San Francisco Flower Market
6th and Brannan
SOMA
With the face of San Francisco changing so very rapidly right now, I thought I would take a look at a block of buildings that has been a stalwart in the South of Market area serving an single industry, the San Francisco Flower Market. There are only 5 grower owned Flower Markets in the United States, and San Francisco is privileged to have one of those.
A coalition of three ethnic groups founded the organizations that began the early San Francisco Flower Mart. Italian growers started the San Francisco Flower Growers Association; Japanese growers founded the California Flower Market, Inc.; and Chinese growers ran the Peninsula Flower Association. Each group brought its flower growing expertise and individual personalities to the mix. When they joined collectively in 1926, the flower industry in San Francisco changed forever. Today, two of the original stockholders operate the Mart. These stockholders are members of the California Flower Market and the San Francisco Flower Growers Association.
Darold Fredricks of the Daily Journal wrote an excellent history of the Flower Market some of which I have excerpted it here:
Before 1900, a unofficial flower market sprung up on Market Street around Lotta’s Fountain. There was a transportation system in place with the trolley cars on Market Street and others that converged in this area. Twice a week, the growers and retailers met between Lotta’s Fountain and Podesta and Baldocchi flower shop at 7 a.m. and inspection of the blooms were made, deals from buyers consummated and demand gauged for the shops.
All went well until the 1906 earthquake. Because of the increasing number of growers that sprung up down the Peninsula and the problem of keeping the area clear of large crowds, the flower market was banned from the Lotta’s Fountain area and they had to find another site at which to gather. They found a place between Montgomery and Kearny streets. This site was indoors.
Due to the destruction of many buildings and the rapidly developing market for flowers, the three main ethnic groups of growers — Italians, Japanese and Chinese — developed their own market locations. The Italians grew field variety of flowers and ferns; the Chinese raised outdoor pompons and asters; and the Japanese specialized in greenhouse-grown flowers, chrysanthemums, roses and carnations. These groups felt they could find adequate space for their wholesale market they split up. The Italians started the San Francisco Flower Growers Association, the Japanese growers founded The California Flower Market, Inc., and the Chinese ran the Peninsula Flower Growers Association. They nevertheless remained close to the Kearny/Market Street vicinity.
The growers met with increasing resistance by developers in the city as land became too valuable for only plots of flowers. With a surplus of land available down the Peninsula, groups began planting swaths of land around Millbrae and San Mateo. The San Francisco Water Department rented land in Millbrae and the Cozzolinos and Betrocchis, the Ludemanns , DelDons and a few others purchased growing land to meet the challenge of the increasing market. The Mock family settled in San Bruno and the Leong family in San Mateo.
In 1924, however the three groups relocated to large central complex at Fifth and Howard streets.
In 1956, the organization of growers moved to a new building at the corner of Sixth and Brannan streets. Here there was room for 100 vendors in the 135,000 square feet of space.
This is a fun video, made in the 1970’s, of the flower market.
In 2007 there was a lot of scuttlebutt about the closing of the flower mart, Amy Stewart, author of Flower Confidential commented, “This isn’t the ’50s or ’60s. No one wears corsages or orders a centerpiece for a dinner party from the florist down the street,” Stewart said. “People buy their flowers at Costco, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s”, only time will tell.
This story was an adjunct of a friend asking me about a little fellow on the exterior of the building. Ron Chiappari at the Flower Mart and Kim Hernandez of McClellan Botanicals (where my grandmother bought her orchids, as do I) have both been very helpful in my quest to determine who he is and why he is in the sidewalk on Brannan street, alas, no one knows why. If you have any information, please contact me.. the mystery continues.
