Market and The Embarcadero station

San Francisco Ferry Building

Company type	Public ferry terminal and marketplace
Industry	Transportation, Retail
Founded	1898
Headquarters	San Francisco, California , United States
Products	Ferry services, Food marketplace, Office spaces

The San Francisco Ferry Building functions as a ferry terminal for crossings over the San Francisco Bay, while also housing a food marketplace and office spaces. Positioned on The Embarcadero in San Francisco, it is serviced by routes operated by both Golden Gate Ferry and San Francisco Bay Ferry.

A prominent feature of the building is its clock tower, equipped with four dials each measuring in diameter, visible from Market Street. Architect A. Page Brown designed the structure in 1892, employing the Beaux-Arts style, with completion achieved in 1898 as the largest construction project in the city at that time. The clock tower’s design appears to draw inspiration from the 16th-century version of the 12th-century Giralda bell tower located in Seville, Spain. The building’s extensive façade is adorned with an arched arcade along both sides.

After ferry transportation declined post-1950s due to new bridge developments and shifts in transit patterns, the building was repurposed primarily for office use, with public spaces becoming fragmented. A significant renovation completed in 2002 restored the Great Nave to its original height and materials. The ground floor, once dedicated to baggage handling, was transformed into a vibrant marketplace, while upper floors were converted for office use and Port Commission functions. The clock bell sounds segments of the Westminster Quarters every hour during daylight hours. This terminal holds status as a designated San Francisco landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Inaugurated on July 13, 1898, the current Ferry Building replaced an earlier wooden structure dating back to 1875. Its reinforced construction featuring arched arcades endured both the 1906 and 1989 with only minor damage. Serving as a crucial transit node, it connected commuters from the East Bay via ferries operated by Southern Pacific and Key System, linking to transcontinental railroads terminating in Oakland—including Southern Pacific, Santa Fe, Western Pacific, and Northwestern Pacific lines. The ferry piers located north of the clock tower accommodated Key System, Santa Fe, and Northwestern Pacific services, while those to the south served Southern Pacific and Western Pacific ferries.

Originally, streetcars on Market Street used a turntable to reverse direction. Following the 1906 earthquake, a two-track balloon loop was installed in front of the building to streamline streetcar transfers; this was later supplemented by a third loop after the Twin Peaks Tunnel opened in 1918, enabling handling of up to 295 cars per hour. A large pedestrian bridge once spanned the Embarcadero to provide safe crossing but was dismantled during the 1940s to contribute materials for wartime scrap drives.

Prior to the openings of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and Golden Gate Bridge in the 1930s—both accommodating railroad traffic—the Ferry Building ranked as the world’s second busiest transit terminal after London’s Charing Cross Station. However, ferry patronage sharply declined after these bridges opened and new Key System and Southern Pacific trains began operating from the Transbay Terminal starting in 1939.

Despite remaining an iconic element of San Francisco’s skyline through mid-20th century, interior conditions worsened over time. Renovations during the 1950s introduced a mezzanine level that divided the expansive Great Nave into smaller office spaces, significantly reducing public access to narrow corridors. Ticket counters were relocated outdoors onto piers where passengers waited on benches exposed to elements.

The construction of the Embarcadero Freeway in the late 1950s obstructed views of this landmark from Market Street and severed pedestrian pathways leading to the waterfront.

Market Street Railway operations terminated at a loop situated before the building until closure preceded opening of the Transbay Terminal; streetcar services ended on July 2, 1949.

Following structural collapse of the Embarcadero Freeway during the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, San Francisco elected not to rebuild it. Under Mayor Art Agnos, efforts focused on replacing it with a surface-level boulevard that restored pedestrian connectivity between downtown and its eastern waterfront, reopening access to Embarcadero Plaza (formerly known as Justin Herman Plaza) and Market Street—thereby reintegrating the historic Ferry Building into San Francisco’s urban landscape.

Renovations

Following the freeway removal in 1992, San Francisco launched a waterfront redevelopment initiative aimed at rejuvenating the cleared area, improving public accessibility, and reinstating ferry operations. Serving as a historic icon and key waterfront feature, the Ferry Building played a pivotal role in this vision, representing both the city's maritime heritage and its prospective expansion.

Due to the project's complexity, several specialized firms were engaged: ROMA Design Group was responsible for designing the site layout, including promenades, plazas, new ferry terminals, and transit connections; Simon Martin-Vegue Winkelstein Moris Architects (SMWM), led by Cathy Simon, created the comprehensive building plan; Baldauf Catton Von Eckartsberg Architects (BCVE) addressed requirements for retail space; and Page & Turnbull, specialists in historic preservation, oversaw the restoration and replication of original architectural elements.

Although restored, the structure’s function shifted from exclusively transit-related use. While ferry ridership has recently increased, it remains below historic levels. To draw visitors, the ground floor was repurposed into retail and dining venues focusing on local and sustainable offerings. The Port and developers aimed to integrate transportation, office spaces, and distinctive retail to establish the Ferry Building as a vibrant destination catalyzing waterfront renewal.

Economic sustainability guided the restoration strategy—preserving essential historic features while adapting spaces for contemporary purposes. The revitalized Ferry Building reopened in 2003 under lead developer EQ Office, which was later acquired by The Blackstone Group in 2007.

Currently, the ground floor contains a marketplace with approximately 50 daily-operating restaurants and shops. An outdoor farmers' market activates the adjacent plaza regularly. Since 2020, community radio station BFF.fm has broadcast live from within the Ferry Building.

Architecture and design

Conceived in 1892 by New York architect A. Page Brown, trained at McKim, Mead & White and Paris’s École des Beaux-Arts, the Ferry Building merges industrial practicality with sophisticated architectural style. Its foundation features an arched arcade influenced by European precedents, constructed using high-quality materials such as marble and mosaics depicting the state seal. The second-floor Great Nave originally functioned as the primary public area for ferry passengers.

Although it is often suggested that Brown’s clock tower was inspired by Seville’s 16th-century Giralda bell tower, no definitive proof supports this claim.

Grand Nave

Initially, access to the building was provided via an elevated second-floor walkway to minimize congestion at street level. The ground floor was designated for baggage handling, mail sorting, and freight operations rather than public entry. By 1992, this nave had been converted into office space and public access shifted to street level, changing how visitors experienced the building.

During restoration efforts, emphasis was placed on reviving the naturally illuminated nave as a focal point for public engagement. The added third floor was removed to restore the nave’s original two-story volume. To extend this openness to the first floor below, two large openings (each ) were created in the second-floor slab—an alteration requiring approval from the State Historic Preservation Office due to its historic status and prompting multiple public hearings.

Marble mosaics

The refurbishment of the Grand Nave's second floor prominently featured the historic marble mosaic flooring, characterized by white and gray tesserae bordered in red and purple hues. At the heart of this area lies a mosaic rendition of the Great Seal of California. Before restoration efforts began, much of the mosaic was concealed beneath linoleum, and certain sections had been lost due to previous modifications. Given its significance to the building’s heritage and community identity, safeguarding this element was a key objective.

The final arrangement between the SHPO and the development team permitted structural cuts in the floor provided that essential decorative elements were restored and any damaged areas were repaired using surplus tesserae. The restoration process included the careful removal of linoleum and cleaning the marble with crushed walnut shells to prevent harm.

Arch reproduction and patinization

While dismantling mid-20th-century additions on the third floor, Page & Turnbull discovered extensive deterioration in the nave’s brick and terra cotta arches—11 out of the original 44 arches had been lost, including ornamental scrollwork. To restore this vital architectural component cost-effectively, replacements were fabricated from fiberglass-reinforced cast stone that closely replicates the original buff brick’s color and texture.

The incorporation of fiberglass provided enhanced flexibility and compressive strength, improving seismic resilience. Preserving a consistent visual appearance along the nave was crucial; any noticeable differences in materials or coloration would interrupt the arch sequence. Faux-finishing expert Jacquelyn Giuffre meticulously applied six pigments by hand to emulate the aged brick’s texture and patina, incorporating greenish tones to simulate bay air staining from salt exposure. Final on-site blending guaranteed a flawless match between new and existing elements.

Clocks

The original Special #4 clock, crafted in 1898 by Boston clockmaker E. Howard, remains preserved despite two modifications and underwent refurbishment in 2000. Once recognized as the largest wind-up mechanical dial clock worldwide, it currently operates via an electric motor. Each of its four dials spans , featuring dual concentric dials that produce a backlit effect during nighttime.

Although the clock’s hands and part of its mechanism are electrically powered, the original movement—including a weight and pendulum—is still on site but no longer functional. Up until 2024, electronic loudspeakers positioned above the clock emitted Westminster Chimes every hour and sounded a siren at noon on Tuesdays; these replaced a 30-horsepower mechanical siren installed in 1918 by Heath Engineering Laboratories. The original siren functioned daily until 1972 and was removed during restoration work in 2001, with parts preserved at the San Francisco National Maritime Museum.

Ferry service

As San Francisco’s main hub for commuter ferry operations, the Ferry Building connects six piers designated Gate B through Gate G. Gate B serves San Francisco Bay Ferry routes traveling to Vallejo/Mare Island and Treasure Island. Gates C and D comprise the Golden Gate Ferry Terminal, accommodating Golden Gate Ferry routes to Sausalito, Tiburon, and Larkspur. Gates E through G are used by San Francisco Bay Ferry for trips to Oakland/Alameda, Alameda Harbor Bay, and Richmond. Additionally, privately run Berkeley service docks nearby at Pier 1.

The Golden Gate Ferry Terminal commenced operations in 1976 on a wharf constructed during the late 1960s as part of the Transbay Tube project. Service to Vallejo started in 1986. Following the 1989 earthquake, emergency ferry routes operated from multiple piers including Pier 1 for Berkeley and Richmond; these two services ceased by March 1990 while Oakland/Alameda continued with Harbor Bay added in 1992. Subsequently, these routes moved to a new pier north of the Ferry Building at Pier .

Gates B and E were modernized and opened in October 2001 amid a significant renovation anticipating future growth. Around 2008, WETA partnered with the Port of San Francisco to design three additional piers aimed at expanding capacity and route options. Environmental assessments began in 2011 with an impact report released in 2014. The Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal Expansion Project concentrated on upgrades within South Basin: constructing Gates F and G behind the Agriculture Building, rebuilding Gate E, and establishing a new public plaza.

A groundbreaking event for this $79 million initiative took place in May 2017. Gate G became operational in December 2018 followed by Gate F in February 2019, which allowed for Gate E’s reconstruction phase. Gate E reopened in February 2020; this $98 million expansion concluded by August 2020 significantly increased ferry capacity and improved operational efficiency.

Transit connections

The pedestrian plaza located in front of the Ferry Building is served by two historic streetcar lines operated by Muni — the E Embarcadero and F Market & Wharves. This surface-level stop, identified as Ferry Building and sometimes referred to as The Embarcadero/Ferry Building, was inaugurated on March 4, 2000, coinciding with the F Market line’s extension to Fisherman's Wharf.

While no Muni bus routes directly access the Ferry Building, numerous routes have stops in close proximity at Embarcadero station, which is the nearest hub for both Muni Metro and BART. Furthermore, a late-evening northbound trip on SolTrans route 82 is available for travelers who miss the final ferry to Vallejo.

See also

• 49-Mile Scenic Drive
• Central Embarcadero Piers Historic District
• Ferries of San Francisco Bay
• List of San Francisco Designated Landmarks

External links

• Ferry Building Marketplace
• Port of San Francisco - Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal Expansion
• The Downtown San Francisco Ferry Terminal Expansion Project