrious Barbary Coast history. A lot of people know it’s humble beginnings as Morton Street, a well traveled street for those seeking brothels, saloons, prostitutes, and other “entertainment” of ill repute. And it was a street roamed by mobs, pimps, pickpockets, drunks, and dope peddlers. But did you know Morton Street was born as St Mark’s Place according to the 1852 US Coastal Survey map, and you can only get there at that time by hiking or riding through rough dirt paths surrounded by sand dunes with only a few buildings around the general vicinity? Development was slow due to its difficult location, so crime was almost nonexistent during those early years. But in 1860, the building of the Market Street Railroad accelerated the development of the area into a bustling city district, and the brothels and all the criminal elements started to appear in earnest. On May 24, 1869 the Board of Supervisors, with a little “nudging” from the founders of R. & J. Morton, voted to change St. Mark’s Place to Morton Street in honor of R. & J. Morton, one of San Francisco’s largest drayage firms who built the Morton Building on Post Street between Kearny and Dupont with the back of the building facing the then St. Mark’s Place. This was the same year the brothels moved in to stay. But by 1891, the reform movements that swept across the United States and into San Francisco, along with local outcry against the brothels in the crime infested area began to take hold. And in 1895, with the election of reform candidate Adolph Sutro as Mayor, it was the beginning of the end of the brothels and all the criminal elements associated with it, including those on Morton Street.

By 1898, developers began plans to redevelop the street and eventually petitioned to change the street’s name from Morton Street to Union Square Avenue in honor of the park nearby, arguing that the former street’s name being associated with its history made it difficult to lease their newly redeveloped spaces. And thus Morton Street was reincarnated as Union Square Avenue, and thrived as a small alley for legitimate businesses. In 1909, Union Square Avenue was reincarnated again as Manila Alley in honor of the Admiral Dewey monument in Union Square Park, another memorial marking Admiral Dewey’s victory in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. And with the continuing shift of San Francisco’s shopping district to Union Square, on July 27, 1922, Mayor James Rolph Jr. approved an ordinance to change the name of the little alley that started life as the rags at St. Mark’s Place and more notoriously known as Morton Street, to the riches of Maiden Lane we know today, in reference to the Maiden Lane in London.

 

…Confused yet? No? Good, I can fix that! (lol) Maiden Lane started life in the financial district in reference to Manhattan’s Maiden Lane, about a block from what’s now the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco. The old Maiden Lane in that location was reconfigured several times, and around 1883, it was renamed to Vulcan Lane, vacating the name Maiden Lane for a number of years and making it available. That old Maiden Lane in the Financial District eventually became Ils Lane, and a small opening of the “street” between buildings still survives today.

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Available Museum Quality Prints

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MUSEUM QUALITY PRINTS can be purchased from any image on my website. If you just want a simple print that’s rolled in a tube, that’s great! If you want it framed, we’ll do that too! We also sell canvas prints, metal prints, and more. All of our premium papers and canvases are acid-free and, with proper care, will last for generations. Unframed prints are shipped in sturdy 1/4″ cardboard tubes and include a 1″ white border to allow for future matting and framing. Prints may also be shipped in flat packaging upon request. Pick your favorite art and photography from my website, and a museum-quality masterpiece will be on its way to you within 2 – 3 business days!

FRAMED PRINTS are offered in 230 frames and 100 mats which can be used to create museum-quality masterpieces from any image on my site! All framed prints are assembled, packaged, and shipped by our expert framing staff and arrive “ready to hang” with pre-attached hanging wire, mounting hooks, and nails. Pick your favorite art and photography from my site, and a museum-quality masterpiece will be on its way to you within 2 – 3 business days!

CANVAS PRINTS are printed on one of our premium canvases and then stretched on a wooden frame of 1.5″ x 1.5″ stretcher bars. All canvas prints are shipped “ready to hang” with a hanging wire, mounting hooks, and nails. Canvas prints are offered in two different wrap styles, three different border styles, and hundreds of frame options. Pick your favorite art and photography from my site, and a museum-quality masterpiece will be on its way to you within 2 – 3 business days!

METAL PRINTS are printed directly onto a sheet of 1/16″ thick aluminum! The aluminum sheet is offset from the wall by a 3/4″ thick wooden frame which is attached to the back. The wooden frame on the back of the print includes a hanging wire for easy mounting on your wall. All metal prints arrive “ready to hang” with mounting hooks and nails. Metal prints are extremely durable. They’re lightweight. They won’t bend, and they’re water resistant. The high gloss of the aluminum sheet complements the rich colors of any image to produce stunning results.

Return policy is very simple. If you're not happy with a purchase, for any reason, you can return it to us within 30 days of the order date. As soon as it arrives, we'll issue a full refund for the entire purchase price. Please note - we do not reimburse the outgoing or return shipping charges unless the return is due to a defect in quality. Pick HERE if you want to return a product now. Satisfaction Guarantee 877-807-5901