The Embarcadero (San Francisco)

The Embarcadero(Spanishfor "Embarkment" ) is the eastern waterfront ofPort of San Franciscoand a major roadway inSan Francisco,California.It was constructed onreclaimed landalong a three mile longengineeredseawall,from which piers extend into the bay. It derives its name from theSpanishverbembarcar,meaning "to embark";embarcaderoitself means "the place to embark." TheCentral Embarcadero Piers Historic Districtwas added to theNational Register of Historic Placeson November 20, 2002.

The Embarcadero

The Embarcadero photographed from southeast, with theFerry Buildingto the right andAlcatraz Islandin the distance
Maintained by	San Francisco DPW
Nearest metro station	Embarcadero station
Southeast end	Second and King streets
Major junctions	Folsom Street Howard Street Mission Street Market Street Broadway Kearny Street
Northwest end	Pier 45
Central Embarcadero Piers Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Location	Piers 1, 1½, 3 and 5, The Embarcadero San Francisco,California
Coordinates	37.7986°N 122.3969°W/37.7986; -122.3969
Area	6.6 acres (2.7 ha)
Built	1918
Architectural style	Beaux Arts
NRHP referenceNo.	02001390
Added to NRHP	November 20, 2002

Rincon Park andCupid's Spanwith the San Francisco skyline and the Embarcadero in the background

The Embarcaderoright-of-waybegins at the intersection of Second and King Streets nearOracle Park,and travels north, passing under theSan Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge.The Embarcadero continues north past theFerry BuildingatMarket Street,Pier 39,andFisherman's Wharf,before ending atPier 45.A section of The Embarcadero which ran betweenFolsom Streetand Drumm Street was formerly known as East Street.

For three decades, until it was torn down in 1991, theEmbarcadero Freewaydominated the area. The subsequent redevelopment and restoration efforts have, according to theNational Trust for Historic Preservation,"contributed to a remarkable urban waterfront renaissance", with the Embarcadero Historic District serving as a "major economic engine for the Bay Area".

History

San Francisco's shoreline historically ran south and inland fromClark's PointbelowTelegraph Hillto present-dayMontgomery Streetand eastward toward Rincon Point, enclosing an inlet namedYerba Buena Cove.As the city grew, the cove was filled. Over fifty years a large offshoreseawallwas built and the mudflats filled, creating what today is San Francisco'sFinancial District. TheSan Francisco Belt Railroad,ashort line railroadfor freight, ran along The Embarcadero; itsformer enginehousehas been preserved. The roadway follows theseawall,a boundary first established in the 1860s and not completed until the 1920s.

During the early-20th century when the seaport was at its busiest and before the construction of theBay Bridge,Pier 1,Pier 1½,Pier 3andPier 5were dedicated chiefly to inland trade and transport. These connections facilitated the growth of communities in theSacramento-andSan Joaquin Valleysand fostered California's agricultural business.Today, these piers comprise theCentral Embarcadero Piers Historic District.TheDelta Queendocked at Pier 1½, ferrying people between San Francisco andSacramento.There was once a pedestrian footbridge that connected Market Street directly with the Ferry building and a subterranean roadway to move cars below the plaza.

DuringWorld War II,San Francisco's waterfront became a military logistics center; troops, equipment and supplies left the Port in support of the Pacific theater. Almost every pier and wharf was involved in military activities, with troop ships and naval vessels tied up all along the Embarcadero.

However, after the completion of the Bay Bridge and the rapid decline of ferries and the Ferry Building, the neighborhood fell into decline. The transition tocontainer shipping,which moved most shipping toOakland,led to further decline. Automobile transit efforts led to theEmbarcadero Freewaybeing built in the 1950s. This improved automobile access to theBay Bridge,but detracted aesthetically from the city. For 30 years, the freeway divided the waterfront and theFerry Buildingfrom downtown. It was torn down in 1991, after being severely damaged in the1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.

View from the bay 2007

View ofYerba Buena IslandandBay Bridge

After thefreewayhad been cleared, massive redevelopment began as a grand palm-lined boulevard was created, squares and plazas were created and/or restored, andMuni'sN JudahandT Third StreetandF Market & Wharveslines were extended to run along it, with the N and T lines going south from Market Street to Fourth and King Streets (atOracle Parkand theCaltrainstation) and the F line going north from Market toFisherman's Wharf.The Muni also relaunched the ‘E’ line which was historically a seasonal service connecting Fishermans' Wharf to the Caltrain Depot, the line now operates weekends between Jefferson and Jones adjacent Fisherman's Wharf and Fourth and King streets near the Caltrain terminus.

The sidewalk along the waterfront betweenChina Basinand Fisherman's Wharfwas named "Herb Caen Way..." after the death of celebrated local columnistHerb Caenin 1997. The three dots, orellipsis,deliberately are included in honor of columnist Herb Caen'sPulitzer Prizewinning writing style.

A large public sculpture,Cupid's Span,byClaes OldenburgandCoosje van Bruggen,was installed in 2002 along theRincon Parkarea. ResemblingCupid's bow and arrow with the arrow implanted in the ground, the artists stated that the statue was inspired by San Francisco's reputation as the home port of Eros, hence the stereotypical bow and arrow of Cupid.

In 2016, the Embarcadero was named on thelist of "11 Most Endangered Historic Places"in the US by theNational Trust for Historic Preservation,citing "the dual natural threats of sea-level rise and seismic vulnerability" to the seawall.

Subway station

Embarcadero Station,aBARTandMuni Metrosubwaystation, is located at the foot of Market Street, one block from The Embarcadero. While not in the original transit system plans, it has become the most highly trafficked BART station.As it is aninfill station,the design is unique among theMarket Street subway.

Embarcadero Center

Main article:Embarcadero Center

Embarcadero Centerconsists of four 30- to 45-storybuildings and theHyatt Regency San Francisco,located between the Ferry Building and the foot of Market Street. Until 2001, there was a viewing deck on top of the Embarcadero Center. During the winter holidays, the edges of all four buildings are illuminated, the effect resembling the outlines of four giant books on a shelf.

Embarcadero Plaza

Main article:Embarcadero Plaza

At the eastern end of Market Street is Embarcadero Plaza, opened in 1972 and originally named Justin Herman Plaza, forM. Justin Herman,head of theSan Francisco Redevelopment Agencyfrom 1959 to 1971.

Education

Right along the Embarcadero Center is the Embarcadero YMCA, the city's flagship branch of a group of a dozen locales. The center features the uniqueYouth Chance High School,an alternative high school that is a magnet for troubled students from throughout the Bay Area.

Seawall upgrade and enhancements projects

The Embarcadero seawall is over a century old, originally constructed between 1878 and 1916, and is in need of upgrades in order to ensure its integrity in the event of a major earthquake.As of February 2018thePort of San Francisco,theSan Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency,and several other departments are partnering to deliver a project to upgrade the seawall and adjoining public spaces. The project is expected to cost at least $2 billion, and the city successfully passed a ballot measure to issue $425 million in bonds to finance part of the project in November 2016.

Gallery

• 
  Pier 7, the Embarcadero, towards Yerba Beuna island
• 
  End of Pier 7, towards the Embarcadero andTransamerica Pyramid

See also

• A Trip Down Market Street,a historic film showing the Embarcadero andFerry Buildingin 1906

External links

• Media related toThe Embarcadero (San Francisco)at Wikimedia Commons

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