Due to the earthquake and fire of 1906 , most of the buildings on that stretch of Pacific Street were destroyed . However the city 's financial boosters then saw an opportunity to clean up Barbary Coast , and transform it into an entertainment area which would be acceptable for every-day San Franciscans . Possessing a new sense of civic pride , the boosters invested heavily in reconstruction , and within three months over a dozen dance halls and a dozen bars were rebuilt and operating . This new incarnation of Pacific Street was gentrified and tame compared to the lawless pre-earthquake version of the Barbary Coast , and Terrific Street became a tourist mecca for middle-class youth
earthquake and fire of 1906
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Terrific Street