The Ferry Building opened in 1898 on the site of the 1875 wooden Ferry House and became the center for anyone travelling from the East by rail and those commuting from the East Bay and Marin.
In 1892, a young architect A.Page Brown was commissioned to design the the steel-framed building which included a 240 foot high clock tower inspired by a 12th century bell tower of a Seville Cathedral. The building Brown designed was the largest building ever built over water and managed to survive both the 1906 and 1989 earthquakes.
By the 1950's, the mass acceptance of the automobile and the Oakland Bay and Golden Gate Bridges rendered the ferries and, therefore, the Ferry Building obsolete. In the 1950's the grand interior space of the building was subdivided for office use and, in 1957, the Embarcadero Freeway was constructed obscuring the view of the Ferry Building and placing the final nail in its coffin.
It was, ironically, the earthquake of 1989 and the damage caused to the freeway which produced the environment from which the Ferry Building could be reborn.
Today the Ferry Building is sparkling with activity. A large selection of restaurants, cafes and specialty shops offers the visitor a wide selection of choices. Unlike many of the other destinations on the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building is geared more to the San Francisco resident and commuter. Visit the Farmers Market, which sets up outdoors every Tuesday and Saturday; it is a shopper's delight for fresh produce, honey, olive oil and vinegar, fresh herbs and specialty foods.
Lest we not forget, this is a ferry terminal linking San Francisco to Larkspur and Sausalito - both of which offer interesting, off-the-beaten-path day trips for the visitor wanting some time to just get away from it all, do some hiking or just get another perspective on the cityscape.
