Ferry Building

The Ferry Building at 1 Ferry Building, on The Embarcadero at the foot of Market Street, opened in 1898 as San Francisco's main transit hub, when ferries carried commuters across the bay and the building was among the busiest passenger terminals in the world. Architect A. Page Brown designed it in a Beaux-Arts style, with a 245-foot clock tower modeled on the Giralda tower of Seville Cathedral. The tower and building survived the 1906 earthquake, and the clock became a symbol of the city's resilience. After the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge opened in the 1930s, ferry traffic declined, and an elevated freeway built in the 1950s cut the building from the city. The Embarcadero Freeway was damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and removed, allowing the waterfront to be reopened. The building was restored and reopened in 2003 as a marketplace, with the long central nave, arched skylights, tiled floors and mosaics returned to public view. Today it hosts local food vendors, restaurants and a farmers market, while ferries still depart from the rear terminal for Oakland, Alameda, Sausalito, Larkspur and other points. Visitors can walk the length of the nave, view historic photographs, and see the clock tower from the plaza. Admission is free. The marketplace is open Monday to Friday 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and Sunday 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM; confirm at ferrybuildingmarketplace.com. The farmers market runs on set days, and a visit takes about an hour or more with meals. The building sits near Embarcadero BART and Muni stations and the Embarcadero waterfront promenade. The restoration retained the building's steel frame and marble details, and visitors can see a large relief model of the state of California in the nave and historic exhibits about the ferry era along the upper level, which still houses offices.