View of the Clay Street Reservoir from Van Ness Street

The watercolors in this series begin on April 25, exactly a week after the earthquake and three days after the fires subsided. Binding holes across the top show that the pages were once part of a sketchbook. This group includes several locations of special significance to Asian Americans living in San Francisco at that time., The second sketch of the series focuses on the west side of Nob Hill, an area almost completely leveled by the post-earthquake fires. The view is from Van Ness toward the top of the hill, where the Clay Street reservoir was located. An automobile is parked beside an intact streetlight, but otherwise the only structural remains are an archway, pillars, and rubble. According to a 1906 photo, the archway marks the ruins of the Leon and Bertha Sloss residence at 1516 Van Ness, between California and Pine.
At the time of the earthquake Obata was living on Leavenworth Street, on the devastated West side of Nob Hill seen here; the camp where he took refuge was in Lafayette Park, a few blocks farther west.