National Register of Historic Places

Union Ferry Depot

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
Listed
December 1, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
78000760

About this property

The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay, a food hall and an office building. It is located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California and is served by Golden Gate Ferry and San Francisco Bay Ferry routes. On top of the building is a 245-foot-tall (75 m) clock tower with four clock dials, each 22 feet (6.7 m) in diameter, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city. Designed in 1892 by American architect A. Page Brown in the Beaux-Arts style, the ferry building was completed in 1898. At its opening, it was the largest project undertaken in the city up to that time. One of Brown's design inspirations for the clock tower may have been the current 16th-century iteration of the 12th-century Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain. The entire length of the building on both frontages is based on an arched arcade. With decreased use since the 1950s, after bridges were constructed to carry transbay traffic and most streetcar routes were converted to buses, the building was adapted to office use and its public spaces broken up. In 2002, a restoration and renovation were undertaken to redevelop the entire complex. The 660-foot-long (200 m) Great Nave was restored, together with its height and materials. A marketplace was created on the ground floor, the former baggage handling area. The second and third floors were adapted for office and Port Commission use. On every hour during daylight, the clock bell chimes portions of the Westminster Quarters. The ferry terminal is a designated San Francisco landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

San Francisco, San Francisco County, California
37.79548, -122.39320

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ferry Station Post Office Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Pier One
Industrial
0.1 mi
Audiffred Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Rincon Annex
Industrial
0.2 mi
M.V. SANTA ROSA
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Union Ferry Depot listed on the National Register?

Union Ferry Depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Union Ferry Depot?

Union Ferry Depot is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Union Ferry Depot?

The period of significance for Union Ferry Depot is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Union Ferry Depot?

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