Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
8
Pacific Coast
Stock Exchange
301 Pine St.
Map
5 C4.
@
3, 41.
Closed
to the public.
This was once America's
largest stock exchange outside
New York. Founded in 1882,
it occupied these buildings,
which were remodeled by
Miller and Pflueger in 1930
from the existing US Treasury.
The monumental granite
statues that flank the Pine
Street entrance to the building
were made by the renowned
San Francisco sculptor, painter,
and muralist Ralph Stackpole,
also in 1930. Due to changing
trading methods, the building
is no longer a stock exchange
and has been converted into
a fitness club.
Classical façade of the Union Bank
of California
6
Union Bank
of California
400 California St.
Map
5 C4.
Te l
765-0400.
@
1, 2, 10, 12, 41.
@
California St.
7
^
William Ralston and Darius
Mills founded this bank in
1864. Ralston, known as “the
man who built San Francisco,”
invested profitably in Comstock
mines
(see p29)
. He, in turn,
used the bank and his personal
fortune to finance many civic
projects in San Francisco.
These included the city's
water company, a theater,
and the Palace Hotel
(see p115)
.
However, when economic
depression struck in the 1870s,
Ralston's empire also collapsed.
The present colonnaded
building was completed in
1908. In the basement there
is a pleasant arcade of shops,
restaurants, and small art and
photography exhibits.
9
Justin Herman
Plaza
Map
6 D3.
@
many buses.
v
J, K, L, M, N.
@
California St.
Popular with lunchtime
crowds from the nearby
Embarcadero Center and
other offices, this plaza is
mostly known for its avant-
garde Vaillancourt Fountain,
made in 1971 by Canadian
artist Armand Vaillancourt.
The fountain is modeled from
huge concrete blocks, and
some find it ugly, especially
when allowed to run dry in
times of drought. However,
you can climb on and through
it, and its pools and columns
of falling water make it an
The clock tower on the Ferry Building
intriguing public work of
art when it is functioning
as intended.
0
Ferry Building
Embarcadero at Market St.
Map
6 E3.
@
many buses.
v
F, J, K, L, M, N.
@
California St.
Constructed between 1896
and 1903, the Ferry Building
survived the great fire of 1906
(see pp30-31)
through the inter-
cession of fireboats pumping
water from the bay. The clock
tower is 235 ft (71 m) high, and
was inspired by the Moorish
bell tower of Seville Cathedral.
In the early 1930s more than
50 million passengers a year
passed through the building.
The Ferry Building now houses
many gourmet shops selling a
huge variety of fresh produce,
as well as several restaurants
and eateries. On Tuesdays and
Saturdays, a Farmers' Market
is held around the outside of
the building.
With the opening of the
Bay Bridge in 1936, the Ferry
7
Merchant's
Exchange
465 California St.
Map
5 C4.
Te l
421-7730.
@
1, 3, 10, 12, 41.
@
Montgomery.
Open
9am-5pm
Mon-Fri; Sat & Sun by appt only.
Closed
public hols.
7
^
∑
mxbuilding.com
The exchange, designed by
Willis Polk in 1903, survived
the great fire of 1906 with little
damage. Inside, fine seascapes
by the Irish painter William
Coulter line the walls. These
depict epic maritime scenes
from the age of steam and sail.
The building was the focal point
of San Francisco's commodities
exchange in the early 20th
century, when look-outs in
the tower relayed news of
ships arriving from abroad.
The Vaillancourt Fountain in Justin
Herman Plaza
