You may want to metaphorically brace yourself under a solid table (and not in a doorjamb, for crying out loud!) -- 2006 is not only the year of the Congressional midterm elections, but also the 100th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Quake and Fire (April 18, 1906). (Dude, they had orders to shoot to kill looters back then! Gavin better not try any of that!)

To kick off the centennial, two local art museums are now featuring 1906 earthquake themed shows -- the SF MOMA is featuring historic photographs of the disaster, along with (starting in March) films from the Library of Congress of the quake itself, and panel discussions about the commemoration of disasters through photography. Meanwhile, the Legion of Honor is sponsoring the show "After the Ruins: Rephotographing the San Francisco Quake And Fire," where photographer Mark Klett visited sites of famous 1906 photographs and reshot them as they are today: so there's shots of Union Square, the Presidio, Dolores Park, and (as seen above) Market Street from the Ferry Building, then and now.

And before you ask -- yes, both the SFMOMA and the Legion of Honor are seismically sound.


Composite photograph of Ferry Building from 1906 and 2006 from the Legion of Honor website