The temple was founded in 1852 , reportedly at its current location at 125 Waverly Place , by Day Ju , one of the first Chinese persons to arrive in San Francisco . The building was later destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire , with the image of the goddess , the temple bell , and part of the altar surviving . By then , ownership of the building site had transitioned to the Sue Hing Benevolent Association , which reopened it in 1910 on the top floor of a four-story building it built on the site . The temple closed in 1955 and reopened on May 4 , 1975 , after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 had caused a rejuvenation of San Francisco 's Chinatown
1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Tin How Temple