Prior to the 1906 earthquake , the street was called Morton Street and was the center of San Francisco 's red-light district . Historically , the street reported one murder a week . The earthquake , which leveled much of the city , rendered this two-block stretch rubble , and the brothels were destroyed . It was renamed Maiden Lane by an enterprising jeweler who wanted to conjure the Maiden Lanes of London and New York . In 1955 , on the initiative of local merchants , cars were prohibited from the lane during certain times of day , an unusual measure at the time
1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Maiden Lane (San Francisco)