Roy McKenzie has a fantastic article on Hoodline showing the Castro as it used to look in the early 1900s (back when the neighborhood was still called Little Scandinavia) versus today.

Of course, the rubble from the 2014 sidewalk widening project makes today look a smidge like post-April 1906.

From the article:

While digging through the photo archives, we even learned a few new things. Did you know that the Castro Theatre was first constructed at the current location of Cliff’s Variety Store? And that cars once drove through the Muni tunnel leading to West Portal? And that the neighborhood used to be replete with street cars traveling 18th Street and cable cars going up and down Castro?

 – Roy McKenzie, Hoodline

Here are just a few of their before-and after pics:

Castro Street at 18th, North (1915 v. 2014)

Castro Street between Market & 18th, South (1915 v. 2014)

Check out the complete set of photos at Hoodline.