The building was one of the few in the neighborhood to survive the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and ensuing firestorm , although the interior was badly damaged by fire . The interior was redesigned by John Bakewell and Arthur J. Brown after the earthquake , and rebuilt with an opulent central rotunda capped with a stained glass dome . The store reopened in 1909 , moving from a temporary location in the Hobart Mansion on Van Ness Avenue . Also in 1909 , the store established the tradition of placing a huge Christmas tree in the center of the rotunda , thereafter recognized as the city 's official Christmas tree
1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
City of Paris Dry Goods Co.