Step(0): NowHouse
San Francisco Earthquake CottageMore than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
The city built over 5,000 tiny, one-room shelters to house those displaced by the 1906 earthquake and fire. These endearing little structures were called Earthquake Cottages and were rapidly deployed in large number on open spaces with the intent they would be moved to permanent locations. Many have survived, are still lived in today, and are cherished by their residents.
While over a century has passed since this historic disaster, the strategies used to tackle this previous housing emergency can very much inform the way we approach our current one. We have designed a contemporary version of the earthquake cottage to address homelessness – we call it the NowHouse.
The city built over 5,000 tiny, one-room shelters to house those displaced by the 1906 earthquake and fire. These endearing little structures were called Earthquake Cottages and were rapidly deployed in large number on open spaces with the intent they would be moved to permanent locations. Many have survived, are still lived in today, and are cherished by their residents.
While over a century has passed since this historic disaster, the strategies used to tackle this previous housing emergency can very much inform the way we approach our current one. We have designed a contemporary version of the earthquake cottage to address homelessness – we call it the NowHouse.
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1906 - SF Earthquake Cottage
2025 - NowHouse
1906 - SF Earthquake Cottage
2025 - NowHouse
1906 - SF Earthquake Cottage
2025 - NowHouse
1906 - SF Earthquake Cottage
2025 - NowHouse
Copyright: Office of Charles F. Bloszies, 2025