Ferry Building

Infobox Station
name=San Francisco Ferry Building


image_size=325
image_caption=The Ferry Building, along the Embarcadero.
Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, and the Bay Bridge can be seen in the background, with Justin Herman Plaza and the foot of Market Street in the foreground.
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other=San Francisco Muni, Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry, Oakland-Alameda Ferry, Tiburon Ferry, Golden Gate Transit, Vallejo Transit
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bicycle=Yes
baggage_check=No
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ADA=yes
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The Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay and a shopping center located on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, California. On top of the building is a large clock tower, which can be seen from Market Street, a main thoroughfare of the city. Architecturally, the clock tower was modeled after the 12th century Giralda bell tower in Seville, Spain. During daylight, on every full and half-hour, the clock bell can be heard chiming portions of the Westminster Quarters.

Architecture

The present structure, designed by local San Francisco architect A. Page Brown, opened in 1898, replacing its wooden predecessor, and survived both the 1906 earthquake and the 1989 earthquake with amazingly little damage. Until the completion of the Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge in the 1930s it was the second busiest transit terminal in the world, second only to London's Charing Cross Station. It served as the embarcation point for commuters to San Francisco from the East Bay who rode the ferry fleets of the Southern Pacific and the Key System. A loop track existed in front of the building for streetcars. A large pedestrian bridge also spanned the Embarcadero in front of the Ferry building until the late 1940s.

History

After the bridges opened, and the new Key System trains began running to the East Bay from the Transbay Terminal in 1939, passenger ferry use fell sharply. In the second half of the twentieth century, although the Ferry Building and its clock tower remained a beloved part of the San Francisco skyline, the building interior declined. Over the years, the ticketing counters and waiting room areas were partitioned into office space. The formerly grand public space was reduced to a narrow and dark corridor, through which travelers passed enroute to the piers. Passengers had to wait on outdoor benches, and the ticketing booths were moved to an area on the pier.

With the construction in the late 1950s of the Embarcadero Freeway which passed right in front of the Ferry Building, views of the once-prominent landmark from Market Street were greatly obscured and pedestrian access to it became somewhat of an afterthought. When this double-decker elevated structure was demolished in the aftermath of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and replaced with a ground-level boulevard, the barrier, both literal and psychological, between a significant portion of San Francisco's historic waterfront and the rest of the city, was now gone, and access to Justin Herman Plaza and the foot of Market Street, which the Ferry Building had been such an integral part of for so many decades, was restored.

Renovations

In 2004, the building reopened as an upscale gourmet marketplace, office building, and re-dedicated ferry terminal. The restoration project spanned several years, with an emphasis on recreating the building's 1898 ambience. San Francisco's largest farmers market is held there on Tuesdays and Saturdays year-round and Thursday evenings in the summer.

Ferry service

Oakland & Alameda

The Oakland-Alameda Ferry provides service from the Oakland Ferry Terminal in Oakland's Jack London Square and the Alameda Ferry Terminal in the North Shore neighborhood of the island city of Alameda to the Ferry Building and Fisherman's Wharf.

Larkspur & Sausalito

Golden Gate Ferry operates service from Larkspur Landing in Larkspur and the Sausalito Ferry Terminal in Sausalito both in the North Bay's Marin County.

Vallejo

Service to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal in Vallejo in Solano County is provided by the "Baylink" service of Vallejo Transit.

Bay Farm Island

Alameda Harbor Bay Ferry has a service running from Alameda's Bay Farm Island.

Tiburon & Angel Island

Tiburon Ferry runs between Tiburon Ferry Terminal in Tiburon with an overlay on Angel Island and the ferry building.

Forthcomming service

There is planned ferry service from Hercules, Redwood City, South San Francisco, Martinez, Antioch, Treasure Island and Berkeley, and Richmond [http://www.watertransit.org/proposedRoutes/proposedRoutes.aspx WETA overview] , access date, July 17, 2008]

Transportation links

The main line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system runs right under the building. The dock area on the eastern side is used as the transition point from the Transbay Tube to the Market Street Subway. The Embarcadero Station is a BART and Muni Metro station within walking distance (about one block) from the terminal and connects it with the city, East Bay and Peninsula.

ee also

*Ferries of San Francisco Bay
*Oakland Long Wharf
*49-Mile Scenic Drive
*San Francisco Bay Water Transit Authority (WTA)
*Central Embarcadero Piers Historic District

References

* [http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/ Ferry Building Marketplace]

External links

* [http://map.sanfranciscohiltonhotel.com/?bid=173 Ferry Building Interactive Map]