Tin How Temple, Taoist temple in Chinatown, San Francisco.
Tin How Temple occupies the top floor of a four-story brick building on Waverly Place. Its street facade is painted deep green with gold Chinese characters and a gold star emblem; a yellow sign with red lettering reads "HOP SING," and above it a green panel shows "HOP SING" in gold. A vertical stack of signs identifies the Sue Hing Benevolent Association and the Tin How Temple. The entrance is not visible from the street.
The temple was reportedly founded around 1852 or 1853 at its current site by Day Ju, one of the first Chinese arrivals in San Francisco. The building burned in the 1906 earthquake and fire; the goddess image, the temple bell and part of the altar survived. The Sue Hing Benevolent Association, which then owned the site, reopened the temple in 1910 on the top floor of a four-story building it erected there.
The temple honors Mazu, a goddess central to Chinese maritime traditions and spiritual protection. Visitors can observe people making offerings and seeking blessings through rituals performed here.
The temple sits at the top of an older building and requires climbing three flights of stairs to reach the entrance. Visitors should expect modest lighting and show respect for active worshippers who pray there.
The name Waverly Place derives directly from this temple and is called Tin How Temple Street in Chinese. This naming reflects how important this sanctuary was to the community from its founding.
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