at Dolores Street. After the 1906 earthquake, thousands of earthquake refugees began purchasing lots and erecting cottages and flats in the area. The momentum continued after the completion of Twin Peaks Tunnel in 1918 and the Municipal Railway's J Church streetcar line in 1917. The Eureka Valley Improvement Association, founded on September 3, 1905, successfully lobbied the city's Board of Supervisors for many early improvements in the neighborhood, such as improved streetcar service, better lighting, and public school construction. The association was instrumental in preventing the spread of the fires after the 1906 earthquake. The Eureka Valley branch of the San Francisco Public Library opened in 1902 at the corner of Noe and Seventeenth streets. The original building, damaged in the 1957 Daly City earthquake, was replaced by the current structure in 1962, and refurbished in 2009. The commercial area of Eureka Valley, centered on the intersection of 18th Street and Castro Street, was transformed in the 1970s with the development of the gay community known as "The Castro." Gallery References External links Neighborhoods in San Francisco Castro District, San Francisco