Originally the street ran alongside the Precita Creek, parallel to Navy Street. Around 1900 the creek was channeled underground, and Army Street was paved over the former creek.[3]
In the 1930s it was widened and meant to be a thoroughfare for automobiles.[3] It is seen as the dividing line between the Mission District on the north, and Bernal Heights on the south.[10][14] At one point it was a two-lane street with its own streetcar line, but had been widened to six lanes by 1950.[5][15]
It is considered an important east–west arterial, "... west of Third Street, [the street] is designated a major arterial and a Citywide Bicycle Route and carries 12,000 vehicles per day. It is a four-lane street that provides access to the west and connects to the central waterfront, India Basin, and Hunters Point Shipyard areas to the east. East of Third Street, it provides access to Pier 80."[2]
The widening of Army Street was made as part of the development of the never constructed Southern Crossing from San Francisco to the East Bay.[16][17]
The name of the street was changed to honor the city's Latino community, but the change was controversial at the time.[9] Following the name change in January 1995, residents of the largely-white Noe Valley neighborhood on the thoroughfare's western stretch organized a ballot initiative (Proposition O) that November to remove Chavez's name from street signs. They argued that the name Army Street had important historical value, that the name change had become a divisive issue for the city, and lamented the costs associated with changing the name on business promotional material and other documentation. The name change enjoyed popularity in the Mission District, as an important symbol of recognition for the local Latino population.[18] The conflict drew national attention, with elected officials from around the country endorsing a vote to keep the Chavez name.[19]
Recognizing the negative effects created by the widening of the street, in 2011 the city started an effort to make the street more pedestrian friendly.[14] The Cesar Chavez Streetscape Project implemented measures to "improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety, enhance greening, promote ecology function, and make the street work better ..."[20]